Enos Nkala

Enos Mozombi Nkala (23 August 1932 – 21 August 2013) was one of the founders of the Zimbabwe African National Union.

During the war, he served on the ZANU high command, or Dare reChimurenga as Treasurer (dura remusangano). When Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo was imprisoned, Nkala took over the role. He was detained by the Rhodesian government at Gonakudzingwa for 12 years with the rest of the ZANU-PF (formed in Nkala's house in Highfields) leadership, consisting of Ndabaningi Sithole, Leopold Takawira, Robert Mugabe, Edgar Tekere and Morris Nyagumbo. When Edgar Tekere was in prison, he tabled the motion of having Sithole removed as the supreme leader and replaced by Mugabe. Nkala and Nyagumbo voted in favour of Mugabe (Mugabe abstained), making him leader.

Following independence in 1980, he served as Minister of Finance until 1983, when the portfolio was consolidated into Finance, Economic Planning and Development and handed over to senior minister Bernard Thomas Gibson Chidzero. Nkala moved sideways to become Minister of National Supplies until 1985 and Home Affairs and Defence after the 1985 election. As Defence Minister he was involved in the notorious Gukurahundi massacre of Ndebele people, although he denied participating.

Nkala stated that he regretted his involvement in the Gukurahundi and that he would never do it again. He described his involvement as "eternal hell" and publicly blamed Mugabe for ordering it. At the Imbovane YaMhlabezulu meeting held in Bulawayo on 26 February 1998, Nkala, who was a guest speaker alongside Joseph Msika (National Chairman of ZANU-PF), repeatedly denied involvement in the Gukurahundi genocide.

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