Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha (born December 25, 1947) is the former Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services of

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

Early life

Political career

He held that post from 2008 until his party, the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD,) lost the elections to the Patriotic Front in September 2011. A retired

Lt General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

of the

Zambia Air Force The Zambian Air Force (ZAF) is the air force of Zambia and the air operations element of the Zambian Defence Force. Following the creation of the Republic of Zambia in 1964, the former Northern Rhodesia Air Force was renamed as the Zambian Air ...

, he was previously the home affairs minister of Zambia, from February 9, 2003, until January 2005, when he switched positions with

Kalombo Mwansa Kalombo Mwansa (1955 – March 15, 2020) was a Zambian politician who served as Ministry of Defence (Zambia), Defence Minister. Political career Kalombo Mwansa became Zambia's Defense Minister on July 9, 2009. He was previously the foreign minis ...

in a

cabinet reshuffle A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the Head of State changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parlia ...

and became

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

. He served as foreign minister for nearly two years, until another cabinet reshuffle in October 2006 which occurred after

Levy Mwanawasa Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (3 September 1948 – 19 August 2008) was the third president of Zambia. He served as president from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. Mwanawasa is credited with having initiated a campaign to rid the corrupti ...

’s election to a second term as president. Shikapwasha returned to the position of home affairs minister and was replaced as foreign minister by agriculture minister

Mundia Sikatana Mundia Sikatana ( 1938 – 14 June 2012; Lusaka) was a Zambian politician, diplomat and lawyer. Career In 2002, Siktana was appointed Minister of Agriculture. He and his government faced widescale media condemnation for banning genetically modified ...

. Shikapwasha hails from Zambia's Central Province and is believed to be a relative to the former

First Lady of Zambia First Lady of Zambia is the title attributed to the wife of the president of Zambia. Zambia's current first lady is Mutinta Hichilema, who has held the office since 24 August 2021. The first lady of Zambia plays the ceremonial role of the spouse ...

, Maureen Kakubo Mwanawasa.

Military career

Before becoming Air Force Commander in 1991, Shikapwasha served as a diplomat and defence attache to Tanzania but fell out of favour with former president Kenneth Kaunda. During his tenure, former president Kaunda had the General investigated and found no wrongdoings. It is believed that he was sent back to Zambia where he was supposed to face charges but there was nothing to charge him on. Shikapwasha served as the Zambia Air Force Commander under former president

Frederick Chiluba Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba (30 April 1943 – 18 June 2011) was a Zambian politician who was the second president of Zambia from 1991 to 2002. Chiluba, a trade union leader, won the country's multi-party presidential election in 1991 as th ...

. He was subsequently relieved from his duties while lying in a hospital in South Africa on the verge of death.

Contraversaries

Personal life

His education of that of military background, having attended training in England, Russia, China, former Yugoslavia, and India. He is world travelled and once served as the first republican president (KK) personal pilot. He has 8 children with his wife Jane. Gen Shikapwasha is a staunch Christian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shikapwasha, Ronnie 1947 births Information and Broadcasting Services ministers of Zambia Home Affairs ministers of Zambia Foreign Ministers of Zambia Living people Zambian military personnel Air force generals