Mordekai Chikambure Shumba is a young Zimbabwean, Human Rights activist residing in South Africa. He is the founder and President of Organisation of African Youth. His strong inclination to help others and his disgust for human wrongs, landed him in trouble with the ZANU-PF regime’s militia in 2004. He was beaten for a full night, handed to police and shut in police cells without charge. He survived by escaping from police and traveling to South Africa.

Fighting for Rights

Mordekai has been involved with several Human Rights initiatives since he was at a very young age. In the late 90s he joined an organization called [ MASO], assisting victims of HIV/AIDS through volunteer projects. In 2000 he joined International Fellowship for Reconciliation (IFOR), and was subsequently elected vice-Chairman of the branch of FORZ in Gweru. Through IFOR he worked towards peace building initiatives and conflict resolutions with others such as Mr Obert Chinhamo, Masawuko Maruwacha and the late Mr Nhamo Sithole.

In 2000 Mordekai, with a lot of other students at Gweru Polytechnic Institute staged a massive demonstration demanding government to stop corruption in the higher education and to halt the privatization of catering services. Young Mordekai addressed a crowd of 1500-strong students at the Boogie’s clock Tower at the Gweru City centre, braving riot police. The marches lasted a week.

Thenafter, political violence in Zimbabwe intensified throughout the country. Students were generally viewed as aligned to the then newly-formed Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Mordekai and others were indiscriminately harassed and attacked on several occasions in Mutapa and Mambo suburbs such that he had to move from one area to another, in fear for his life. That however did not stop him from campaigning against the Draft Constitution that was then sponsored by the ZANU-PF government and spearheaded by the likes of Jonathan Moyo. He disrupted a meeting that had been convened by the Constitutional Commission, describing the gathering as and “an outrageous sham”. That constitution was later rejected in a referendum. Mordekai who was tipped as candidate for the Students Representative Council, received death threats from local “ War Veterans”. He then moved from Gweru to Harare cutting his studies short.

In July 2004 while on assignment for a Accountability Commission, a Human Rights organization that documented atrocities perpetrated on the people of Zimbabwe, Mordekai Shumba was caught, beaten and arrested. This led to his escape to South Africa.

While in South Africa, Mordekai teamed up with other Zimbabwean political victims who had just formed Zimbabwe Political Victims Association (ZIPOVA). He served as Information Officer. In 2005 Mordekai teamed up with the late Jay Jay Sibanda to form Concerned Zimbabweans Abroad (CZA), where he served as Secretary General. CZA successfully organised several demonstrations at Zimbabwe border to South Africa and everytime Robert Mugabe visited South Africa.

Mordekai is currently studying for Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) degree at the University of South Africa.