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Name: Mapuranga, Machivenyika
Current Position: Ambassador
Machivenyika Mapuranga serves as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to the United States. Mapuranga received a BA with honors from the University of London in 1971, and a post graduate diploma in development studies from Oxford in 1972. He was awarded his MLitt in history and political thought from Edinburgh University in 1974 and a PhD in history from the University of London in1980.
He has served as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Jos Campus in Nigeria (1975-1976), University of Jos in Nigeria (1975-1979), and the University of Zimbabwe (1979-1980) before embarking on his diplomatic career in 1980.
Mapuranga was counselor and Charge d’Affaires to the Zimbabwe High Commission, Lusaka (1980-1981), ambassador to Tanzania (1982-1986), and assistant secretary general representing Southern Africa Region in the OAU (1987-1995).
From 1993-1994, he was special representative of the OAU Secretary General to Rwanda, before becoming chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Political Committee in 1997. He was also OAU Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Somalia, Sierra-Leone and Burundi, chairman of the UN Special Political Committee (4th Committee) in 1997, and head of the Zimbabwe Official Delegation to Commonwealth Summit in Australia in 1999.
From 1996-1998, he was ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, and from 1999-2001, he was permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mapuranga also served as ambassador to Ghana (2001-2005), a position he held prior to his current assignment.
On May 25, 2010, Mapuranga caused a mild sensation when he showed up for a speech in Washington by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson and heckled Carson for criticizing Zimbabwe's human rights record.Event staff eventually convince the ambassador to leave.
