Daniel Madzimbamuto
| Daniel Madzimbamuto | |
|---|---|
 Daniel Madzimbamuto | |
| Born | Daniel Nyamayaro Madzimbamuto October 8, 1929 Murehwa |
| Died | May 2, 1999 (aged 69) |
| Resting place | National Heroes Acre |
| Education | Murehwa Mission |
| Alma mater | Munali Secondary School, Zambia |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse(s) | Stella Madzimbamuto |
| Children | Farai Madzimbamuto |
Daniel Madzimbamuto was a Zimbabwean nationalist who fought for the freedom of Zimbabwe. He is most known for the famous case of Madzimbamuto v Lardner-Burke in 1967. The case is considered to have been first major test case on unconstitutional changes in government. Daniel Madzimbamuto's wife, Stella Madzimbamuto challenged the Ian Smith run administration for the continued detention of her husband at Gwelo Prison.
Background
Daniel Nyamayaro Madzimbamuto was born on 8 October 1929 in Murehwa. After school he worked as a broadcaster, circus publicist and salesman in Zambia, South Africa and home respectively.[1] He was married to Stella Madzimbamuto nee Nkolombe.
Education
He completed his Standard Six at Murehwa Mission in 1948. He was awarded a scholarship to Munali Secondary School, Zambia, a school with a reputation of having produced some of Zambia’s finest nationalists.[2] Madzimbamuto attained many qualifications through correspondence including a law degree from the University of London.
Political Career
When he returned home he joined the City Youth League led by George Nyandoro and James Chikerema. The Youth League later merged with Joshua Nkomo’s ANC to form the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress. He was a delegate to the September 1975 inaugural congress of the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC). He became chairman of the [[Highfield] Branch from 1957 to 1959.[1]
He was detained from 1959 to 1963. In 1959 Madzimbamuto was detained under the first state of emergency regulations and was to stay a prisoner/detainee/restrictee at Khami, Marandellas, Selukwe, Gwelo, Salisbury, Wha-Wha and Gonakudzingwa for most of his life from 1959 until final freedom in 1975. In 1964 he had become a member of the ZAPU Central Committee and after release he joined the armed struggle in Lusaka, Zambia. Here he served ZAPU in various capacities including external affairs secretariat, logistics secretariat and legal advisor. While in detention he and Edison Sithole played a leading part in the formation of the splinter Zimbabwe National Party (ZNP). At the time of the split, he supported Nkomo.
He was detained 1964-74. He is remembered mostly for having initiated the long drawn constitutional case (1966-8) by challenging the legality of his detention after UDI.
In September 1975 he became Deputy Secretary for external affairs of ANC (Nkomo) otherwise known as ZAPU (ZAPU).[1]
He also attended the Victoria Falls and Lancaster House conferences as a legal advisor to ZAPU. At independence Madzimbamuto became Deputy Postmaster General at PTC, a post he held until his retirement in 1998.
Death
A few years later, on May 2, 1999, Daniel Nyamayaro Madzimbamuto passed on and was interred at the National Heroes Acre as the 44th National Hero.
