Lovemore Matombo
| Lovemore Matombo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Lovemore Matombo 1944 |
| Died | 2020 Greendale, Harare |
| Known for | Being President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) |
Lovemore Matombo was the President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). He was one of the founders of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai in 1999.
Background
Lovemore Matombo (died January 27, 2020) was the President of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
He was arrested in March 2007 for allegedly assaulting his daughter-in-law, Mary-Ane Nyathi, on February 11 of that year. Magistrate Robson Finsin of Harare Magistrates' Court found him innocent on June 29, 2007 on the grounds that there was lack of witnesses. His lawyers, Alec Muchadehama and Andrew Makoni, defended him in the case. One of the two witnesses in the incident, security guard Tangirai Mukondo, admitted police had coached him on what to say in court. On 8 May 2008, Matombo and ZCTU Secretary-General Wellington Chibebe were arrested for allegedly inciting rebellion when speaking at a rally on May Day. They were released on bail on May 19 by Judge Ben Hlatshwayo. Hlatshwayo ordered that they "not address any political gatherings" until the conclusion of their case, along with other restrictions.
Career
Lovemore Matombo was one of the Vice Presidents of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions elected at the Congress held at the University of Zimbabwe in 1985. He served his term and then proceeded to University and did his Masters. He then was elected President of the Posts and Telecommunications Union of Zimbabwe, before being elected president of the ZCTU in 2001 at the Masvingo Congress where the late veteran trade unionists Dr. Morgan Richard Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda handed over the baton. Lovemore Matombo led the movement of the ZCTU until 2011. He at the same time continued to lead the Communications Union. He used to participate in numerous meetings for workers from the Communications union during the Inclusive government between 2009 and 2013. He was an articulate leader and a clear thinker. His May Day speeches, being the oxygen to the workers' struggles, were a constant source of inspiration and mobilization to the working class movement in the country. Matombo was an active member of the SATUC as the leader of the ZCTU. He was also a board member of the Labour Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe (LEDRIZ) and sat in the Telecommunications international Trade Secretariat. He was the leader of the ZCTU Committee that set in the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) on all issues that affected Labour and society at large until his retirement in 2011.He participated in many ILO Conferences as a lead delegate of the ZCTU.[1]
