# David Anthony Chimhini

David Anthony Chimhini was born on 10 June 1950 in Mutasa and is the MP for Mutasa North in Manicaland province, Zimbabwe. He is the father of George Chimhini, Shupikayi Chimhini. Hon. Chimhini has three wives.
He attended Nyanga High school, Marist Brothers for his high school education. Hon Chimhini then proceeded to Kutama College where he qualified as a teacher. Hon. Chimhini has a University of Zimbabwe Certificate in Education in addition to a teacher’s certificate from Kutama Teachers’ College. Hon Chimhini also has a Master of Arts Degree in Development Studies specialising in Labour and Development from the Institute of Social Studies – The Hague, Netherlands.
Whilst at the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague, Hon Chimhini was elected President of the Student Union. In the 1970s, Hon Chimhini taught and became a headmaster in the Manicaland and Mashonaland West provinces. He supported the nationalist insurgency during the Rhodesian Bush War by offering supplies to guerrillas. He later became involved in trade unionism and joined the Rhodesia African Teacher's Association.
In 1988 Chimhini was appointed the National Training Secretary for the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA). In 1992 he formed the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association with Reginald Matchaba-Hove, Nick Ndebele, and other activists. Chimhini was then appointed executive director of Zimrights in 1995 leading the organisation into its most successful period in its history. Under Hon leadership, ZimRights membership and profile grew rapidly. It became the biggest human rights organisation in Zimbabwe. Its membership steadily grew from 3,000 in 1995 to over 14,000 in 1998. One of the biggest demonstrations organised by ZimRights took place in Harare in 1995 under the leadership of David Chimhini, where protesters demonstrated against police brutality. In an inflammatory speech after the protest, President Mugabe labelled ZimRights "Zimlooters" and a "gangster organization".
Whilst at Zimrights Hon Chimhini was one of the founding members of the National Constitutional Assembly in 1997 together with Morgan Tsvangirai, Mike Auret, David Coltart, Tendai Biti, Thoko Matshe, Lovemore Madhuku, Welshman Ncube, Priscilla Misihairambwi, Brian Kagoro and many others. Hon Chimhini went on to serve on the NCA board as taskforce member representing Human Rights for the next 4 years. In September 1999 Hon Chimhini was part of the group from civic society that was instrumental in the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change. He was a member of the interim leadership and served in the management committee before the party's inaugural congress in January 2000.
Hon Chimhini left ZimRights in 1999 and went on to become the first National Coordinator of the MDC. In the year 2000, Hon Chimhini became a spokesman and National Coordinator of the United People for National Survival (UPNS), an organisation which mobilised people to protest against the destructive policies adopted by the Zimbabwe government. The organisation introduced the now famous red cards with the inscription 'Mugabe must go now'. Other members of UPNS were Wilfred Mhanda of the Zimbabwe Liberators Platform and Archbishop PIus Ncube. Late in the year 2000 Hon Chimhini formed the Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust, an organisation which is involved in peace building, conflict resolution, human rights awareness and civic education and became its founding executive director. Whist working in civic society Hon Chimhini was a board member of the ZESN (Zimbabwe Election Support Network), Centre for Peace Initiatives In Africa and many other organisations.
In March 2008 Hon Chimhini contested the Mutasa North seat under the MDC and won comfortably with 10,000 votes against 4,000 votes for Major-General Mike Nyambuya who was then Minister of transport and energy and represented ZANU–PF. In parliament Hon Chimhini is a member of the select committee on Education as well as Housing and Social Welfare portfolio committee. Hon Chimhini is the treasurer of the African Parliament Network Against Corruption (Zimbabwe Chapter).
Hon Chimhini has continued fighting for human rights and is a member of the ZIMCET board.