Zimpapers Logo

liberation hero.
Dr Chidzonga died at her Borrowdale home on Sunday night after being diagnosed of Malaria. In a statement yesterday, Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity, Cde Rugare Gumbo, said Dr Chidzonga will be buried today at Chidzonga Village, 12km from Gokwe Centre.

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF has sent its condolence messages to the Chidzonga family.
“The President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF Cde RG Mugabe, the Politburo, Central Committee and Zanu-PF party as a whole wish to convey their deepest condolence to Professor Middion Mapfumo Chidzonga, children of the Chidzonga family and indeed the whole country at the untimely passing on of Dr Mavis Chidzonga, who has been a member of the party for a very long time,” Cde Gumbo said.

MAVIS CHIDZONGA DIES

He said Dr Chidzonga became heavily involved in politics while studying in the UK in 1973 where she mobilised re-sources for the comrades who were waging the liberation struggle from Mozambique.
“In the late 1970s, she attended the first Zanu-PF Women’s League meeting at Shai Shai, Maputo, Mozambique. She launched the Women’s League with the likes of Cdes Julia Zvobgo and Naomi Nhiwatiwa.

“After independence she remained active in politics and rose through the ranks to become the party’s secretary for administration for Mashonaland West province and from 1999 to 2004, she was the Women’s League secretary for legal affairs. It was by virtue of that position that she became a member of the Central Committee. At the time of her death, she was a member of the party’s National Consultative Assembly,” Cde Gumbo said.

In 1980 Dr Chidzonga joined the public service where she served the Government in various capacities.
She worked for the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rural Development as a Regional Rural Development officer from 1982 to 1984.

From 1984 to 1989 she worked as a chief development officer with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development before leaving the public service in 1990 to work as a consultant for non-governmental organisations in rural development. In 1995 she was elected Member of Parliament for Mhondoro West. She was among a group of Women MPs who fought and made sure that a number of bills were passed through Parliament. Among the bills were the Legal Age of Majority Act, Domestic Violence Act and the Gender Policy.

After leaving Parliament in 2000 she served on a number of boards such as the PTC, Zesa, NICOZ Diamond and the Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Authority where she was commissioner general and executive chairperson. The multi-talented Dr Chidzonga had three degrees, BEd, Geography (1980), MA in Social Development (1986) and a PhD in Agriculture (2002). Dr Chidzonga is survived by her husband, Professor Chidzonga and two children.