Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Bureau
IN what promises to be a seminal contribution to Zimbabwe’s intellectual and political discourse, veteran bureaucrat and scholar Dr Andries Matenda Rukobo is set to launch his autobiography.
Titled “An Itinerant Social Scientist: Memoirs of a Public Servant,” the book — described as a philosophically grounded reflection on Zimbabwe’s post-independence journey — traces Dr Rukobo’s remarkable evolution from a peasant’s child in Gurajena Village to a key figure in Zimbabwe’s public service.
Spanning Dr Rukobo’s four-decade career from 1980 to 2020, the memoir offers an insider’s perspective on the intersection of ideology, governance and national development.
In a statement, Mr Richard Mahomva, the book’s publicist, said Dr Rukobo’s work serves as a prism through which the public can appreciate the complex interplay between ideological construction and statecraft in post-independence Zimbabwe.
“The memoir explores the socialist and pan-Africanist transcontinental ideological influences on Zimbabwe’s decolonisation endeavours. Subsequently, Zimbabwe’s contemporary political trajectory is examined within the context of progressive anti-colonial thinking and a radical de-Westernisation approach.
“This makes the book a refreshing handbook for deconstructing colonial remnants in Zimbabwe and the Global South’s public administration sphere. Dr Rukobo invites a robust ideological reconstruction for Zimbabwe and Africa’s current political economy, with a view to encouraging the dismantling of neo-colonialism in nations characterised as underdeveloped by the West,” said Mr Mahomva.
The autobiography delves into the socialist and pan-Africanist ideologies that shaped Zimbabwe’s liberation and early governance, while also critically examining the country’s contemporary political economy.
According to Mr Mahomva, Dr Rukobo’s work is a valuable resource for deconstructing colonial legacies in Zimbabwe and the broader Global South.
Dr Rukobo’s distinguished career includes serving as the founding Director of the Zimbabwe Institute for Development Studies, former Director in the Ministry of Information, Postal and Courier Services, and Principal Director at the Public Service Commission (PSC).
At the time of his retirement from mainstream public service, he held the position of Chief Director at the Parliament of Zimbabwe.
He serves on the board of the Infrastructure and Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ).
Dr Rukobo has also served on several other boards, including the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (as Vice Chair), the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Zimbabwe (as Board Chairman) and the Southern African Development Research Association (as Chairman).
