Nelson Chamisa Biography, Interview, Education, Wife, Speeches and News

Nelson Chamisa Biography

He was born to Alice and Sylvanus Chamisa on February 2, 1978 at Silveira Mission in Masvingo. He is married to Sithokozile and the couple has a son Ashley.

Nelson Chamisa is an advocate and political activist whose life began in the small town of Masvingo in 1978. While young, Nelson began what would become a lifetime journey of servant leadership as a student at Harare Polytechnic and University of Zimbabwe where he was a part of the Student Representative Council at a time when student rights were suppressed.

His defiance to these abuses of power and misgovernment got him dismissed from college but 1998 marked the beginning of a new era.Nelson Chamisa was later elected Secretary General of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU). Together with his colleagues, they transformed the administration and politics of student activism by setting up union offices across the country thereby radicalising their approach to student representation.

These trenches of student leadership became a foundation that led to Nelson Chamisa becoming Zimbabwe’s youngest Member of Parliament at 25. He later on broke another record by becoming Zimbabwe’s youngest Minister in the very successful Government of National Unity.

Chamisa experienced tremendous political success at Zimbabwe’s main Opposition Party, The Movement for Democratic Change. He rose through the ranks as National Youth Chairperson, Secretary General, Vice President and now he is the current Party leader following the tragic passing of his mentor and leader Dr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai.

Nelson Chamisa Biography, Interview, Education, Wife, Speeches and News

He also studied Law at the University of Zimbabwe. He graduated with a Degree in Theology from Living Waters Bible College, an institution founded by the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe.

Chamisa announced his grand entry into politics during his college days when he was appointed Harare Polytechnic Student Representative Council (SRC) president in his first year in 1998. The college authorities took notice of his presence and suspended him for allegedly inciting violence in Chegutu. He was only re-admitted after a high court ruling. This however, did not dissuade him but fueled the embers of his activism to the extent that he was elected the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) Secretary General in 1999.

Nelson Chamisa Biography, Interview, Education, Wife, Speeches and News

It is this background that saw him voted the MDC national youth chairman between 2000 and 2006. He was voted Kuwadzana member of parliament in 2003 through a by election becoming the youngest MP at 25. His brevity and outspokenness won the hearts of the MDC leading to his appointment as the party’s spokesperson in 2005. He has rose through the ranks to become MDC organizing secretary in 2011, a position he still holds. During his tenure as Information and Communication Technology minister between 2009 and 2013, ICT products were crossing in the country duty free.

During the national congress held in November 2014, Nelson Chamisa lost two influential opportunities which many political commentators had tipped him to win. He was reduced to an ordinary card carrying member. First, Chamisa lost the position of the Organising Secretary which had made him famous and influential in the party. He had held the position for a number of years and was at the helm of activity during the days of the government of national Unity from 2008 to 2013.
Prior to the elective congress held in Harare at City Sports Centre, Chamisa had won in all the 10 provinces were the preliminaries were held. This raised hopes within the party that Chamisa was heading for a landslide victory. Tempers were already set as the Nelson Chamisa supporters indicated that Chamisa was already in charge as the Secretary General of the Party. However, considering how Chamisa eventually lost the elections, there was widespread speculation that there was serious vote buying in the initial elections which saw his victory. Vote buying however could not be entertained during the national elective congress and this subsequently resulted in his defeat.

Nelson Chamisa Biography, Interview, Education, Wife, Speeches and News

The election results were as follows; Douglas Mwonzora garnered 2 464 votes against Chamisa’s 1 756. A number of reasons have also been given for Chamisa’s loss. Some believe that Chamisa had become vocal against Morgan Tsvangirai’ s plans to centralise power. Thus there was a conspiracy between Morgan Tsvangirai and Mwonzora and other senior party members to discard young Chamisa from the front-line. On the contrary, Mwonzora who was contesting against Chamisa was accused of boot-licking in order the support of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Political Life after Morgan Tsvangirai’s Death

