Joseph Msika

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = The Hon.
name = Joseph Msika
honorific-suffix = MP

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office = Vice President of Zimbabwe
term_start = 23 December, 1999
term_end =
deputy =
president = Robert Mugabe
primeminister =Morgan Tsvangirai
predecessor =
successor =
birth_date = 6 December, 1923
birth_place = Southern Rhodesia
death_date =
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nationality = Zimbabwe
party =
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Joseph Msika (born December 6 1923) has served as Vice President of Zimbabwe since 23 December 1999.

He was originally a member of Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union, but now serves under Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front. He was a member of the delegation to the Lancaster House Agreement that forged independence for Zimbabwe.

Police arrested him in 1964 while he was in the home of Josiah Mushore Chinamano.Robert Cary and Diana Mitchell. "African Nationalist Leaders in Rhodesia Who's who", 1977. Page 180.]

Msika dismissed Mugabe's past apology for the 1987 Gukurahundi killings, condemned internationally for the violence it unleashed on mainly rural Ndebele, at a rally in October 2006 in Bulawayo. "When we asked him about the massacres he apologized, but I was not convinced about his sincerity," he said. [http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56011 "ZIMBABWE: Old wounds inflame political tensions"] , IRIN, October 19, 2006.]

On 5 March 2005 Msika was taken into hospital after collapsing at home, apparently having suffered a stroke and a blood clot in his head. [ [http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/msika4.12594.html Msika reportedly suffers stroke] newzimbabwe.com] He did not run in the March 2005 parliamentary election, but Mugabe appointed him to one of the thirty unelected seats in the House of Assembly. [ [http://www.sadocc.at/news/2005/2005-101.shtml "MP's sworn in, new ministers appointed"] , SADOCC, April 16, 2005.] He also did not run in the March 2008 parliamentary election, but was appointed to the Senate by Mugabe on August 25 2008. [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200808250158.html "President Appoints Ministers"] , "The Herald" (allAfrica.com), August 25, 2008.]

ZAPU

At the October 2006 rally, Msika accused the ZANU-PF of "lying" to the world about being the pioneers in the liberation struggle. "The true history of the liberation struggle should be told. I feel I have a duty to correct this blatant lie... The struggle to liberate Zimbabwe started in Bulawayo at Stanley Hall, when we formed the African Youth Congress."

"At one of the meetings of the youth congress which I chaired, we decided to invite people from Mashonaland to join us in the struggle. If there is anyone who doubts this, they should come forward and challenge me one-on-one," he said.

Msika said four people were approached, namely Enoch Dumbutshena, Stanlake Samkange, Joshua Nkomo and Mwanaka.

"Samkange insulted us, saying he could not work with unschooled people. Dumbutshena also insulted us saying we were unemployable and violent people against the whites. Mwanaka never responded. But Nkomo said what we were planning to do, the road that we would walk, would be a thorny one and said if we were prepared to face it he would join us, which he did," said Msika.

He said it was then that the late nationalist, Joshua Nkomo, became the leader of the struggle.

References