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His Excellency Samhuri Ngonidzashe
Samhuri Ngonidzashe in 1952
President of Rwizikuru
In office 2 July, 1946 – 2 July, 1954
Vice President	Shungudzemwoyo Nhema (1946-1950) Vudzijena Nhema (1950-1954)
Preceded by	position established (Shungudzemwoyo Nhema as Premier of Riziland)
Succeeded by	Izibongo Ngonidzashe
Personal details
Born	Daniel Samhuri Ngonidzashe c. 1899 Vongai, Riziland
Died	2 July, 1961 (age 61-62) Port Fitzhubert, Rwizikuru
Nationality	Estmerish (1899-1946) Rwizikuran (1946-1961)
Political party	Rwizikuran National Movement (1927-1946) Mubatanidzwa weRusununguko rweRwizikuru (1946-1959)
Spouse	Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe
Children	9, including Izibongo Ngonidzashe
Military service
Allegiance	File:Rwizicolonialflaga.png Riziland
Branch/service	Colonial Militia
Years of service	1926-1930
Rank	Sergeant

Samhuri Ngonidzashe (c. 1899 - 2 July, 1961) was an anti-colonial activist who organized the Rwizikuran National Movement, which helped end Estmerish rule over Rwizikuru. Following its independence in 1946, he was sworn as the first President of Rwizikuru, as per the constitution of Rwizikuru.

(TBC)

Early life

Samhuri Ngonidzashe was born sometime in 1899 in Vongai to Mutupo Ngonidzashe, and Chivaraidzo Ngonidzashe, as the seventh child, and the second son.

In 1904, he entered the mission school in Vongai, where he was baptized as a High Estmerian, and took the name of Daniel. At the mission school, he was described as having "excellent potential" to be a High Estmerian minister, due to his "quick absorption and application" of the concepts he learned in school. He was seen as being incredibly learned by his teachers.

While Samhuri Ngonidzashe wanted to continue his studies after he finished compulsory education in 1912, his family's poverty prevented him from continuing his studies. Thus, he was forced to work at his family's farm.

His fortunes started to change when in 1916, he made his first trip to Port Fitzhubert to find work. There, he found a job as a servant with a white family, and met Shungudzemwoyo Ngonidzashe there. At his job, he admitted that:

"While the Fulkers [the family Samhuri and Shungudzemwoyo worked for] paid well, and the work itself was not stressful, the attitudes of the family towards us were counter to the values I had held so dearly: they saw us as lower than them because of our skin, while I believed that we are brothers in Sotiras."

In 1918, after receiving news that he was to marry Kugarakunzwana Mbangwa, he quit his job and returned to Vongai, where he married her. With his savings, he was able to find a "better life" in Vongai than that of his parents, with him getting a job as a lay preacher at his old mission school.

However, in 1923, realizing that Gamuchirai would be entering school the following year, he realized that if he stayed in Vongai, his children would not receive an opportunity to better themselves. Thus, he and his wife moved back to Port Fitzhubert, and their home was sold to some white settlers.

With the proceeds of the sale of their home in Vongai, they were able to buy a "well-off" home close to the Euclean core of town, and had enough left over to get Gamuchirai and Izibongo to attend the Charles Fitzhubert School, as well as find a new job as a lay preacher at a nearby church. He soon made contact again with Shungudzemwoyo Nhema, where he discovered that the Fulker's fired him in 1922 after having spoken up against the Fulker's increasing mistreatment of their Bahian servants.

He noted that the conversation with Nhema:

"...caused my blood to boil in pure and unbridled anger. As we recounted our experiences of racism in our adulthood in Port Fitzhubert, compared to the values that we were taught, I realized that there is something wrong, something unnatural with Estmerish rule over this land. I couldn't quite place what, but I knew it had to be there."

Over the next few years, many at his church talked to him about the racism that they have faced by colonial officials and by Eucleans who have come to Riziland, and combined with his experiences in dealing with racism directed at him, he began to feel that Estmerish rule was inherently unjust.

Military service

By the time the Great War begun in earnest in June 1926, despite his beliefs that Estmerish rule over Riziland was unjust, he enlisted in the colonial militia, saying that "it is better for us natives to deal with the devil we know as opposed to gamble with the devil we don't know."

