Josiah Tungamirai
| Josiah Thomas Mberikwazvo Tungamirai | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Muzamani |
| Born | 8 October 1948 Gutu, Southern Rhodesia |
| Died | 25 August 2005 South Africa |
| Allegiance |
 Zimbabwe
|
| Service/branch | Air Force of Zimbabwe |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands held | Air Force of Zimbabwe |
| Other work | Zimbabwean Government Minister |
Air Chief Marshal Josiah Tungamirai (8 October 1948 – 25 August 2005), born Thomas Mberikwazvo, was a Zimbabwean military officer and politician. He was commander of the Air Force and later served as Minister of State for Indigenization and Empowerment in President Robert Mugabe's government before his death in 2005.
Tungamirai was born into a peasant family as Thomas Mberikwazvo on 8 October 1948 in Gutu, Masvingo Province in what was then Southern Rhodesia. He received his primary education at the Mutero Mission in Gutu from 1957 to 1964. His secondary education was completed at the Chikwingwizha Seminary. Tungamirai went up to Salisbury Polytechnic and he completed his studies in Physics and Mathematics in 1970.
Tungamirai served in Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) during the Rhodesian Bush War. He remained loyal to Mugabe during the Nhari and Vashandi inter-factional strife within ZANLA, and was among the ZANLA officials who escaped Zambia, following the Zambian government's arrest of senior ZANU officials after the assassination of Herbert Chitepo. Towards the end of the war, he served as ZANLA Political Commissar.
In 1979 Tungamirai was part of the Patriotic Front delegation which was a party to the Lancaster House Agreement. When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Tungamirai became a major general in the newly formed Zimbabwe National Army and was appointed to the Zimbabwe Joint High Command. He was involved in the work to integrate the formerly belligerent Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army and Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army as well as the Rhodesian Army.
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