Joice Mujuru
| Joice Mujuru | |
|---|---|
Mujuru at the Horasis Global Arab Business Meeting in 2012
|
|
| First Vice President of Zimbabwe | |
|
In office 6 December 2004 – 8 December 2014 |
|
| President | Robert Mugabe |
| Preceded by | Simon Muzenda |
| Succeeded by | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Runaida Mugari 15 April 1955 Mount Darwin, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) |
| Political party |
National People's Party (since 2017) Zimbabwe People First (2016–17) ZANU–PF (until 2015) |
| Spouse(s) | Solomon Mujuru (1977–2011) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Women's University in Africa |
| Religion | Salvation Army |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Teurai Ropa |
| Allegiance | Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 1972–1980 |
| Rank | Commissar |
| Commands | Second-in-Command of Zhunta Camp |
| Battles/wars | Rhodesian Bush War |
Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru (born Runaida Mugari on 15 April 1955) is a Zimbabwean politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 2004 to 2014. Previously she served as a government minister since independence in 1980. She also served as Vice-President of ZANU-PF. She was married to Solomon Mujuru until his death in 2011 and was long considered a potential successor to President Robert Mugabe, but in 2014 she was denounced for allegedly plotting against Mugabe. As a result of the accusations against her, Mujuru lost both her post as Vice-President and her position in the party leadership. She was expelled from the party a few months later. She is the leader of the new Zimbabwe People First party.
Mujuru was born in Zimbabwe's northeastern district of Mt. Darwin, a Shona from the Korekore language group . As a Shona (a conglomeration of various tribes with a common sounding Bantu language) she is of the same language group as Vice-President Joseph Msika and President Robert Mugabe as well as political rivals Morgan Tsvangirai and Emmerson Mnangagwa. However, they come from different dialect groups with Mugabe being Zezuru and Mnangagwa being Karanga. Tsvangirai is a Manyika from Buhera district in Manicaland.
At eighteen years old, Mujuru was the only woman who trained in Lusaka. After completing two years of secondary education, she decided to join the Rhodesian Bush War. She is said to have downed a helicopter with a machine gun on 17 February 1974 after refusing to flee.The helicopter downing incident has been vehemently denied by Warvetereans chairman, the acid tongued Christopher Mutsvangwa after her(Mujuru) expulsion from the party, other ballistic experts have also questioned the possibility of shooting down a helicopter with such a light weapon as narrated on her story. By 1975, she was the political instructor of two successful military bases. At twenty-one, Mujuru was camp commander at Chimoio military and refugee camp in Mozambique.
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