Witness Mangwende

Who was Witness Mangwende?

Witness Pasichigare Magunda Mangwende was a Zimbabwean politician who served as head of several government ministries in the Mugabe administration, and as provincial governor for Harare.

Mangwende began his political career as a student leader at the University of Rhodesia. He also studied in the United Kingdom, earning a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics.

He became Deputy Foreign Minister upon Zimbabwe's independence in 1980. He was promoted to Foreign Minister in 1981, and held that post until 1987. He later was head of several other ministries, including Education, Agriculture, and Information. In 2004, he was appointed governor of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, a post he held until his death in February 2005. Upon his death, he was declared a national hero by the Politburo of Zanu-PF, Zimbabwe's majority party, and buried with military honors.