Gibson Jama Sibanda (1944 – 24 August 2010) 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 ...

an politician and

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

. He was a founding member of the

Movement for Democratic Change Movement for Democratic Change or MDC may refer to: * Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T), the former main opposition party in Zimbabwe ** Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai Congress 2006, the second MDC–T congres ...

and at the time of his death was the Vice-President of the faction of the

led by

Arthur Mutambara Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara (born 25 May 1966)
New Zimbabwe is a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is the primary trade union federation in Zimbabwe. The Secretary General of ZCTU is Japhet Moyo and the president is Peter Mutasa. The former General Secretary was Morgan Tsvangirai. Jeffrey Mutandare is ...

, he was first elected to the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...

in the 2000 parliamentary election. He was a member of the Senate and a

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

in the Office of Deputy Prime Minister

Arthur Mutambara Arthur Guseni Oliver Mutambara (born 25 May 1966)
New Zimbabwe is a Filabusi Filabusi is a town in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. The town is the district capital of Insiza District and a service centre for the surrounding mining and farming areas. Location Filabusi lies off the Mbalabala–Mutare Road ...

Matabeleland South Matabeleland South is a province in southwestern Zimbabwe. With a population of 683,893 as of the 2012 Zimbabwean census, it is the country's least populous province. After Matabeleland North, it is Zimbabwe's second-least densely populated p ...

. He went to school at Thekwane High School near

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

in Matabeleland. He was classmates with

Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo (23 December 1945 – 9 May 2013) was a Zimbabwean nationalist, part of the first group of Gonakudzingwa restriction camp political prisoners, Pioneer Insurance Executive, Business magnate, Academic, philanthropist, cons ...

and he was taught by

Canaan Banana Canaan Sodindo Banana (5 March 193610 November 2003) was a Zimbabwean Methodist minister, theologian, and politician who served as the first President of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987. He was Zimbabwe's first head of state (Ceremonial President ...

and

Edson Zvobgo Eddison Jonasi Mudadirwa Zvobgo (2 October 1935 – 22 August 2004) was a founder of Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU–PF, the Patriotic Front's spokesman at the Lancaster House in late 1979,

. He then worked on the Rhodesia railways (National Railways of Zimbabwe after 1980) and was a trade unionist before going into politics as Welfare Secretary of

ZAPU 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 ...

(being jailed by the Rhodesian government from 1976 to 1979. After independence in 1980 he continued his work as a train driver at the NRZ. During his time at the NRZ he was active in the trade union and became the ZCTU president. At the same time he was promoted to Running Shed Foreman at the NRZ by the time he won the 2000 parliamentary elections as an MP for Nkulumane constituency. In 1984 Sibanda was elected President of five amalgamated railway trades unions. He studied and obtained a Diploma in Industrial Labour Relations, and was the first Vice-President of the

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is the primary trade union federation in Zimbabwe. The Secretary General of ZCTU is Japhet Moyo and the president is Peter Mutasa. The former General Secretary was Morgan Tsvangirai. Jeffrey Mutandare is ...

in 1988 before serving as President from 1989. He was a leading member of the initiative for the ZCTU to establish a political party in 2000, being unanimously elected as Vice-President at the inaugural congress.

MDC activity

Sibanda was elected to the House of Assembly from Nkulumane in the 2000 election, defeating ZANU-PF candidate Dumiso Dabengwa. In 2005 Sibanda was the leader of a faction within the MDC which advocated that the party should participate in elections to the

Senate of Zimbabwe The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper of the two chambers in Zimbabwe's Parliament. It existed from independence in 1980 until 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005. The other chamber of Parliament is the National Assembly. In its curren ...

, which it had opposed. When the MDC National Council voted to support participation, MDC leader

Morgan Tsvangirai Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was President of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democratic ...

suspended Sibanda and his supporters, such as

Welshman Ncube Welshman Ncube (born 7 July 1961) is a Zimbabwean lawyer, businessman and politician. He is the founding MDC leader and former President of Zimbabwean political party Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube. He currently serves within the Ci ...

, pending a Congress in February 2006. They accused Tsvangirai of being dictatorial and said that they had actually suspended him."Zimbabwe: MDC Unity Talks Break Down"
June 6, 2007. AllAfrica The MDC split in October 2005, a result of escalating internal tensions which saw Tsvangirai differ sharply with some of his senior colleagues on various policy issues, including election participation. Sibanda was elected to the Senate in the March 2008 parliamentary election. He stood as a candidate for the post of President of the Senate on August 25, 2008, and he was backed by both MDC factions, but was defeated by ZANU-PF candidate

Edna Madzongwe Edna Madzongwe (born 11 July 1943) is a Zimbabwean politician who was the President of the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe from 2005 to 2018. Political career She was elected as President of the Senate on 30 November 2005, the first female ...

, receiving 28 votes against 58 votes for Madzongwe. Sibanda died in 2010 after a battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

and was the first member of the opposition to be declared a national hero by both MDC parties, but their plea for Gibson Sibanda to be buried at the Heroes Acre was denied by President Robert Mugabe.

References

External links

Biography
on Zimbabwe Parliament Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sibanda, Gibson 1944 births 2010 deaths Members of the Senate of Zimbabwe Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara politicians Deaths from cancer People from Matabeleland South Province Northern Ndebele people Zimbabwean trade unionists 20th-century Zimbabwean politicians 21st-century Zimbabwean politicians