Morton Malianga
| Morton Malianga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Morton Malianga Umtali |
| Died | January 15, 2021 (aged 90) |
| Occupation |
|
| Spouse(s) | Effie Malianga |
| Children | Sons: Paidamoyo and Waraidzo |
| Parent(s) | Father: Paul Malianga |
| Relatives | Washington Malianga (deceased) |
Morton Dizzy Paul Malianga (Moton Malianga) was a Zimbabwean nationalist who participated in the Second Chimurenga. He played key roles in the founding of political parties in the 1960s. Following his death, Malianga was conferred national hero status by Emmerson Mnangagwa on 16 January 2021.
Background
Morton was born at Old Umtali Mission on 8 June 1930. His father was a teacher and evangelist and at one time the editor of the Methodist Church paper called Umbowo. He went to St Francis Xavier College, Kutama for his primary education and finished in 1947. Later he went to Khaiso Secondary School, Adams College and Ohlange Institute in South Africa. He attained his Matriculation Certificate in 1953. After leaving school he worked as a clerk in a department store in South Africa, and in 1955 was promoted to manager. In 1957 he obtained a professional certificate in accountancy, ASCA (SA).[1]
Wife and Children
He was married to Effie Malianga and the couple had two sons Paidamoyo and Waraidzo.[2]
Political Career
He returned to Zimbabwe 1957 after having been involved with the South African ANC. He became a teacher in Highfields. In 1958 he joined the ANC. In 1959 he left teaching to dedicate his time to politics after the arrest of many nationalist leaders in February 1959, among them Maurice Nyagumbo.
After the arrests, consultations were made among those who were outside leading to the formation of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 1960. Malianga became its Vice President at its first congress in November 1960 and he held this position until 1961. He was Secretary for Public Affairs in ZAPU 1962. [3] He was a leading figure in the opposition against Joshua Nkomo and formation of ZANU in 1963, becoming its Cairo representative and, in 1964, its Secretary for Youth and Culture. Malianga was detained from 1964 to 1974.
He was in the executive of the umbrella ANC in 1974 and National Chairman of UANC. He was one of Abel Muzorewa's delegates at the Geneva conference but eventually left UANC. [3]
After Zimbabwe's independence, he participated in the 1985 Parliamentary Election and won the Mutare West Parliament seat for Zanu-PF. Mutare West:
- Moton Dizzy Paul Malianga Zanu PF - 28 551 votes.
- Webster Chamuda Mufambi Zimunya UANC - 784 votes.
- Matthew Masiyakurima PF-ZAPU - 143 votes.
- David Musiyagamu Ngarize ZANU - 136 votes.
His brother Washington Malianga also participated in the Second Chimurenga.
In the first Parliament of Zimbabwe in 1980, Malianga was appointed Senator and became Deputy Minister of Economic Planning and Development in 1981. In 1983 he became Deputy Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development.
In the 1990 Parliamentary Election (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Mutare West returned:
- Moton Malianga (Morton Malianga) of Zanu PF with 14 806 votes,
- Wilson Murwiri of ZUM with 4 349 votes.
Turnout - 20 765 voters or 46.67 %
He was also appointed Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce in 1990 and was a Zanu PF Central Committee member until his death. [2]
Death
Malianga died on 15 January 2021. While it was not clear what the cause of death was, a publication Tell Zimbabwe reported that Malianga had died from Covid-19.[4] Sunday Mail reported that Malianga had been unwell for some time. Malianga was declared a national hero by Emmerson Mnangagwa.[2]
References
- ↑ MOTON DIZZY PAUL MALIANGA, Colonial Relic, Retrieved: 9 Nov 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Malianga, Gwaradzimba declared national heroes, The Sunday Mail, Published: January 17, 2021, Retrieved: January 17, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maurice Nyagumbo, With the People. Published 1980.
- ↑ Tell Zimbabwe, Twitter, Published: January 15, 2021, Retrieved: January 15, 2021
