BIOGRAPHY

SIMON KHAYA MOYO

1. Simon Khaya Moyo was born in Plumtree, Zimbabwe on 1st October 1945. After completing primary education in the area, he proceeded to do Secondary education at Fletcher High School up to 1965. Thereafter he worked in Bulawayo as a Research Assistant at Mpilo Hospital from 1966-67.

2. He left Zimbabwe for the liberation struggle in early 1968. On arrival in Lusaka, Zambia, he was directed by the ZAPU leadership to join the University of Zambia for a diploma in Social Science which he completed with merit end of 1969.

3. The Party then directed that he proceeds to Makerere University in East Africa for a B.A. degree in Social Science, which he completed in March 1973 with an upper Second class Honours. He lectured for a while in Uganda as well as being ZAPU Chief Representative.

4. In 1975 he proceeded to Lusaka, Zambia and was subsequently appointed Secretary/Special Assistant to ZAPU President, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.

5. He did military and intelligence training in the then German Democratic Republic and refresher courses in Cuba and the then Soviet Union (USSR) now Russia. He became a member of the Revolutionary Council as well as member of the PF-ZAPU Central Committee.

6. He travelled widely with Dr Joshua Nkomo and attended the GENEVA, MALTA and LANCASTER House Conferences.

7. At Independence in 1980 he became Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was promoted in 1983 to Under Secretary in the Ministry of Justice. He laterally transferred to the Ministry of Health in 1984 and was promoted to Deputy Permanent Secretary in the same Ministry in 1987.

8. He was awarded the Liberation Decoration Medals (Gold and Silver) in August 1989 for his role in the struggle to liberate Zimbabwe.

9. He left Government Service in 1989 and became the first Head of Corporate Affairs of the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) - a trust founded by Dr Joshua M. Nkomo.

10. He was elected member of the united ZANU-PF Central Committee at the 1989 Party's Congress.

11. He stood for the March 1990 general election becoming Member of Parliament (MP) for Bulilima Mangwe South (Plumtree) Constituency. He also became a Member of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee and Member of the Committee on Indigenisation of the national economy.

12. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce in 1992.

13. In September 1994 he was re-elected member of the ZANU-PF Central Committee and thereafter appointed Deputy Secretary for Administration in the ZANU-PF Politburo.

14. In April 1995 he stood for the general election and was overwhelmingly re-elected Member of Parliament (MP) Bulilima Mangwe South (Plumtree) Constituency.

15. Soon after the election he was appointed to the key Cabinet portfolio of Minister of Transport and Energy.

16. He was then appointed Minister of Mines, Environment and Tourism in July 1997 up to July 2000.

17. At the December 2000 ZANU-PF Special National Peoples Congress, he was appointed Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs in the Politburo.

18. He was appointed High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa and to the Kingdom of Lesotho on 1 January 2001.

19. He has written a book "MR SPEAKER, SIR," a compilation of his speeches in Parliament and beyond.

20. He is married and has two sons.

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