Tinos Rusere (May 10, 1945 – March 1, 2007) 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 miner and trade union activist. During the

Second Chimurenga The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three fo ...

he recruited members of

ZANLA Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...

and he was later elected as a

Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front 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 ...

member to the Parliament of Zimbabwe. At the time of his death he was Deputy Minister for Mines and Environment. Rusere was born in Nechaziva Village in the

Zaka District Zaka is a district in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe, located 86 km southeast of Masvingo Masvingo is a city in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The city is situated close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monum ...

in what was then Victoria province of

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

. He went to the Maraire and St James schools where he passed the 'Standard Six' exams in 1962. He was active in politics first in the

Zimbabwe African Peoples Union The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with the Zimb ...

, but joined the breakaway to the

Zimbabwe African National Union The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant organisation that fought against white minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). ZANU split in 1975 into wings loyal to Robert Muga ...

in 1963. He went to work as a learner miner in 1967, at the Arcturus mine in

Goromonzi Goromonzi is a rural community in East Mashonaland, Zimbabwe, southeast of the country's capital city of Harare., United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The people are principally from the Shona tribe. The village serves as a tr ...

for six years, but then left to go to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in 1974. While working in the South African mines he became active in trade unions and was elected as representative of the Rhodesian miners, nicknamed "Rhodesian Induna". In 1977 he became inDuna for all Southern African countries and, having sided with

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

in joining the Patriotic Front, toured round the countries neighbouring

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

to recruit people to fight in the

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhod ...

. When Zimbabwe achieved independence, Rusere returned and obtained a job with the City of

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

government. He was a superintendent in the Department of Works for seven years. In 1987 he became a mining engineer with the company of Comp Air, resigning in 1994 to start his own business, Charuma Blasting and Building Company. Remaining in touch with politics, Rusere was elected in the Zimbabwean election of 2000 as Member of Parliament for Zaka East. He served in the government from 2005 first as Deputy Minister for Rural Resources and Water Development, and then as Deputy Minister for Mines and Environment. In 2003, he was put on the

United States sanctions After the failure of the Embargo Act of 1807, the federal government of the United States took little interest in imposing embargoes and economic sanctions against foreign countries until the 20th century. United States trade policy was entirely a ...

list and remained subject to U.S. sanctions until his death.Blocking property of persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe
/ref> Rusere died on March 1, 2007, of kidney failure and appendix problems. He was survived by his wife and eight children.

References

External links

*"Deputy minister Rusere dies", ''Zimbabwe Herald'', March 3, 2007

Zimbabwe Ministry of Mines {{DEFAULTSORT:Rusere, Tinos 1945 births 2007 deaths People from Zaka District Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army personnel Zimbabwean politicians Deaths from kidney failure