Canaan Sodindo Banana (born March 5, 1936 - died November 10, 2003) was an important leader in Zimbabwe. He was a Methodist church leader, a theologian (someone who studies religion), and a politician.
Banana served as the country’s ceremonial president from March 1980 to Dec. 31, 1987. In 1987, he stepped down as President. Robert Mugabe, who was the Prime Minister, then became the country's new leader.
Early Life and Education
Canaan Banana was born on March 5, 1936. This was near Essexvale, which is now called Esigodini. It is in Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia. His mother was from the Northern Ndebele people. His father was from Lesotho.
He went to the local Mzinyati mission school. Then he finished his high school at Tegwani High School in Plumtree. Later, he studied to become a teacher. He also earned a degree in theology. He got this from Epworth Theological College in Salisbury (now Harare).
From 1962 to 1966, he worked as a minister. He was also a chaplain and a school leader. He worked in Wankie (now Hwange) and Plumtree. In 1969, he was chosen to lead the Bulawayo Council of Churches. He held this job until 1971.
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From 1970 to 1973, he led a group for the All Africa Conference of Churches. This group helped churches in southern Africa. They learned how to help people in cities and industrial areas.
Political Career
In the 1960s and 1970s, Banana started working in politics. He spoke out against the white-minority government in Rhodesia. He taught about a type of black liberation theology. This idea combines faith with the fight for freedom. He wrote a book called The Gospel According to the Ghetto. It had a special version of the Lord's Prayer. It started with "Our Father who art in the Ghetto." He believed in a Christian idea of socialism.
In 1971, the British government tried to make a deal. They talked with Rhodesia's leader, Ian Smith. The deal was to move towards "majority rule." This meant more people would have a say in the government. In return, sanctions (penalties) against Rhodesia would end. Banana and another church leader, Bishop Abel Muzorewa, formed a group. It was called the United African National Council (UANC). The plan for a public vote was stopped.
The UANC became a well-known political party. Other groups, like Ndabaningi Sithole's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), worked with the UANC. ZANU and ZAPU used guerrilla fighters in the Rhodesian Bush War. But the UANC did not support violence. So, it was the only legal black political party in Rhodesia.
When many UANC members were arrested, Banana and his family left the country. They did not return until 1975. When Banana came back, he was arrested. He was released a year later. He was kept under house arrest for a time. Then he was allowed to join Abel Muzorewa's plans for the country. However, he decided to join ZANU instead. This group was led by Robert Mugabe. ZANU wanted to remove the Smith government.
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Banana returned to Rhodesia in December 1976. He was arrested again for supporting ZANU. Under Zimbabwe's new constitution, Banana became the first president in 1980. His role was mostly ceremonial. This means he was the official head of state, but the Prime Minister had more power.
After his presidency, Banana became a diplomat. He worked for the Organisation of African Unity. He also led the religious department at the University of Zimbabwe. He played a big part in bringing together the two main groups that fought for independence. These were ZANU and ZAPU. They joined to form the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front in 1988.
While in office, Banana urged Mugabe to pursue unity talks with opponents to end violence that reportedly claimed the lives of 20,000 civilians.
Banana was selected to become Zimbabwe's first president after the main opposition leader Joshua Nkomo turned down the post because it carried no real power. Banana, who like Nkomo was from the country's Ndebele minority, was chosen so the new government would be seen to have an ethnic balance; his appointment offset that of Mugabe, who, as head of government, represented the Shona majority.
Banana carried out the largely figurehead duties of president from 1980 until 1987, though at the end of his term he helped bring a halt to the ethnic violence that had wracked Matabeleland.
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OH AFRICA...CANAAN BANANA...THE RISE AND FALL OF FIRST PRESIDENT OF ZAMBABWE...HOW EVERYTHING ENDED
Controversies and Legal Troubles
In 1997, Banana was arrested in Zimbabwe on charges of sodomy, following accusations made during the murder trial of his former bodyguard, Jefta Dube. Dube, a policeman, had shot dead Patrick Mashiri, an officer who had taunted him about being "Banana's homosexual wife".
The charges related to allegations from the state prosecutor that Banana had misused his power while he was president to coerce numerous men in positions of service (ranging from domestic staff to security guards, and even members of sports teams for whom he had acted as referee) into accepting sexual advances at State House.
Banana was found guilty of eleven charges of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault in 1998. He fled to South Africa whilst released on bail before he could be imprisoned, apparently believing Mugabe was planning his death. He returned to Zimbabwe in December 1998, after a meeting with Nelson Mandela, who convinced him to face the ruling.
In May 2000, the Zimbabwe Supreme Court upheld Banana’s 1998 conviction for sodomy and sentenced him to a year in jail. During the trial a former aide testified that Banana had drugged and raped him in the 1980s.
Banana was sentenced on 18 January 1999 to ten years in jail, nine years suspended, and was also defrocked. He actually served six months in an open prison before being released in January 2001. He insisted throughout the case that he was not a homosexual, and that the accusations against him were "pathological lies" and part of a "malicious vendetta". The evidence from several victims was, however, convincing.
The conduct at issue arose out of Canaan Banana’s relationships with several male aides while he was in office.
The majority opinion first rejected the dissent’s use of comparative law. It stated that consensual sodomy had been decriminalised in three main ways: by legislation, after the gradual development of a more tolerant public attitude; by a constitution that specifically mentions sexual orientation, as in South Africa; or by a supra-national judicial authority, such as the European Court of Human Rights.
The majority placed great weight on Bowers v. Hardwick, emphasising that in 1986 25 States in the United States criminalised consensual sodomy. The majority discussed the role of public opinion, describing Zimbabwe as conservative in matters of sexual behaviour.
The opinion emphasised that what was forbidden by Section 23 was discrimination between men and women and not “between heterosexual men and homosexual men”. In the court’s view, this was important because “the real complaint by homosexual men is that they are not allowed to give expression to their sexual desires, whereas heterosexual men are”.
Death and Legacy
On November 10, 2003, Canaan Banana passed away from cancer. He died in London. He was buried in Zimbabwe later that month.
President Robert Mugabe spoke about him on the radio. In a radio tribute, Mugabe called Banana “a rare gift to the nation” and said he was likely to be declared a national hero.
Banana was buried without full honours that are traditionally reserved for former heads of state.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth | March 5, 1936, near Essexvale (now Esigodini), Southern Rhodesia |
| Death | November 10, 2003, London, from cancer |
| Education | Mzinyati mission school, Tegwani High School, Epworth Theological College |
| Career | Methodist Minister, Politician, First President of Zimbabwe |
| Presidency | 1980-1987 |
| Controversies | Conviction for sodomy and related charges |
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