John Tembo
Overview
 
John Zenus Ungapake Tembo (born September 14, 1932) is a Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...

an politician and the President of the Malawi Congress Party
Malawi Congress Party
The Malawi Congress Party is a political party in Malawi.It was the successor to the Nyasaland African Congress , which was banned in 1959.The MCP was founded by Hastings Banda and other NAC leaders in 1960....

 (MCP), the strongest opposition party in Malawi. Tembo comes from the Dedza District
Dedza District
Dedza is a district in the Central Region of Malawi. It covers an area of 3,624 km.² to the south of the Malawi capital, Lilongwe, between Mozambique and Lake Malawi.-Geography:...

 in central Malawi, and he is a teacher by profession. Since the 1960s he has been an important politician in Malawi, and he was a key figure in the regime of Hastings Banda
Hastings Banda
Hastings Kamuzu Banda was the leader of Malawi and its predecessor state, Nyasaland, from 1961 to 1994. After receiving much of his education overseas, Banda returned to his home country to speak against colonialism and advocate for independence...

 (1964–1994). He has been variously described as "physically slight, ascetic, fastidious" and "cunning".
Tembo was born on September 14, 1932 in Dedza District
Dedza District
Dedza is a district in the Central Region of Malawi. It covers an area of 3,624 km.² to the south of the Malawi capital, Lilongwe, between Mozambique and Lake Malawi.-Geography:...

, Central Region
Central Region, Malawi
The Central Region of Malawi, population 5,491,034 , covers an area of 35,592 km². Its capital city is Lilongwe, which is also the national capital...

.
 
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