31/07/2025
CELEBRATING OUR HEROES
BY KUDAKWASHE SHAMBARE
25/07/2025 - 85/100
CDE CEPHAS GEORGE MSIPA (1931-2016)
Cde Msipa was born the first child of Elijah and Anna Msipa in Siboza, Shabani District, under Chief Masunda. In total the family consisted of ten, seven boys and three girls. He attended Dadaya Mission where he attained standard 6 in 1947. In 1950 he was trained as a teacher, graduating in 1952. He got his first teaching post at Msipani Primary School in Shabani in 1953. He studied for the equivalent of Advanced level through correspondence. In 1954 he was transferred to Siboza Primary School where Africans had to build their own schools from meagre contributions.
In 1955 he sought opportunities to teach urban schools, moving to Que Que, where the head of the school was a Mr Greenfield who emphasised the difference between white people and black people. Mr Greenfield in turn accused Cephas Msipa of sowing disharmony at the school. He met his wife Charlotte Sithabile Matabela, who was also part of the teaching staff. Later in 1955 book salesmen approached the teachers at the school offering a range of text books. Among them there was a confident young man by the name of Joshua Nkomo.
Cephas Msipa was impressed by his personality and bought a set of ten Encyclopaedia Britannica from him, unaware that they would be brought together in their Southern Rhodesia African National Congress. Cde Msipa started work in 1957 for the African National Congress, organising meetings. At the same time, he was an active member of The Rhodesian African Teachers Association. He was elected Secretary only to be removed after questioning discrimination. He was then elected to the Amaveni Advisory Board in Que Que and appointed chairman of that body from 1951 to 1958.
In 1958 Msipa was transferred to teach at Shingirai School in Salisbury, now Harare. He was promoted to head Mhofu Primary School in the suburb of Highfield. This promotion was of great significance to Msipa, which boosted his political resolve and there he met Leopold Takawira who had been headmaster before him who had been incarcerated for confronting the political regime. In 1960 he met Robert Mugabe at 4144 Canaan in Highfield who had just returned from Ghana. They became very close friends. Robert Mugabe's eloquence inspired Msipa to arrange meetings in Highfield. He was part of the decision to persuade Mugabe to take up the post for Information and Publicity in the National Democratic Party.
He and his wife, Charlotte Matabela, exchanged vows of marriage on the 27th April 1960 at St Martin's Church. Que Que. Cde Msipa was then appointed headmaster of Crowborough Number 1 in Mufakose. He was suspended from his post because of his participation in politics but in 1961 he attended the RATA Annual Conference at Fletcher High School in Gweru, where he was elected Vice President. Cde Msipa was arrested and detained at Gonakudzingwa. He escaped in 1966 in remonstration to Ian Smith's 11th November 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
Thereafter he was branded a terrorist and was included on the list of wanted persons. He was then employed at Cold Comfort Farm where he worked as a farm worker in the company of other nationalists including Didymus Mutasa and Guy Glutton-Brock. Clutton-Brock was deported to the UK for housing terrorists. Cde Msipa went into hiding for ten weeks. He was later captured and sent to prison for fighting against the Rhodesian Regime. However, he attained a degree in Public Administration with UNISA and completed a three year course of Public Relations at the London Institute.
Cde Msipa was released from prison in 1970 working for various companies such as Lobels at which he was fired for visiting Malawi as a guest of Dr Hastings Banda. When the African National Council was formed in 1971, Msipa was one of the founder members together with Josiah Chinamano. Michael Mawema, Edson Sithole and Edison Zvobgo. In 1975 he was elected ZAPU National Secretary for Education, thus becoming a member of the ZAPU's Central Committee. In that position he was instrumental in facilitating the education of many liberation leaders.
In 1977 Cde Msipa and Herbert Munangatire founded a newspaper called the Zimbabwe Times leading to his detention. He was part of the Nkomo delegation to the Lancaster House talks leading to Independence in April 1980. After Independence, Cde Msipa served as Deputy Minister of Youth, Sports and Recreation and Deputy Minister of Manpower Planning. In 1982 he was appointed Minister of Water Resources and Development. From the year 1990 to 1994 Cephas Msipa was Governor of the Midlands Province. In 1995 he became Minister for State Enterprises and Indigenisation. He was then re-appointed Governor of Midlands Province where he served until 2008.
He played an important role in 1987 Unity Accord, because of his closeness to Dr Joshua Nkomo. He also had several other posts such as AMA, Natural Resources Board, Zim trade, being appointed a non-executive Director of a number of companies including Triangle Sugar Estate, Cairns Holdings. Blue Ribbon, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Bikita Minerals and NMB Bank. In recognition for his role of the development of the country he was honoured by the Midlands State University with a Doctorate of Commerce.
Throughout his life he devoted part of his time to serve the less privileged society. Therefore, he became Patron of the Zimbabwe Ex-political prisoners, detainees and restrictees, HelpAge Zimbabwe, Mudavanhu School for the Mentally Challenged and became a life member of Jairos Jiri (Zvishavane branch). In 2009, Cephas Msipa established the CG Msipa Scholarship Trust to provide various forms of assistance to the underprivileged, intellectual students. He retired from active politics in December 2014 when he decided not to contest for a central committee position. In 2015, Cde Msipa published a memoir "In pursuit of freedom and justice". He passed away on 17 October 2016, aged 85.
