Ibbo Mandaza Biography | Education, Career, Political Career, Publications
This is the biography of Ibbo Mandaza, a Zimbabwean academic, author, and publisher. He currently serves as the Executive Chairman of the Southern African Political Economy Series (SAPES) Trust, a regional think tank, and is the Convenor of the Policy Dialogue Forum.
Education
Ibbo Mandaza holds a B.A. and B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Political Science from the University of Zimbabwe. He also has a Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil) in Political Economy from the University of York in England, which he obtained in 1979.
Career
Mandaza has had a diverse career. He has taught at various universities, including the Universities of Botswana, Zambia, Dar es Salaam, and Zimbabwe (part-time). He has researched and written extensively on issues of governance, international relations, and public policy.
Mandaza was one of the first senior African civil servants in post-independent Zimbabwe, serving from 1980 to 1990. During this time, he was a member of the Zimbabwe National Liberation Movement, working in the Department of Research, Education and Manpower at ZANU Headquarters in Maputo, Mozambique. He held several high-level positions, including Director of the National Manpower Survey, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Manpower Planning and Development, Deputy Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Member of the Defence Forces Commission, and Chairman of the Parastatals Commission.
Mandaza was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Rainbow Tourism Group, the second-largest tourism and hotel group in Zimbabwe, from 1992 to 2009. He founded the Zimbabwe Mirror Newspapers group in 1997, serving as its Chief Executive and Chief Editor until 2005. He was also the owner of Sapem magazine, which was published in the early 2000s.
Also read: George Charamba Biography: Early Life | Government Career | Personal Life
Political Career
In 2008, Mandaza contested a House of Assembly seat in Mazowe West as an independent candidate but was unsuccessful. He was previously arrested and detained during the colonial period due to his anti-colonial sentiments, which cost him his job at Kutama College.
More recently, Mandaza became a member of the National Management Committee of Simba Makoni’s party, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, at the formation of the party.
Publications
He has authored and co-authored various books and research including:
- Culture, History and Science and Technology-Based Economic Strategies in Africa: A View from Political Economy (Perspectives on African Book Development)
- Improved Policy Analysis and Management in Southern Africa: Rethinking Policy Analysis and Management Framework (Managing the Public Service: Strategies for Improvement Series)
- The Peace and Security Databank Project Report (Southern Africa Political Economy)
- Race, Colour and Class in Southern Africa: A Study of the Coloured Question in the Context of an Analysis of the Colonial and White Settler Racial … Twentieth Century Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi
- Reflections On the Crisis In the Democracy (Perspectives on African Book Development)
- Southern Africa in the 1990’s: Towards a Research Agenda (Occasional Paper).
