Mugabe announces John Nkomo's death

President Robert Mugabe today described the late Vice President Landa John Nkomo as a pan-Africanist, liberator and nationalist.

Nkomo died on Thursday at St Annes Hospital in Harare where he was receiving medical treatment.

He was born on August 22, 1934 in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North.

He attended the Methodist School in Mangwe before going to the Seventh Day Adventist School in Mazivisa. He then enrolled at Solusi Mission School for Standards Four, Five and Six before leaving for Bulawayo in 1953.

During the next two years, Nkomo studied privately for a Junior Certificate, which he obtained in 1955, while working as a stores assistant at a clothing factory in Bulawayo.

He then trained as a teacher and qualified in 1958, the year he also started his political career by joining the African National Congress (ANC).

This put him in conflict with the missionaries, a situation that led him to leave the Methodist School in Mangwe. Due to the shortage of teachers during that time, Nkomo was fortunate to get another teaching post in Nkulumane, Bulawayo.

As a teacher, he joined the African Teachers Association and his interest in civic issues landed him a post as the Secretary of the Local Residents Association from 1961 to 1964.

He then formed the Bulawayo African United Residents Association in 1964 and became its first secretary.

After the banning of the ANC in 1959, he joined in succession the NDP, ZAPU and PCC, being politically active in the youth wing.

In 1965, he was involved in the dispute with the Native Commissioner in his home area and was sent to Khami Prison for 14 days.

The following year, he was arrested again, and after being held at various prisons for 30 days, he was sent to Gonakudzingwa where he served a two and half year sentence.

In 1971 he was appointed Secretary of the Education Committee of the ANC at its re-inception.

He was then appointed Deputy Secretary General of the party in 1973.

In 1975, he was chosen to represent the ANC external wing during a conference in Lusaka before he was named the Secretary of the ANC delegation to the Geneva Conference on October 13, 1976.

Nkomo was seriously injured by the same parcel bomb that killed Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo in Lusaka on January 22, 1977.

At independence in 1980, he was a member of theZimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) before the party merged with Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) to create Zanu PF in 1987.

He then held ministerial positions in several government ministries which include; Home Affairs, Labour, Manpower Planning, and Social Welfare; and was Special Affairs Minister in the President's Office from 2002.

Nkomo was also Minister of State in the President's Office in 2009.

He also served as the Speaker of Parliament from 2005 to 2008. He became National Chairman of Zanu PF from December 2005 until December 2009, when he was elected Vice-President of the country and the Zanu PF party following the death of Vice President Joseph Msika.

Nkomo was instrumental in the establishment of the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, becoming its chairperson.

The organ was formed to help bring about peace and reconciliation in the country, following the violence that erupted in the 2008 harmonised elections.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.