This is the biography of Raj Modi, a Zimbabwean businessman and politician who is a member-elect of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe for Bulawayo South. He previously served as the MP for the constituency and as deputy minister of industry and commerce from 2018 to 2023. He is a member of ZANU–PF and the first person of Indian origin to hold a government minister position in Africa outside South Africa.
Early life and education
Modi was born on 4 February 1959 in Rajpipla, Gujarat, India. He came from a middle-class family and studied economics at South Gujarat University. He worked as a cashier for the Gujarat Electricity Board for two years before moving to Zimbabwe in 1981.
Raj Modi Business Career
Modi started his business career in Zimbabwe by working at a department store. He later opened a tuck shop and expanded to a supermarket chain. Modi sold his supermarkets in 2013 and diversified into other businesses, such as liquor wholesale, manufacturing, and mining. He is also involved in various social and charitable causes, such as supporting education, health, and sports in his community.
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Raj Modi Political Career
Raj Modi Biography [Image: @RModiByoSouth/Facebook]
Modi joined ZANU–PF in the early 2000s and rose to hold leadership roles at the district, ward, and provincial levels. He was seen as an ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa amid the factional infighting within the party leading up to the 2017 coup d’état. His election to parliament in 2018 made him the only successful ZANU–PF candidate in Bulawayo, a stronghold of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
President Mnangagwa appointed Modi deputy minister of industry and commerce, making him the first person of Indian origin to hold a cabinet position in Zimbabwe and the only one in Africa outside South Africa. He lost his seat in the 2023 general election to Nicola Watson of the Citizens Coalition for Change but regained it in a by-election in December 2023. In January 2024, President Mnangagwa appointed him the Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce.
Raj Modi Personal Life
Raj Modi Biography [Image: @RModiByoSouth/Facebook]
Modi is married to Jennifer, an Anglo-Indian air hostess, and has three children: Puru, Panini, and Vastavikta, who are all actors. He is a Hindu and a Kashmiri Pandit by caste. He enjoys playing golf, horse riding, and listening to classical music and ghazals.
References
- Modi, Kwidini appointed deputy ministers – The Herald
- Zanu-PF accused of imposing Modi in Byo South by-election – The Zimbabwean
- Zimbabwe and India are strong partners– Raj Modi, Zimbabwe’s Trade Minister – Business Standard
- Deputy Minister Raj Modi In Nasty Fall-Out With Business Partner | New Zimbabwe
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