George Rutanhire
George Rutanhire was a Second Chimurenga veteran and Zanu PF Politburo member who died in August 2017. Rutanhire became infamous after he attacked and attempted to discredit former vice president Joice Mujuru by claiming that during the Second Chimurenga, she was a woman of loose morals who had only managed to rise through the ranks because she used her sexuality.
- 1972 - joined ZANLA guerillas
- 1973 - Base political Commissar at Chifombo
- 1975 - Political Commissar in charge of refugees, Mozambique.
- 1978 - Director of Politics, Mozambique.
- 1979 - Camp Commander at Dzaipasi.
- 1980 - Elected to House of Assembly, Mashonaland Central, Zanu PF.
- 1981 - Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport and Recreation.
Personal Details
Born: 15 April 1949, Peter Clever Wilfred Jackson Musanhu. Rutanhire is his Chimurenga name. In Hwedza.
Married
Father a farmer (purchased farm)in Hwedza. One of fifteen children.
Death: He died of renal failure at Karanda Hospital in Mt Darwin on 19 August 2017.
School / Education
Primary School: St St Albert's.
Secondary School: St Albert's Mission.
To train as a Catholic Church Catechist.
Service / Career
He joined the Second Chimurenga in the 1970s after he met Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army fighters at St. Alberts Mission. [1]
Second Chimurenga
In 1972, Rutanhire, together with his wife, left for Mapapai Base, Mozambique, before he went for military training in Tanzania. He was one of the signatories of the Mgagao Declaration, which pronounced Robert Mugabe leader of Zimbabwe African National Union. [1]
After Independence
Rutanhire was elected to the House of Assembly in 1980.
Rutanhire held several posts in Government and Zanu PF, and was elevated to the Politburo in 2010, a position he held until the time of his death. [1]
He was head of the Hebert Chitepo School of Ideology, and chair of the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe
Events
Attack on Joice Mujuru
Rutahire claimed that former Vice-President Joice Mujuru was promiscuous during the liberation struggle. In an attempt to discredit Mujuru, Rutanhire claimed that Mujuru was not a trained fighter and that she used her sexuality to rise through the ranks. He also rubbished the popular legend that Mujuru had single-handedly brought down an enemy helicopter alleging that the person who actually did this was her boyfriend. [2]
Further Reading
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sharon Munjenjema (August 20, 2017). "Cde George Rutanhire dies". Sunday Mail. George Rutanhire. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ↑ "ZimPF: Joice Mujuru's Sex Escapades in 1970s War 'Gutter Journalism'". Voice of America. August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
