Sarah Kachingwe (née Chavunduka; 1936–2012) was a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

an politician and activist. She is the first black female to enroll at the

University College of Rhodesia The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University o ...

in 1957. She went on to become the secretary for Information, Posts and Telecommunications and also to serve on the board of Zimpapers and the Forestry Commission.

Biography

Kachingwe was born in the Rusape, Zimbabwe, in 1936. She attended

Goromonzi High School Goromonzi High School is a secondary school located in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe. History Goromonzi school is located 35 kilometers from the Zimbabwean capital Harare, along the Harare-Mutare Road. The school was established in ...

. In 1957 she enrolled in the

, becoming the first black woman to do so. She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and History. Kachingwe died at her home in

Greendale, Harare Greendale is an affluent suburb in eastern Harare, Zimbabwe noted for its residents of Shona and Indian descent. History A Certificate of Occupation and residence was granted to a German immigrant named, George Haupt, and Greendale Farm was tr ...

, in 2012 from complications related to heart disease. Her funeral was attended by, among others, Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara and Malawi's ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Richard Mpoya. She was laid to rest at Harare's Greendale Cemetery.

Legacy

At her funeral, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara presented the

Flag of Zimbabwe The national flag of Zimbabwe consists of seven even horizontal stripes of green, gold, red and black with a white triangle containing a red five-pointed star with a Zimbabwe Bird. The present design was adopted on 18 April 1980. The soapstone ...

to Mrs Kachingwe's husband to symbolize her status as a "liberation war heroine".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kachingwe, Sarah 1936 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Zimbabwean women politicians 20th-century Zimbabwean politicians Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of the University of London University of Zimbabwe alumni Zimbabwean activists