• Chamisa was appointed acting president as Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe were in South Africa where they are engaged in coalition talks with other opposition parties.
• MDC-T vice president Thokozani Khupe contested Morgan Tsvangirai’s appointment of Nelson Chamisa as the party’s acting president saying that it is unconstitutional
• Obert Gutu dismissed Nelson Chamisa’s appointment as the party’s acting president taking over from Elias Mudzuri.
• Thokozani Khupe, Elias Mudzuri and Nelson Chamisa all claimed to be the rightful acting president in the absence of veteran party leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was undergoing treatment in South Africa.
• Morgan Tsvangirai’s family broke its silence over the succession race in the MDC-T. They dismissed Luke Tamborinyoka’s statement appointing Nelson Chamisa as MDC-T acting president until their father’s return from South Africa where he was receiving treatment for colon cancer.
• MDC-T deputy president Elias Mudzuri (EM) said his colleague Nelson Chamisa lied that he spoke to ailing leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was in South Africa receiving treatment.
• MDC-T Deputy Nelson Chamisa insisted that he was appointed the party’s acting president by ailing leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was in South Africa where he was receiving treatment.
• Chamisa said that while he respected the Tsvangirais, the family was not the party and was not privy to internal party communication.
• MDC-T youth Chairperson Happymore Chidziva gave the opposition party’s two Vice Presidents Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri 48 hours to deal with the factional fights that threatened to derail the party’s election campaign.
• The party’s co-vice presidents Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe boycotted a standing committee meeting convened by Nelson Chamisa. The party’s national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo also boycotted the meeting.
• Elias Mudzuri and Nelson Chamisa called for separate meetings at two different locations. At a time when many it was expected that the two would be united as they mourned their former principal, Morgan Tsvangirai.
• Chamisa was appointed as the Acting President by the party’s national council although the two other vice presidents did not attend the meeting. Chamisa claimed that Mudzuri did not attend the meeting despite being notified while Khupe was still on her way to Harare.
• MDC-T Vice President Thokozani Khupe accused her counterpart Nelson Chamisa of being power hungry and staging a coup.
• Lydia Tsvangirai, the mother of the late former Prime Minister and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declared that she did not want to see her son’s widow Elizabeth Macheka and MDC-T Acting President Nelson Chamisa at her son’s burial.
• MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said that his party violated its own constitution by electing Nelson Chamisa as the acting president of the party, a day after the death of Morgan Tsvangirai.
• According to Welshman Ncube, Tsvangirai chose Chamisa to take over from him after his eventual death.
• The late Morgan Tsvangirai’s youngest son Richard endorsed MDC-T acting president Nelson Chamisa as the successor to his father.

Nelson Chamisa Education

Chamisa is a proud holder of the following degrees:

• BBA Marketing Degree IMM, SA.
• BSc Honors Political Science, Zimbabwe.
• Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy, Zimbabwe.
• Governance and Development studies, Stanford University in California, USA.

Nelson Chamisa Awards

• He has received local as well as international awards for his intellect prowess.
• Best student Practice of marketing IMM Southern Africa
• University of Zimbabwe Book prize (twice) Political Science and International Relations
• Victors award 2011 outstanding and exemplary leadership
• Minister of the year 2011
• Voted top 35 of under 35 young people in International Affairs

Nelson Chamisa Wife

Sithokozile Chamisa is a Zimbabwean legal professional. She is famously known for being the wife of current MDC-T president and MDC Alliance presidential candidate for the 2018 elections, Nelson Chamisa. She was first introduced to part suppoters in May 2018 at a rally. Chamisa said that unlike other politicians, his family had chosen that Sithokozile Chamisa stays away from the limelight, instead focusing on their personal family lives.

Nelson Chamisa News

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader said on Tuesday election results from more than 10,000 polling stations showed his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had done “exceedingly well” but several observer groups said the contest was too close to call. Nelson Chamisa, 40, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa , 75, were the main contenders in Monday’s election, the first since long-ruling Robert Mugabe who was removed in a bloodless coup last year November 2017.

Mnangagwa was viewed as the frontrunner, although the latest opinion polls showed a tight race. There will be a runoff on Sept. 8 if no candidate wins more than half the votes. Several civil society groups are collating results from 10,985 polling posts in parallel with the Zimbambwe’s electrol agency Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) but are not allowed to release results before the ZEC. A source at one group said it was too early to call a winner but it was looking “very close”. ZEC, which said on Monday voter turnout had averaged 75 percent, will announce official results within five days. “Awaiting ZEC to perform their constitutional duty to officially announce the people’s election results and we are ready to form the next government,” said Chamisa, who is vying to become Zimbabwe’s youngest head of state, on his official Twitter feed.

Mnangagwa’s spokesman, George Charamba, and ZANU-PF spokesman Simon Khaya-Moyo did not respond to calls for comment. In the capital Harare, an MDC stronghold, results posted outside some polling stations seen by Reuters showed Chamisa winning by wide margins but Mnangagwa was expected to claw back ground in the ruling ZANU-PF rural heartland. Urban results tend to emerge quicker than those from rural outposts, where communication is poor. In some rural constituencies in the east and south of the country, counting of votes was still ongoing but was expected to end early on Tuesday, some parliamentary candidates said.

Nelson Chamisa Biography, Interview, Education, Wife, Speeches and News

The election winner faces the task of putting Zimbabwe back on track after 37 years of Mugabe rule tainted by corruption, mismanagement and diplomatic isolation that caused a crisis in a country that once had one of Africa’s most promising economies. A credible vote is essential if Zimbabwe is to exit painful sanctions and secure the donor funding and investment needed to stem chronic cash shortages. The run-up to Monday’s vote was largely peaceful compared to past elections under Mugabe, where the ruling party and war veterans were accused of violence against opponents. Dozens of people were killed ahead of a runoff in 2008 between Mugabe and MDC-founder Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of cancer in February. Mugabe emerged on the eve of the election to announce he would vote for the opposition, surprising Mnangagwa who accused him of striking a deal with Chamisa.

Source: The Standard Media