When was Joshua Nkomo born?

Joshua Nkomo was born on 19 June 1917 in Semokwe.

What positions has Joshua Nkomo held?

Positions held by Joshua Nkomo include: Second Vice President of Zimbabwe (1987–1999); prime minister.

Where did Joshua Nkomo study?

Joshua Nkomo was educated at Adams College, University of South Africa.

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Joshua Nkomo

Zimbabwean politician (1917-1999)

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Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (7 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and socialist politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) from 1961 until, after an internal military crackdown (known as Gukurahundi) in western Zimbabwe (mostly targeting ethnic Ndebele ZAPU supporters), ZAPU merged in 1987 with Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) to form ZANU–PF.

Quick facts

Born: 19 June 1917 wd
Place of birth: Semokwe wd
Died: 1 July 1999 wd
Place of death: Harare wd
Citizenship: Zimbabwe wd
Occupation: politician, trade unionist, minister, nationalist, secretary wd
Political party: Zimbabwe African People's Union wd
Education: Adams College, University of South Africa wd

Positions held wd

Second Vice President of Zimbabwe (31 December 1987 – 1 July 1999)
prime minister

About

He was a leading trade union leader, who progressed on to become president of the banned National Democratic Party, and was jailed for ten years by Rhodesia's white minority government. After his release in 1974, ZAPU contributed to the fall of that government, along with the splinter rival ZANU, created in 1963.

In 1983, fearing for his life in the early stages of the Gukurahundi, Nkomo fled the country. Later in 1987, he controversially signed the Unity Accord allowing ZAPU to merge with ZANU to stop the genocide.

Nkomo earned many nicknames, including Umafukufuku in Ndebele, "Father Zimbabwe" in English, and Chibwechitedza ("the slippery rock") in Shona.

Questions

When was Joshua Nkomo born?: Joshua Nkomo was born on 19 June 1917 in Semokwe.
What positions has Joshua Nkomo held?: Positions held by Joshua Nkomo include: Second Vice President of Zimbabwe (1987–1999); prime minister.
Where did Joshua Nkomo study?: Joshua Nkomo was educated at Adams College, University of South Africa.

Sources

Last updated 31 October 2026 · facts checked 5 November 2026

Cite this page

"Joshua Nkomo". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/joshua-nkomo. Retrieved 6 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Joshua Nkomo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Joshua Nkomo (1978).jpg — Rob Croes for Anefo, CC0.

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