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Zimbabwe African National Union – Ndonga
Zimbabwe African National Union – Ndonga
Abbreviation	ZANU–Ndonga
Leader	Denford Musiyarira
Founder(s)	Ndabaningi Sithole
Founded	1975; 49 years ago
Split from	ZANU
Political position	Centre-left[citation needed]
National affiliation	MDC Alliance
Colours	; Green, yellow, red, black
Party flag
	Politics of Zimbabwe; Political parties; Elections;

Zimbabwe African National Union – Ndonga (ZANU–Ndonga; formerly officially ZANU and unofficially ZANU Mwenje or ZANU Sithole^[1]) is a minor political party in Zimbabwe. Its members were originally part of Zimbabwe African National Union, but split with what would become ZANU–PF over tribal tensions. A portion of the party reunified with ZANU-PF in 2015.

History

The Zimbabwe African National Union was a political party during the Rhodesian Bush War, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union. Its founders were the Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole and Herbert Chitepo, who were dissatisfied with the militant tactics of Nkomo in ZAPU.

After Chitepo's assassination on 18 March 1975, Robert Mugabe, in Mozambique at the time, unilaterally assumed control of ZANU. Later that year there was a factional split along tribal lines caused the Ndebele to follow Sithole into the moderate ZANU–Ndonga party, who renounced violent struggle, while the Shona followed Mugabe with a more militant agenda.

Sithole joined a transitional government of whites and blacks in 1979, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa. When sanctions remained in place, he joined Muzorewa for the Lancaster House Agreement in London, where a new constitution and elections were prepared. ZANU–Ndonga failed to win any seats in independent elections that swept Mugabe under the ZANU flag to power in 1980.

Declaring that his life was in danger from political enemies, Sithole went into self-imposed exile in the United States city of Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1983, returning to Zimbabwe nine years later to re-enter the political arena.

Sithole was elected a lawmaker for his tribal stronghold of Chipinge in southeastern Zimbabwe in 1995, as was a colleague. In December 1997 he was tried and convicted for conspiring to kill Mugabe and disqualified from attending the Harare parliament. He was granted the right to appeal, but no appeal was filed.

Sithole again won the Chipinge seat in June 2000, as ZANU–Ndonga's only representative. Sithole died on 12 December 2000, aged 80, in Philadelphia, after going there for medical treatment.

ZANU–Ndonga's candidate, Wilson Kumbula, won 1.0% in the March 2002 presidential election. After the parliamentary election held on 31 March 2005, the party remained without parliamentary representation.

Along with three other minor opposition parties, ZANU–Ndonga was a member of the Zimbabwe Organisation of Opposition Political Parties.^[2]

In 2015, some leaders of ZANU–Ndonga reunified with ZANU–PF, and called for supporters to "leave the opposition" and join the newly unified party.^[3]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1996	Ndabaningi Sithole	36,960	2.44%	Lost N
2002	Wilson Kumbula	31,368	1.0%	Lost N

House of Assembly elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Result
1980	Ndabaningi Sithole	53,343	2.01%	0 / 100		5th	Extra-parliamentary
1985		36,054	1.25%	1 / 100	1	5th	Opposition
1990		19,448	0.93%	1 / 120		3rd	Opposition
1995		97,470	6.94%	2 / 120	1	2nd	Opposition
2000		17,823	0.72%	1 / 120	1	3rd	Opposition
2005	Denford Musiyarira	6,608	0.3%	0 / 150	1	3rd	Extra-parliamentary

References

^ Shadur, Mark A. (1994). Labour relations in a developing country: a case study on Zimbabwe. Avebury. pp. ?? fn.2. ISBN 9781856289023. The parenthetical extension "Sithole", or "Mwenje", is often added to avoid confusion with ZANU (PF); however, the correct name is ZANU. "Mwenje" means light or torch, the symbol of ZANU.; Chung, Fay (2006). Re-living the Second Chimurenga: Memories from the Liberation Struggle in Zimbabwe. African Books Collective. p. 165. ISBN 9781779220462. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
^ "Zimbabwean Parties in Alliance Against American-British Sanctions". Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
^ eDuzeNet. "'Zanu-PF, Ndonga re-unification real'". Bulawayo24 News. Retrieved 20 November 2017.