Simon Kapwepwe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simon Kapwepwe
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|
|---|---|
| 2nd Vice President of Zambia | |
| In office October 1967 – October 1970 |
|
| President | Kenneth Kaunda |
| Preceded by | Reuben Kamanga |
| Succeeded by | Mainza Chona |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1964–1967 |
|
| President | Kenneth Kaunda |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe
12 April 1922  Chinsali, Northern Rhodesia |
| Died | 26 January 1980 (aged 57) Chinsali, Zambia |
| Nationality | Zambian |
| Profession | Teacher |
Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe (born April 12, 1922 – died January 26, 1980) was an important Zambian politician and writer. He fought against colonial rule and served as the second Vice President of Zambia from 1967 to 1970. He was a close friend of Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president.
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Early Life and Education
Simon Kapwepwe was born on April 12, 1922, in the Chinsali district of what was then called Northern Rhodesia. This area is now part of Zambia. Even though Chinsali was far from big cities, it had good schools because of two missions there: the Presbyterian Livingstonia Mission and the Roman Catholic White Fathers' Mission.
One of the first missionaries in Chinsali was David Kaunda, who was the father of Kenneth Kaunda. Kenneth Kaunda later became Zambia's first president. Simon Kapwepwe and Kenneth Kaunda became friends from a young age.
Simon Kapwepwe started his primary school in Chinsali. He continued his education at Mwenzo and Lubwa missions. In 1944, he worked as a driver. The next year, in 1945, he became a primary school teacher at Lubwa. In 1947, he traveled to Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) with Kenneth Kaunda to look for work. Later, he worked as a welfare officer and a teacher in Kitwe.
Fighting for Independence
Simon Kapwepwe was not happy with how the British colonial government ruled Northern Rhodesia. Because of this, he helped start a political party called the Northern Rhodesian African Congress in 1948. This party was soon renamed the Africa National Congress (ANC). Harry Nkumbula became its leader. Kapwepwe was an important member of the party and became the secretary of its Kitwe branch.
In 1950, Kapwepwe received a scholarship to study in India. He lived in Bombay from 1950 to 1954, where he studied pottery and journalism. While he was away, the Central African Federation was created in 1953. Most Africans did not want this new federation.
When Kapwepwe returned to Northern Rhodesia in 1955, he found that the ANC leaders, Harry Nkumbula and Kenneth Kaunda, had been put in prison. Kapwepwe stepped in as the acting president of the ANC. After Nkumbula returned, Kapwepwe became the organizer for the Northern Province. In 1956, he became the Treasurer of the ANC.
However, some leaders, including Kapwepwe and Kaunda, disagreed with Nkumbula's leadership. In October 1958, they left the ANC and formed a new party called the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC). The government quickly made ZANC illegal in March 1959, and its leaders, including Kapwepwe, were arrested or sent away.
While they were in prison, other nationalists formed a new party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP). When Kapwepwe was released in December 1959, he joined UNIP and helped organize its branches.
In 1960, Kapwepwe, Kaunda, and other leaders went to London for a conference. This meeting helped pave the way for Zambia and Malawi to become independent countries. In October 1962, elections were held in Northern Rhodesia. Kapwepwe won his election and became the Minister of African Agriculture in a government shared by UNIP and ANC.
Zambia gained its independence because Britain was struggling after World War II. The United States offered aid to Britain, but one condition was that Britain should let go of its colonies.
After Independence
In January 1964, UNIP won the general elections. Kapwepwe became the Minister of Home Affairs. In September 1964, he was made the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a role he held for three years. During this time, he strongly criticized the British government for not acting when Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) declared its independence on its own in 1965.
Even though Kapwepwe and Kaunda were childhood friends, their political ideas started to differ after Zambia became independent. In 1967, Kapwepwe challenged another leader, Reuben Kamanga, and won the position of deputy leader of UNIP. Because of this, Kaunda made him the Vice President of Zambia.
As Vice President, Kapwepwe tried to introduce different economic ideas, but his views were often not chosen. He also believed it was important to teach Zambian languages in schools to preserve the country's culture. He served as the Minister of Finance from 1968 to 1969.
In August 1969, Kapwepwe offered to resign from his positions as Vice President and deputy leader of UNIP. This was due to disagreements among different groups within the party. Kaunda convinced him to stay. However, in October 1970, Kaunda replaced Kapwepwe with Mainza Chona as Vice President. Kapwepwe was then given the roles of Minister of Culture and Minister of Local Government.
The Move to One-Party Rule
Simon Kapwepwe's time in UNIP began to end when rumors spread about a new party called the United Progressive Party (UPP). This party was forming in the Copperbelt region. Kapwepwe did not admit to being part of it until Kaunda fired four government ministers who were suspected of secretly joining the new party.
In August 1971, Kapwepwe resigned from UNIP and the government. He then announced that he was indeed the leader of the UPP. In December 1971, he won a special election and became the UPP's only representative in parliament.
Kaunda was not happy about this. So, on February 4, 1972, he banned the UPP and put 122 of its members, including Kapwepwe, in prison. Kaunda claimed that the UPP was being used by governments that supported white minority rule. Kapwepwe was held in prison until December 31, 1972.
By this time, Kaunda had made sure that Kapwepwe could not challenge his power. Kaunda had strong ties with China, which supported African countries gaining independence. In February 1972, a group called the Chona Commission was set up. Its job was to suggest how to create a "one-party participatory democracy," which meant a one-party state where only one political party was allowed.
After listening to people's opinions for four months, the commission gave its report to Kaunda in October 1972. The "Second Republic," or the one-party state, officially began on January 1, 1973, the day after Kapwepwe was released from prison.
Even after his political power was greatly reduced, Kapwepwe faced more challenges. In February 1973, he was arrested for having two guns without permission. He received a suspended sentence, meaning he wouldn't go to jail unless he committed another crime. The Zambian media, which was controlled by UNIP, falsely reported that Kapwepwe had sent people for military training outside Zambia. Kapwepwe sued the media companies for lying and won his case.
Kapwepwe then left politics and went to live on his farm in Chinsali. In September 1977, Kaunda asked Kapwepwe to rejoin UNIP, and he did. To see if Kaunda was truly sincere, Kapwepwe tried to run against Kaunda for the UNIP presidential nomination in 1978. However, he was disqualified because of last-minute changes to UNIP's rules.
Simon Kapwepwe then retired from politics for good and returned to Chinsali. He passed away on January 26, 1980, after having a stroke two days earlier.
