Joshua Sacco

Service / Career

After school, he worked at his parents’ learning centre in Chimanimani. He later left to start his sawmilling business.

Music

Joshua Sacco is the lead singer for the Radiation Band, which is famed for the song Chenjera which was a land reform jingle. Sacco and Radiation Band competed in the United Nations Development Programme talent search competition dubbed Artistes Against Poverty.

Politics

Sacco joined Zanu PF in 1999 when he joined a cell. He rose through the ranks to become a member of the National Youth League executive and Central Committee.

Joshua Sacco contested in the 2013 Zanu PF primary elections and lost to Samuel Undenge. Sacco claimed to have won the 2013 intra-party contest and accused Dr Undenge and cronies of electoral fraud. In 2018, Sacco took part in the Zanu PF primaries and won resoundingly. He amassed 5 760 votes, which were the highest in the province, and fourth in Zimbabwe. Sacco went on to become Chimanimani East Member of Parliament.^[1]

Sacco was re-elected Chimanimani East Member of Parliament in the 23-24 August 2023 elections.

On 14 September 2023, Sacco was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. ^[2]

Events

Westward Hall Primary School

Sacco allegedly founded Westward Hall Primary School in Ward 14, Chimanimani, which was ordered to be closed by the local District Administrator and Ministry of Education in early February 2014. But the district administrator and the education ministry refused to register the primary school when the new term started in January and ordered the teachers to shut it down with immediate effect. The parents received no support from Zanu PF and their children were abandoned by the school. The school operated without being registered and without a curriculum, using unqualified teachers chosen for their support of Zanu PF. The fake teachers allegedly taught Zanu PF party philosophy and liberation war songs.

Westward was located on property once owned by Border Timbers, which was illegally invaded by Zanu PF supporters who settled there. Sacco and his Zanu PF rival Samuel Undenge promised them security from eviction and promoted the school during the campaign period. ^[3]

Cyclone Idai

In March 2019, Sacco was booed by the angry villagers during an address at Chimanimani’s Skyline. The victims, some of whose loved ones were either missing or perished in the wake of Cyclone Idai, accused Sacco of running away from the constituency with his family. They also accused him of going on national television claiming that students from St Charles Lwanga High School had been rescued, when they were actually still marooned at their school, desperate for rescue.

In his defence, Joshua Sacco said he was misled by social media and some people in Chimanimani that the students had been rescued by the army. Sacco said:

"On the issue of St Charles Lwanga, I was advised that the army had rescued the children. I even got images through social media images, but a few minutes later, I was told that children had returned back to school because of bad weather. I did interviews with journalists and a few minutes later, I was corrected with the new position. There was no malice to lie to the nation. I asked the ZBC reporter to retract but failed to do so. I did not run away, but I was in a position of danger and actually knew that I was the one with information and I had to drive to Mutare and alert the Department of Civil Protection. I was the first person who alerted President Emmerson Mnangagwa through the Office of the Vice-President. By the time, the President was already on his way out of the country."

^[4]

Award

In 2018, Joshua Sacco received the award for Rural Businessman of the year for Manicaland Province from the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce at a ceremony held in Mutare.

References