This is the biography of Oppah Chamu Zvipange Muchinguri-Kashiri, a Zimbabwean politician and current Minister of Defence. She has served as the Minister of Defence since 2018. Muchinguri-Kashiri has held various ministerial positions throughout her career, including Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, and Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development. She is a prominent member of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).
Early Life and Education
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was born on 14 December 1958 in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. She grew up in the Mutasa District’s Zongoro area in Manicaland Province. For her primary education, she attended St James Zongoro, an Anglican institution. She did her secondary education at Hartzell High School.
She has a BSc Hons Degree in International Relations and Economics (USA), MSc in Public Administration (USA) and another MSc in International Relations from the University of Zimbabwe.
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri Political Career
Muchinguri-Kashiri received military training in Mozambique and joined the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) during the Second Chimurenga2. After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, she was appointed Private Secretary to the President, a position she held until 1981.
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri Ministerial Positions
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri Biography [Image: ZimLive]
In 1989, Muchinguri-Kashiri became the Deputy Minister of State for External Affairs, serving until 1993. She then served as Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism from 1993 to 1997. Oppah’s first ministerial role came in 1997 when she was appointed Minister of State in the President’s Office, a position she held until 2000.
ALSO READ: Joshua Sacco Biography: Early Life | Education | Musical Career | Political Career | Personal Life
In 2005, she was appointed Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development. She held this position until 2009. In December 2014, Oppah was appointed Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development. However, she was moved to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate in 2015.
In September 2018, Oppah was appointed Minister of Defence. She has held this position since then, playing a crucial role in Zimbabwe’s defence policies.
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri Political Influence and Controversies
Muchinguri-Kashiri is a significant figure within ZANU-PF. She has been a member of the party’s Central Committee and Politburo, representing Manicaland Province. On 15 December 2017, she was appointed as the National Chairperson for ZANU-PF, becoming the first woman to hold this position.
In the March 2008 parliamentary election, Muchinguri-Kashiri ran as the ZANU-PF candidate for Mutasa Central constituency but was defeated by Trevor Saruwaka of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai. Despite this setback, she was reappointed to the cabinet in 2014 following the dismissal of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru and several of her allies.
Muchinguri-Kashiri was placed on the United States sanctions list in 2003. In 2020, she made headlines by claiming that the COVID-19 pandemic was God’s punishment on countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe. In January 2021, she faced criticism from public health experts in Zimbabwe after accusing China of “botched experiments” that led to the coronavirus outbreak.
ALSO READ: Oppah Muchinguri’s Daughter – Tanya Rushesha Biography | Profile, Age, 2024 Arrest
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri Personal Life
Muchinguri-Kashiri was married to Tapiwa Rushesha, with whom she had two children, Natasha and Tanya. The couple divorced in the 1990s. In 2015, she married Bishop Anthony Kashiri.
References
- Oppah Muchinguri – Open Sanctions
- Oppah Chamu Zvipange Muchinguri – COP22
- Oppah Chamu Zvipange Muchinguri -Africa Confidential
