{{About Mazimhaka}}
Mazimhaka was born on 26th April 1948 in Rwanda. He was married to Dr. Jolly Rwanyonga Mazimhaka and had three children.
During his political career, Mazimhaka served as the Senior Presidential Advisor to President Paul Kagame on the Great Lakes region.
Mazimhaka was born in Rwanda but left the country to Uganda in 1962 in the aftermath of the 1959 Rwanda Revolution.
He attended Ntare School for his secondary education and Makerere for University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology. He also received Master of Science in 1975.
Mazimhaka worked as a lecturer in Kampala, Uganda and later in 1981 moved to Kenya where he worked as a consultant in a mining company before he relocated to Canada.
{{Political career}}
While in Canada, Mazimhaka came into contact with Rwandans like him who were determined to return to their motherland.
He involved in the Rwanda patriotic Front (RPF)-Inkotanyi activities which launched the liberation struggle.
In RPF, during the launch of liberation struggle in 1990, Mazimhaka was appointed RPF’s commissioners for external relations. In 1993 , he was elected the RPF Vice-Chairman, the position he held until 1998.
He was appointed the minister of Youth, Sports and Cooperatives in July 1994 soon after RPF had took over the government in April 1994.
In 1996 he was appointed to the Minister of Rehabilitation and Social Affairs. A year later, Mazimhaka was appointed Minister in the Office of the President until 2000 when he was made a special envoy to the President in the Great Lakes Region.
On the position, Mazimhaka exhibited ability in diplomacy, while he was dealing with the Rwandan Government’s Policy on the Great Lakes. He was involved in the negotiations that led to several agreements including the 2002 Pretoria agreement.
The agreement outlines the disarmament of the former Rwandan Armed Forces (EX-FAR) and Interahamwe militia, and the withdrawal of Rwandan Forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo as well.
Mazimhaka had also involved in negotiations for the formulation and implementation of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in DRC back in 1999.
He served as the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission since July 2003 to February 2008 when he was succeeded by Erastus Mwencha.
Until his death, Mazimhaka was an independent Consultant in business, international diplomacy and security studies with a particular interest in Africa. He was also the Chairman of the board of Advisor of the Brenthurst Foundation.
Leave a Reply