- In full:
- Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo
- Born:
- June 19, 1917, Semokwe Reserve, Matabeleland, Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe]
- Died:
- July 1, 1999, Harare, Zimbabwe (aged 82)
- Founder:
- Zimbabwe African People’s Union
- Political Affiliation:
- African National Congress
- Zimbabwe African People’s Union
Joshua Nkomo
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Who was Joshua Nkomo?
Joshua Nkomo (1917–1999) was a prominent Black nationalist in Zimbabwe. As leader of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), he rivaled Robert Mugabe, who was first Prime Minister and then President.
Nkomo's early career included working for Rhodesian Railways and becoming a leader in the Black Rhodesian railway workers' trade union in 1951. In 1957, he became president of the African National Congress (ANC). After the ANC was banned, Nkomo founded the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 1960 and ZAPU in 1961. From 1964 to 1974, the white-minority government of Rhodesia detained Nkomo.
After his release, he promoted ZAPU’s goal of Black majority rule. Although Nkomo helped lead the guerrilla war against white rule, his forces played a smaller role than Mugabe’s. After white-ruled Rhodesia became Black-ruled Zimbabwe in 1979–80, Mugabe’s ZANU increasingly eclipsed Nkomo and ZAPU.
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What role did Joshua Nkomo play in Zimbabwe's fight for independence?
Joshua Nkomo was a key figure in Zimbabwe's fight for independence. As a leader, he founded the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) and helped lead the guerrilla war against white rule in Rhodesia. After being detained by the white-minority government of Rhodesia for 10 years, Nkomo traveled extensively in Africa and Europe to promote ZAPU’s goal of Black majority rule in Rhodesia. After 1976, ZAPU and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) joined in an uneasy alliance known as the Patriotic Front. Nkomo's ZAPU was increasingly eclipsed by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1979–80.
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Which political parties did Joshua Nkomo help to lead or form?
Joshua Nkomo was a prominent figure in the fight for Black majority rule in Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia. He helped form and lead several political parties:
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African National Congress (ANC) In 1957, Nkomo became president of the ANC, a leading Black nationalist organization in Rhodesia.
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National Democratic Party (NDP) After the ANC was banned in 1959, Nkomo founded the NDP in 1960.
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Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) When the NDP was banned in 1961, Nkomo founded ZAPU. Most ZAPU members belonged to the Ndebele ethnic group.
Nkomo also helped lead the guerrilla war against white rule. After 1976, ZAPU and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), led by Robert Mugabe, formed the Patriotic Front in an uneasy alliance. In 1987, Nkomo and Mugabe merged ZAPU and ZANU to try to achieve ethnic unity in Zimbabwe.
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How did Joshua Nkomo's relationship with Robert Mugabe influence Zimbabwean politics?
Joshua Nkomo's relationship with Robert Mugabe significantly shaped Zimbabwean politics. As leaders of ZAPU and ZANU respectively, Nkomo and Mugabe initially formed an uneasy alliance in the Patriotic Front to fight against white rule in Rhodesia.
After Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, their parties' relationship remained strained, marked by ethnic strife between the Shona and Ndebele peoples. Mugabe's ZANU largely eclipsed Nkomo's ZAPU, leading to Nkomo's dismissal from the cabinet in 1982. In 1987, seeking ethnic unity, they merged their parties, with Nkomo becoming vice president under Mugabe in 1990. Despite holding the title, Nkomo remained a figurehead, with Mugabe wielding the true political power.
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What challenges did Joshua Nkomo face during and after the independence struggle?
Joshua Nkomo, a leading figure in Zimbabwe's independence struggle, faced numerous challenges both during and after the fight for liberation. As the leader of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), he was imprisoned by the white-minority government of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1974. After his release, Nkomo helped lead the guerrilla war against white rule. However, his forces played a relatively minor role compared to those of Robert Mugabe's ZANU.
After Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, Nkomo's ZAPU was increasingly overshadowed by Mugabe's ZANU, leading to ethnic strife between the Shona and Ndebele peoples. Nkomo was dismissed from the cabinet in 1982, and later, in 1983, government forces were sent to punish the people of Matabeleland. Despite a merger of ZAPU and ZANU in 1987 to achieve ethnic unity, the relationship between Nkomo and Mugabe remained strained.
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How is Joshua Nkomo remembered in Zimbabwe today?
Joshua Nkomo, a prominent figure in Zimbabwe's history, is remembered as a Black nationalist and leader of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU). He was a long-time rival of Robert Mugabe. Nkomo's political journey included leading the African National Congress (ANC) and founding the National Democratic Party (NDP). His influence extended to the guerrilla war against white rule in Rhodesia. Despite ethnic divisions and political challenges, Nkomo's legacy remains significant in Zimbabwe's struggle for independence and unity.
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Joshua Nkomo (born June 19, 1917, Semokwe Reserve, Matabeleland, Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe]—died July 1, 1999, Harare, Zimbabwe) was a Black nationalist in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), who, as leader of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), was Prime Minister and then President Robert Mugabe’s longtime rival.
Nkomo was the son of a teacher and lay preacher in Matabeleland, residing among the Ndebele (formerly called Matabele) and the Kalanga peoples. (Most members of his ZAPU party belonged to the Ndebele, who form the dominant ethnic group in the southern part of the country.) After primary schooling in Rhodesia, he went to South Africa to complete his education in Natal and Johannesburg. Upon returning home in 1945, he worked for the Rhodesian Railways and by 1951 had become a leader in the trade union of the Black Rhodesian railway workers. In 1951 he also obtained an external B.A. degree from the University of South Africa, Johannesburg.
Nkomo became increasingly political, and in 1957 he was elected president of the African National Congress (ANC), the leading Black nationalist organization in Rhodesia. When the ANC was banned early in 1959, Nkomo went to England to escape imprisonment. He returned in 1960 and founded the National Democratic Party (NDP); in 1961, when the NDP was banned in turn, he founded ZAPU. The white-minority government of Rhodesia held Nkomo in detention from 1964 until 1974. After his release he traveled widely in Africa and Europe to promote ZAPU’s goal of Black majority rule in Rhodesia. Nkomo helped lead the guerrilla war against white rule in Rhodesia, but his forces played a relatively minor role compared with those of Mugabe, who headed the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). The two groups were joined in an uneasy alliance known as the Patriotic Front after 1976.
After white-ruled Rhodesia became Black-ruled Zimbabwe in 1979–80, Nkomo and his Ndebele-supported ZAPU were increasingly eclipsed by Mugabe’s ZANU, whose base of support was the majority Shona people. ZANU resoundingly defeated Nkomo’s ZAPU in the 1980 parliamentary elections. The parties’ relationship remained strained, and overt ethnic strife broke out between the Shona and the Ndebele peoples after Mugabe dismissed Nkomo from the cabinet in 1982. After a complete breach between the two leaders for a few years, they agreed in 1987 to merge their respective parties in order to try to achieve ethnic unity in their country. In 1990 Nkomo became a vice president under Mugabe, but Nkomo was only a figurehead in this position; genuine political power was wielded by Mugabe, who remained Zimbabwe’s chief executive. In 1996 Nkomo was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His deteriorating health forced him to retreat from public life, although he continued to hold the title of vice president until his death in 1999. An autobiography, Nkomo, the Story of My Life, was published in 1984.