Veteran Opposition Figure Innocent Gonese Retires from Politics.
Zimbabwe long-serving opposition activist and former Mutare Central legislator, Innocent Gonese, has announced his retirement from active politics.
Gonese, known for his extensive political career, made this decision to shift his focus to his law practice and human rights activism. He expressed his intention to return to being a private citizen after dedicating 24 years to politics.
Gonese confirmed his retirement in an interview with NewsDay. He stated that he plans to dedicate his time to his law practice, spend more time with family, and pursue personal interests, such as long-distance running and writing a book in the future.
His political journey includes serving as the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) chief whip in the 8th and 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe. After completing a Bachelor of Laws Degree at the University of Zimbabwe in 1984, he continued his education with a Master's Degree in Human Rights, Peace, and Development at Africa University in 2016
In 1999, Gonese joined the MDC and went on to become a Member of Parliament for Mutare Central in 2000. He was re-elected in 2008, 2013, and 2018. His role extended to MDC provincial secretary for legal and parliamentary affairs for Manicaland, and he later assumed the same position in the party's national executive from 2006 to 2011.
From 2009 to 2013, Gonese served on the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee on Constitution making, contributing to the drafting of a new Constitution for Zimbabwe. He also held roles on various parliamentary committees, including the Parliamentary Legal Committee and the Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio committee.
