ZAPU
|
Zimbabwe African People's Union
|
|
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ZAPU |
| Leader | Dumiso Dabengwa |
| Chairperson | Benny Ncube |
| Founded | 17 December 1961 (historic) 8 November 2008 (current) |
| Headquarters | Bulawayo |
| Youth wing | ZAPU YOUTH |
| Armed wing | ZIPRA |
| Ideology |
Socialism Left-wing nationalism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| House of Assembly |
0 / 210
|
| Senate |
0 / 93
|
| Pan African Parliament |
0 / 5
|
| Party flag | |
 |
|
| Website | |
| www.zapu.org | |
The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It was a militant organisation and political party that fought for the national liberation of Zimbabwe from its founding in 1961 until independence in 1980. In 1987 it merged with the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU - PF) and was relaunched in 2008.
The party was formed on 17 December 1961, 10 days after the Rhodesian government banned the National Democratic Party (NDP). Founded by Joshua Nkomo as president, Parirenyatwa as vice-president, Ndabaningi Sithole as chairman, Jason Moyo, Robert Mugabe as information and publicity secretary, Leopold Takawira as external secretary, at the request of Joseph Msika, ZAPU was banned in 1962 by the Rhodesian white minority government, and was later engaged in a guerrilla war against it. The armed wing of ZAPU, known as Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), was commanded by General Lookout Masuku.
ZAPU was aligned with the Soviet Union whose ideology was to mobilise the urban workers, whereas ZANU had a pro-People's Republic of China orientation which was to mobilise the rural peasantry.
In 1980 it contested elections in Zimbabwe as the Patriotic Front, but lost to its rival the ZANU. They merged into ZANU–PF in 1987 following the Gukurahundi massacres.
The Unity Accord signed at that meeting stated:
Under the influence of Benny Ncube and Dumiso Dabengwa in mid-October 2008, in the midst of the ongoing negotiations with rival parties, a group of former PF ZAPU and Zipra members became outspoken in the desire to dissolve the alliance with ZANU - PF. According to the website, the members convened a meeting in on 8 November 2008 and it was decided:
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Wikipedia