Janet Banana | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Zimbabwe | |
| In role 18 April 1980 – 31 December 1987 | |
| President | Canaan Banana |
| Succeeded by | Sally Mugabe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Janet Mbuyazwe 1938 (age 82–83) Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) |
| Spouse(s) | Canaan Banana |
| Children | 4 |
Janet Banana (born Janet Mbuyazwe[1] in 1938) is the widow of Zimbabwe's first President, Canaan Banana (1936–2003), whom she married in 1961. She served as the first First Lady of Zimbabwe from 1980 until 1987. The couple had four children.
Due to a constitutional amendment, Canaan Banana was removed from the office of President, into which Prime Minister Robert Mugabe was instated. Despite her term as First Lady, Janet Banana has not received a pension from either Mugabe or his successor as president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.[2]
Banana sought political asylum in the United Kingdom in October 2000. She was awarded British citizenship in 2006, and took the oath of allegiance on 10 February 2006 at a ceremony in the London Borough of Haringey in front of the Mayor of Haringey.
References
- ^ "The Rev Canaan Banana". The Independent. 12 November 2003. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ^ Vambe, Lex (18 February 2018). "ED Mnangagwa Ignores Zimbabwe's First President Canaan Banana's Widow". PaZimbabwe. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
External links
- The Guardian – 'They say that Power Corrupts'
- B.B.C. (British Broadcasting Co. – Woman's Hour – Janet Banana