Joyce Mujuru

Joyce Mujuru is a Zimbabwean politician, who serves as a vice-president of the Zanu-PF party, alongside fellow vice-president Joseph Msika and president Robert Mugabe, taking a position left vacant following the death of Simon Muzenda. This puts her in line to succeed Mugabe, if he retires in 2008.

Related Topics:
Zimbabwean - Zanu-PF - Joseph Msika - Robert Mugabe - Simon Muzenda - 2008

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Mujuru was born in Zimbabwe's northeastern district of Mt Darwin, a Shona from the Zezeru language group, as are Mugabe and Msika. She completed two years of secondary education when she decided to join the liberation war. She downed a helicopter with a machine gun on February 17, 1974 after refusing to flee.

Related Topics:
Shona - February 17 - 1974

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:"Incredibly, I hit the machine and there was a lot of black smoke and it crashed. A big explosion followed," she was quoted as saying of the incident in which all the white occupants of the helicopter perished.

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She took the nom-du-guerre Teurai Ropa (spill blood), and then rose to become one of the first women commanders in Mugabe's ZANLA forces. In 1977 she married Solomon Mujuru -- known then as Rex Nhongo -- who was deputy commander-in-chief of ZANLA.

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At independence in 1980, Mujuru became the youngest cabinet minister in Mugabe's cabinet, taking the portfolio of sports, youth and recreation. She fitted secondary school in between her busy schedule after she was appointed minister.

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As minister of telecommunications, she tried to stop Strive Masiyiwa from establishing his independent cellphone network Econet http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/mg/za1/24mar-news.html. On March 24, 1997 she decided to issue its second cellular telephone license to the previously unknown Zairois consortium Telecel http://www.btimes.co.za/98/1018/world/world03.htm, cutting out cellphone pioneer Strive Masiyiwa, who was given an ultimatum by the cabinet to sell his imported equipment to his rivals.

Related Topics:
Strive Masiyiwa - March 24 - 1997

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Instead, she allocated the second license to the Zairois consortium, which included her husband Solomon and President Robert Mugabe's nephew Leo.

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After many legal fights, Masiyiwa won his licence in December 1997, while Telecel's was cancelled.

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