Nkomo, Joshua, 1917-1999

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1917-06-19

Death 1999-07-01

Nationality: Zimbabweans,

Language: English

Biographical notes:

Joshua Nkomo (b. June 19, 1917, Zimbabwe–d. July 1, 1999, Harare, Zimbabwe) was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Vice President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 1999. He was leader and founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) party, and a member of the Ndebele people (Kalanga).

He was a trades-union leader, who became president of the banned National Democratic Party, and was jailed for ten years by Rhodesia's white minority government. After his release, ZAPU contributed to the fall of that government, but then feuded with the rival ZANU group led by Robert Mugabe. Fearing for his life, Nkomo fled the country, before controversially allowing ZAPU to merge with ZANU.