Patrick Chinamasa
Encyclopedia
Patrick Antony Chinamasa is a Zimbabwe
an politician, currently serving as the Minister of Justice.
Since his appointment, many Zimbabwean judges have resigned, complaining of political pressure. On February 9, 2001 after Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay
took early retirement at his suggestion, Chinamasa held meetings with senior Justices Ahmed Ebrahim Nicholas (the last white justice on the Zimbabwean Court), and told them for their own safety to leave.
In 2002, following what Chinamasa considered lenient conviction of three United States
citizens caught and convicted of smuggling arms in an aircraft, Zimbabwean High Court judge Fergus Blackie
brought successful charges against Chinamasa for a conviction of “scandalising the court.” Chinamasa had Blackie immediately arrested on charges of "corruption," on the grounds of having decided the case of a white woman improperly (on the basis of an alleged adulterous relationship and racist bias), and without the support of the other judge that was sitting with him on the matter. After the case closed, Chinamasa declared various NGO's illegal, including leading Human Rights organisation the Amani Trust
which provides support to victims of torture; and was reportedly accused of working with the British government to unseat President Robert Mugabe and destabilize the nation.
On December 17, 2004, Chinamasa, who had been the Secretary for Legal Affairs of ZANU-PF, was removed from the party's Politburo. In 2005, Chinamasa was ejected from his post as Justice Minister; however, six months later he was returned to the post.
In September 2006, Chinamasa was cleared by a judge of trying to pervert the course of justice. Chinamasa was accused of trying to stop a prosecution witness, James Kaunye, from testifying in a case against the Minister of State for National Security, Didymus Mutasa
, who had been accused of inciting public violence.
He is among host of individuals not allowed to travel to the United States
because the US government feels he has worked to undermine democracy in Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa and Labor Minister Nicholas Goche
met with Tendai Biti
(MDC-T
) and Welshman Ncube
(MDC-M
), Secretaries General of their respective Movement for Democratic Change factions, in Pretoria
, South Africa
on June 16, 2007. South African President Thabo Mbeki
, appointed by the Southern African Development Community
, presided over the negotiations which sought to end economic sanctions
on Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa was nominated as ZANU-PF's candidate for the House of Assembly seat from Makoni Central
in the March 2008 parliamentary election
, but he was defeated. Chinamasa received 4 050 votes against 7,060 for John Nyamande of the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).
Within ZANU-PF, Chinamasa has been seen as an ally of Emmerson Mnangagwa
since 2004. As of 2008, Chinamasa is the Chairman of ZANU-PF's Information and Publicity Sub-Committee, and in that capacity he acted as spokesman for ZANU-PF in the period following the 2008 presidential and parliamentary election. In this respect, he was viewed as taking over the roles of Minister of Information and Publicity Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
and ZANU-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Nathan Shamuyarira
.
Along with Goche, Chinamasa was one of the negotiators sent by ZANU-PF to the talks between political parties that began in Pretoria on July 10, 2008, following Mugabe's disputed re-election.
Chinamasa was appointed to the Senate
by Mugabe on August 25, 2008. On January 7, 2009, The Herald reported that Chinamasa had been appointed as Acting Minister of Finance following the dismissal of Samuel Mumbengegwi
, who no longer held a seat in Parliament. In this position, Chinamasa took a historic step in the ongoing hyperinflation crisis in Zimbabwe
, announcing that all Zimbabweans would be allowed to conduct business in any currency as of the end of January 2009.
When the ZANU-PF–MDC national unity government
was sworn in on February 13, 2009, Chinamasa was retained as Minister of Justice.
In September 2003 Rosemary evicted white farmer Richard Yates from his 800-hectare tobacco farm Tsukumai Farm at Headlands, located east of Harare
. Although the Chinamasas paid some compensation, Yates is still awaiting final payment and still considers the farm his in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. The following year Rosemary won the Zimbabwean Tobacco grower of the year award, together with a Z$24million prize and trophy as the 2004/2005 top grower at a ceremony in Harare on July 29. British MP Kate Hoey
, who made a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe earlier in the year, said the award was shocking: "It is like someone stealing a race horse and winning the Grand National
.” As a result, London based British American Tobacco
came under pressure to stop its Zimbabwean associate company sponsoring the award, which it did the following year.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an politician, currently serving as the Minister of Justice.
