Zimbabwean politician
Allan Norman "Rusty" Markham (born 19 May 1960) is a Zimbabwean farmer and politician who was elected to the National Assembly of Zimbabwe for Harare North in the 2018 general election as a member of the MDC Alliance . He crossed the floor to the newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change and was elected Member of Parliament for the neighbouring Harare East constituency in the 2023 general election .
Prior to his election to Parliament, he served on the Harare City Council from 2013 to 2018 as a member of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai .
Early life and education
Markham was born on 19 May 1960 in Choma , Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).[ 1] He is a third- or fourth-generation white Zimbabwean .[ 2] His great-grandfather was an Anglican missionary to the country in the 1890s.[ 3]
He attended John Cowie Primary School in Rusape , followed by Umtali Boys High School in Umtali (now Mutare) and Gwebi Agricultural College .[ 1]
Career
Markham works in agriculture and agronomy , and has been director of a company since 2004.[ 1] He is a trustee of the Harare Wetlands Trust, the Stratford Road Community Trust, and the Hatcliffe Development Trust.[ 1]
Markham joined the Movement for Democratic Change in 2000.[ 1] From 2013 to 2018, he was a member of the Harare City Council representing Ward 18.[ 1] He was elected to the National Assembly in the 2018 general election as the MDC Alliance candidate for the Harare North constituency, unseating the ZANU–PF incumbent, Tongesayi Mudambo .[ 1] [ 3] He was sworn in to Parliament on 5 September 2018.[ 4]
Markham was arrested in January 2019 along with four other MDC parliamentarians.[ 5] Later in 2019, he criticised the ruling government over what he claimed was corrupt interference with agriculture.[ 6]
Prior to the 2023 general election , Markham joined the Citizens Coalition for Change led by former Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai leader Nelson Chamisa . He unseated fellow CCC legislator Tendai Biti in the internal party selection process to determine the party's candidate for Harare East for the election.[ 7] Markham was elected MP for the constituency at the election.[ 8]
Personal life
He is married and lives in the Borrowdale suburb of Harare .
References
Majority party
Opposition party
Opposition party