SHEROES ACADEMY    |    ELECT HER INITIATIVE    |    BROILER PRODUCTION    |    EVENTS    |    GALLERY    |   

H.E. Dr. Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru

Personal History

Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru (Amai Mujuru) was born on the 15th of April 1955 in Mount Darwin District of Zimbabwe. In 1977 she married General Solomon Tapfumaneyi Mujuru (Rex Nhongo) in Mozambique during the liberation war. General Mujuru was a liberation struggle icon who perished in a fire under unclear circumstances at his farm just outside Harare on the 15th of August 2011. He was declared a national hero.

 

Dr. Mujuru is mother to four daughters, Kumbirai, Chipo, Nyasha and Kuzivakwashe. She has ten grand children. She has a passion for the betterment of Women and Youths, through education and self-employment initiatives. Her aim is to empower women to bring dignity to their families.

 

Educational History

Dr. Mujuru completed her primary education at Chawanda School in Mount Darwin, Zimbabwe. She completed two years of secondary education at Howard Secondary School and voluntarily joined the liberation struggle in her third year. Upon her return to Zimbabwe at independence in 1980, she enrolled for part-time studies to complete her secondary education. She combined the duties of being a Cabinet Minister, housewife and a mother to her young children during these early years of the history of our country. She went on to obtain a Diploma in Adult Education from the University of Zimbabwe, a Bachelor’s degree from the Women’s University in Africa, a Master’s degree from Chinhoyi University of Science and Technology and in 2014 and a PhD from the University of Zimbabwe’s Faculty of Commerce.

 

Liberation Struggle History

In 1973 she joined the liberation struggle and received medical and military induction courses. It was during this period that she received the name Teurai Ropa (The Enemy Destroyer/Annihilator), as she was operating in Dotito, Mount Darwin District. On the 17th of February 1974, she downed a helicopter after an encounter with the Rhodesian forces.

 

She later crossed into Zambia, and upon her arrival she joined the military leadership training with the likes of Comrade Gumbo, the late Comrades Hove, Tsitsi, Pedzisai, John Mawema among others.

 

Soon after completing her training, she became the first female political Commissar for ZANU PF. In 1975 she was elevated to become the first female Commander based at Luwanga Base Camp, Mozambique, until she proceeded to Villa Perrie (Chimoio), Mozambique, where she was part of the team that received and welcomed the then Secretary General, Comrade R.G Mugabe and the Publicity Secretary, the late Comrade Edgar Tekere when they first arrived in Mozambique, before they were transferred to Kilimane in Mozambique. In 1977 she became a member of the Central Committee and the National Executive Council (Politburo). She was the head of Women’s League until 1989. In this position she was responsible for Women in the Military and Civilian Wings. In 1979 she organized the first Women’s Conference in Xai-Xai, Mozambique, to assess the progress of Women, both inside and outside Zimbabwe. She was part of the delegation that went for the settlement talks in Malta, which was a follow-up on the Geneva Conference.

 

Post-Independence Political History

At independence in 1980, she became the youngest Cabinet Minister at the age of 25. Apart from holding several portfolios during this period; she was Minister of Women Affairs and Community Development, where adult literacy was one of her major programs.

 

In 1993, she became the first female Governor in Zimbabwe when she was appointed Governor and Resident Minister of Mashonaland Central Province. From 1996 to 1997, she served as the Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications. From 1997 to 2004, she was the Minister of Water Resources and Infrastructure Development. In between these appointments, she served as Acting Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Agriculture, becoming the only female to hold these portfolios. In 2004 she was elected the first female Vice President of ZANU PF and sworn in as Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe on the 6th of December 2004. She served in this capacity until her unconstitutional removal from office in December 2014.

 

National and International Experience

  • 1978 -Took part in the Malta Conference, a follow-up to the Geneva Conference.
  • 1984 - Chaired the first Women's Conference of the ZANU (PF) Women's League.
  • 1984 - Attended the Non-Aligned Movement meeting on Women in Development in preparation for the Conference - India.
  • 1986 - Attended the 7th Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Harare.
  • 1987 - Hosted and chaired the Second Commonwealth Meeting of Ministers responsible for Women's Affairs in Harare.
  • 1987 - Member of expert group of the African Development Bank to the Women in Development Meeting, Abidjan, Cote D' Ivoire.
  • 1989 - Delivered keynote address on the Development of Women in Africa at the Bologna University 900th Anniversary, Italy.
  • 1995 - Participated in the preparatory meeting for the United Nations decade for Women Conference.  Appointed as the Resource person to Minister's session at this meeting as well as leading the Zimbabwean delegation to the Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
#SHEROESFORUM2016 - DUBAI

Related Categories