Career
A leading member of the ruling ZANU-PF party, Chinamasa became first deputy Agriculture Minister, and then Attorney General of Zimbabwe; he also holds the role of Leader of the Zimbabwean Parliament.Since his appointment, many Zimbabwean judges have resigned, complaining of political pressure. On February 9, 2001 after Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay
Anthony Gubbay
Anthony Ray Gubbay is the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. He served in the position from 1990 to 2001, when he was forced to take early retirement and replaced by Godfrey Chidyausiku....
took early retirement at his suggestion, Chinamasa held meetings with senior Justices Ahmed Ebrahim Nicholas (the last white justice on the Zimbabwean Court), and told them for their own safety to leave.
In 2002, following what Chinamasa considered lenient conviction of three United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens caught and convicted of smuggling arms in an aircraft, Zimbabwean High Court judge Fergus Blackie
Fergus Blackie
Fergus Blackie is a former justice of the High Court of Zimbabwe. A former attorney , advocate and senior counsel , he began his judicial career in 1978 when he was appointed a Senior Judge of Water and Administrative Courts, culminating in an appointment to the bench of the High Court in 1986...
brought successful charges against Chinamasa for a conviction of “scandalising the court.” Chinamasa had Blackie immediately arrested on charges of "corruption," on the grounds of having decided the case of a white woman improperly (on the basis of an alleged adulterous relationship and racist bias), and without the support of the other judge that was sitting with him on the matter. After the case closed, Chinamasa declared various NGO's illegal, including leading Human Rights organisation the Amani Trust
Amani Trust
The Amani Trust is a Zimbabwean non-profit non-governmental organization dedicated to preventing organized violence and torture, to advocacy for the rights of victims and to rehabilitation of victims through community-based care...
which provides support to victims of torture; and was reportedly accused of working with the British government to unseat President Robert Mugabe and destabilize the nation.
On December 17, 2004, Chinamasa, who had been the Secretary for Legal Affairs of ZANU-PF, was removed from the party's Politburo. In 2005, Chinamasa was ejected from his post as Justice Minister; however, six months later he was returned to the post.
In September 2006, Chinamasa was cleared by a judge of trying to pervert the course of justice. Chinamasa was accused of trying to stop a prosecution witness, James Kaunye, from testifying in a case against the Minister of State for National Security, Didymus Mutasa
Didymus Mutasa
Didymus Noel Edwin Mutasa is a Zimbabwean politician, currently serving as the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and as the Secretary for Administration of ZANU-PF.-Family background:...
, who had been accused of inciting public violence.
He is among host of individuals not allowed to travel to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
because the US government feels he has worked to undermine democracy in Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa and Labor Minister Nicholas Goche
Nicholas Goche
Nicholas Tasunungurwa Goche is a Zimbabwean politician, currently serving as Minister of Transport. Previously he was Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare....
met with Tendai Biti
Tendai Biti
Tendai Laxton Biti is a Zimbabwean politician. He is the Secretary-General of the Movement for Democratic Change political party and a member of Parliament for Harare East; currently he is the Minister of Finance of Zimbabwe.-Early life:Biti was born in Dzivarasekwa, Harare...
(MDC-T
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is a political party and the largest party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. It is the main formation formed from the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005.-Foundation:...
) and Welshman Ncube
Welshman Ncube
Welshman Ncube is a Zimbabwean politician. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara, and since February 2009 has been the Minister of Industry and Commerce. He was elected as a member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for Bulawayo North East in the 2000 election and...
(MDC-M
Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara
The Movement for Democratic Change — Mutambara is a Zimbabwean political party led by Welshman Ncube.-Foundation:The Movement for Democratic Change was founded in 1999 as an opposition party to the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front party led by President Robert Mugabe...
), Secretaries General of their respective Movement for Democratic Change factions, in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on June 16, 2007. South African President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
, appointed by the Southern African Development Community
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
, presided over the negotiations which sought to end economic sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
on Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa was nominated as ZANU-PF's candidate for the House of Assembly seat from Makoni Central
Makoni Central
Makoni Central is a newly created constituency which will elect a representative to the Zimbabwe House of Assembly in the March 2008 parliamentary election....
in the March 2008 parliamentary election
Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008
A parliamentary election was held in Zimbabwe on March 29, 2008 to elect members to both the House of Assembly and the Senate of the Zimbabwean parliament...
, but he was defeated. Chinamasa received 4 050 votes against 7,060 for John Nyamande of the Movement for Democratic Change
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is a political party and the largest party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. It is the main formation formed from the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005.-Foundation:...
(MDC).
