Name Stan Mudenge | Party ZANU–PF | |
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Political party Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front Alma mater University of ZimbabweUniversity of YorkUniversity of London Died October 4, 2012, Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe | ||
WRAP ADDS FILE - Breakthrough on Zimbabwe land dispute at Commonwealth talks
Isaak Stanislaus Gorerazvo Mudenge (17 December 1941 – 4 October 2012) was a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 and as Minister of Higher Education from 2005 to 2012.
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Life and career
Mudenge was a professional historian focusing on African history in general and specializing in pre-colonial Zimbabwean history. He published several books in this regard.
In a cabinet reshuffle on 16 April 2005, following the March 2005 parliamentary election, he was replaced as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and was appointed as Minister of Higher Education instead. This was considered a demotion and followed Mudenge's support for Jonathan Moyo in opposition to Joyce Mujuru within ZANU-PF.
Within ZANU-PF, he aligned himself with the Masvingo (Mnangagwa) faction, which was antagonistic to the Mujuru faction due to wrangles concerning ascendancy to the presidency if Mugabe leaves office.
Mudenge was nominated by ZANU-PF as its candidate for the House of Assembly seat from Masvingo North constituency in the March 2008 parliamentary election. According to official results, he received 4,799 votes, defeating the candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who received 4,450.
When the ZANU-PF–MDC national unity government was sworn in on 13 February 2009, Mudenge was retained as Minister of Higher Education. He remained in that post until he died in October 2012.