Molecular Biologist, Member of Parliament for Harare West Constituency, Gender and Human Rights Leader

Joanah Mamombe is currently the youngest woman Member of Parliament in Zimbabwe’s National Assembly, having been elected in 2018 under the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Party led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa. Ms. Mamombe is also a parliamentary candidate in the upcoming elections scheduled for July 2023. Beyond political advocacy, Ms. Mamombe  is also a molecular biologist who graduated with a master’s degree in molecular biology and genetic manipulation from the Universities of Bergen in Norway and Sussex in the United Kingdom.

In 2012, Ms. Mamombe served as the first woman secretary general in the students’ representative council at Chinhoyi University of Technology. In 2013 she became the Secretary for Gender Affairs in the Zimbabwe’s foremost students’ union, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU).

In 2020, Ms. Mamombe was elected by a global panel as the One Young World Politician of the Year. The award recognizes five of the world’s most outstanding politicians between the ages of 18-35 who are using their positions to have a positive impact on young people in their communities and countries. A highly recognized and respected gender and human rights activist, Ms. Mamombe uses her public role to champion human rights causes, advocate for young people in Zimbabwe, as well as speaking truth to power.

Her unwavering resolve to champion human rights and political freedom in her country led her to become a founding member of the digital #Tajamuka movement in 2017, mobilizing young people to use creative, non-violent methods of protest. She also sits on the board of the UN World Youth Group as an executive committee member. She is also the Vice Chairperson of the first ever Parliamentary Youth Caucus in the National Assembly of Zimbabwe.