Within ZANU-PF, Chinamasa has been seen as an ally of Emmerson Mnangagwa
Emmerson Mnangagwa
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who has been Minister of Defense since February 2009. He was previously Minister of State Security from 1982 to 1988, then Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs until 2000; he was Speaker of Parliament from July 2000 to 2005 and...
since 2004. As of 2008, Chinamasa is the Chairman of ZANU-PF's Information and Publicity Sub-Committee, and in that capacity he acted as spokesman for ZANU-PF in the period following the 2008 presidential and parliamentary election. In this respect, he was viewed as taking over the roles of Minister of Information and Publicity Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu is a Zimbabwean politician and a former Minister of Information and Publicity. He is also a member of the ZANU-PF Politburo.-Political career:...
and ZANU-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity Nathan Shamuyarira
Nathan Shamuyarira
Nathan Shamuyarira was a Zimbabwean nationalist who at different times fought on behalf of and helped lead FROLIZI, ZANU, and ZAPU. He later served as the Information Minister of Zimbabwe and as the Information Secretary of ZANU PF. He is writing President Robert Mugabe's biography.On 19 October...
.
Along with Goche, Chinamasa was one of the negotiators sent by ZANU-PF to the talks between political parties that began in Pretoria on July 10, 2008, following Mugabe's disputed re-election.
Chinamasa was appointed to the Senate
Senate of Zimbabwe
The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It existed from 1980 to 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005....
by Mugabe on August 25, 2008. On January 7, 2009, The Herald reported that Chinamasa had been appointed as Acting Minister of Finance following the dismissal of Samuel Mumbengegwi
Samuel Mumbengegwi
Samuel Creighton Mumbengegwi is a Zimbabwean politician.Mumbengegwi served for a time as Minister of Higher Education and as ZANU-PF Chairperson for Masvingo. According to the Commercial Farmers Union in 2002, he took over Irvin Farm from its white owners as part of land reform...
, who no longer held a seat in Parliament. In this position, Chinamasa took a historic step in the ongoing hyperinflation crisis in Zimbabwe
Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe
Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe began shortly after destruction of productive capacity in Zimbabwe's civil war and confiscation of white-owned farmland. Food output capacity fell 45%, manufacturing output 29% in 2005, 26% in 2006 and 28% in 2007, and unemployment rose to 80%...
, announcing that all Zimbabweans would be allowed to conduct business in any currency as of the end of January 2009.
When the ZANU-PF–MDC national unity government
Zimbabwe Government of National Unity of 2009
The Government of National Unity refers to Zimbabwe's coalition government that was formed on 13 February 2009 following the inaugurations of Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister and Thokozani Khuphe and Arthur Mutambara as Deputy Prime Ministers...
was sworn in on February 13, 2009, Chinamasa was retained as Minister of Justice.
Farms
In February 2003, Chinamasa sent the police to arrest Peter Baker, a white farmer who had refused to vacate his farm, Rocklands, in favour of the Minister after successfully challenging its seizure in court. Eight months after the seizure, the farm's water supply has been squandered, undermining its future productivity and that of the neighbouring farms.In September 2003 Rosemary evicted white farmer Richard Yates from his 800-hectare tobacco farm Tsukumai Farm at Headlands, located east of Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
. Although the Chinamasas paid some compensation, Yates is still awaiting final payment and still considers the farm his in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. The following year Rosemary won the Zimbabwean Tobacco grower of the year award, together with a Z$24million prize and trophy as the 2004/2005 top grower at a ceremony in Harare on July 29. British MP Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey
Catharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
, who made a fact-finding visit to Zimbabwe earlier in the year, said the award was shocking: "It is like someone stealing a race horse and winning the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
.” As a result, London based British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco p.l.c. is a global tobacco company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second largest quoted tobacco company by global market share , with a leading position in more than 50 countries and a presence in more than 180 countries...
came under pressure to stop its Zimbabwean associate company sponsoring the award, which it did the following year.
Quotations
Asked whether the will of the Zimbabwean people would be subverted should Mugabe lose, Chinamasa said: "If people attempted to unfree themselves, moves would be made to free them."Personal life
Married to Rosemary (born circa 1950), the couples children include:- Chengetai– Although banned from travelling in to the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, gaining entry using his mothers surname he claimed his home location as Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, where he studied and also worked for Keller WilliamsKeller WilliamsKeller Williams is an American musician from Fredericksburg, Virginia, who began performing in the early 1990s. He is also known by the names K-Dub or just Keller, when performing. Williams' music combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, and...
. He died in November 2007. - Gamuchirai– DoB 11 Nov 1991