After training, he was deployed in October to Port Graham, where he would live for the next two years. In Port Graham, he was assigned to defend the city from Gaullican attack by both sea and land, as Port Graham was the end of the rail line to Port Fitzhubert. While Port Graham was subject to several bombardments by the Gaullicans during his time in Port Graham, from both sea and air, he never faced a serious attempt by the Gaullicans or their colonial troops in Quigomba to attack Port Graham. By 1928, he had risen to the rank of Sergeant.

Around that time, he began corresponding with Shungudzemwoyo Nhema, where he outlined plans to establish a political movement to "develop the idea of Rwizikuru in the post-war climate." When Nhema expressed his concerns about the proposal, and that Samhuri was putting "everything in jeopardy," Samhuri Ngonidzashe replied:

"My friend, it is better for us to plant the seeds of Rwizikuru, than to let the Gaullicans do so, for if they do, we can never be free. If we plant the seeds of Rwizikuru, then we will be able to control how it will grow, to lead it on the right path, and to keep it from going astray."

Thus, while on leave in November 1927, Samhuri and Nhema established the Rwizikuran National Movement in Port Fitzhubert, with its stated mission to be "organizing every Rwizikuran man, woman, and child to defend our land from the threat of our foes."

The establishment of the movement gained waves, and by the time he returned to Port Graham, Samhuri was sent to a military prison, before attending a court-martial in January 1928, where he was charged with conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline for creating an organization whose aim was to end colonial rule in Riziland.

Samhuri defended himself, saying that "it is not a conspiracy for us to create an organization, whose aim is to defend our land from the foes that we are facing. We want to ensure that Gaullica does not occupy Riziland, and the best way was to create an organization to encourage every man, woman, and child to defend Riziland from Gaullican forces."

The military presented evidence that he was intending to overthrow the government, with the correspondence between Ngonidzashe and Nhema being submitted as evidence, which they said was evidence of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, as they were discussing establishing an organization to end colonial rule after the "present hostilities" were concluded.

After several rounds of examination and cross-examination, the court-martial found Samhuri Ngonidzashe guilty of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. Thus, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment on 5 February, 1928, followed by dismissal from His Majesty's service, with disgrace.

Thus, he was taken back to Port Fitzhubert to serve the sentence in the local military prison. While in prison, Samhuri Ngonidzashe received visits with Shungudzemwoyo Nhema, and his family, where they would discuss the progress of the movement.

Release and early political career

On 5 February, 1930, he was released from prison, and was dismissed with disgrace from the colonial militia. Upon his return to civilian life, he decided to dedicate himself full time towards the Rwizikuran National Movement.

His primary goal at this stage was to encourage "all Rwizikuran men" to enlist in the colonial militia, as at that point in time, there was a standstill between the Gaullican and Estmerish colonial troops.

(TBC)

Personal life

Samhuri Ngonidzashe married the 18-year old Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe in 1918 in a marriage arranged by their parents. According to Samhuri, their marriage was "fruitful and happy," with the marriage lasting until his death in 1961. Kugarakunzwana Ngonidzashe died in 2014 at the age of 113: at the time of her death, she was the oldest person living in Rwizikuru

Together, they had four sons: Izibongo Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1921 and died in 1979, Ingwe Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1925 and is still living, Fred Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1928, and was executed in 1981 for an attempted coup against the monarchy, and Shungudzemwoyo Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1932.

They also had five daughters: Gamuchirai Mumbengegwi, who was born in 1919, and died in 2015 at the age of 91, Tariro Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1923, and died in 1927 from smallpox, Vimbainashe Ngonidzashe, who was born in 1926, and died in 2016 at the age of 89, and twin sisters Tinotendaisheanesu Chimusasa and Yemurai Kyagumbo, who were born in 1931.

Samhuri Ngonidzashe was a devout High Estmerian, with his noted propensity for plain dress, fasting on Sundays, and was a teetotaler, refusing to drink any alcohol, and his strict adherence to the High Estmerian concept of outward holiness. He was also noted to be a lay preacher, often preaching at churches, even during his tenure as President.