Name: Linda Tsungirirai Masarira
Born: 3 October 1982 (Harare, Zimbabwe)
Nationality: Zimbabwean
Other names / Nicknames: Tsungirirayi
Alma mater: N/A
Spouse: Bongani Mlotshwa (married 2024)
Children: 5
Education: Marlborough High School, Chipindura High School
Higher Education: None documented
Occupation: Politician, Human Rights Activist
Years active: 2015–2025
Known for: Human rights activism, founding the Zimbabwe Women In Politics Alliance (ZWPA) and Labor Economists and African Democrats (LEAD), organizing the “Bring back our women from Kuwait” repatriation campaign, and advocating for gender equality and labor rights.
Political party: Labor Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) (Founder and President)
Other political affiliations: People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe), Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD).
Career & Positions held (chronological):
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Train woman and trade unionist at National Railways of Zimbabwe and Systems Technology
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Founder, Zimbabwe Women In Politics Alliance (ZWPA) (2015)
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Executive Management Committee Member (recruitment and mobilization), People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
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Spokesperson, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) under Thokozani Khupe
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Candidate for Harare Central parliamentary seat (2018)
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Founder and President, Labor Economists and African Democrats (LEAD)
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Member, Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD)
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2023 Presidential Candidate (disqualified)
Awards and honours:
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ZimRights Female Human Rights Defender of the Year (2016)
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Giraffe Heroes Award for Human Rights
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Fortune Magazine’s 5th Most Powerful Woman in the World (2016)
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Extraordinary African Woman (October 2017)
Controversies: Drew intense media attention and criticism for blasting Marry Mubaiwa (former wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga) during her illness. Faced social media mockery in 2023 after advocating for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to raise presidential nomination fees (suggesting up to US$50,000 to “create a political space filled with values”), only to fail to raise the required US$20,000 fee for her own 2023 presidential campaign.
Criminal charges / Legal issues: Fired from the National Railways of Zimbabwe for trade unionism. Incarcerated for over 80 days in Chikurubi Maximum Prison (2016) following anti-government protests; she was brutalized and temporarily moved to solitary confinement in a male prison before being granted bail. Arrested during the Occupy Africa Unity Square Campaign (June 2016) on charges of obstructing the course of justice. Detained multiple times for activism, including protests against the Vice President’s taxpayer-funded hotel stay. Sued the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to appeal her exclusion from the 2023 presidential ballot but lost the court case.
Website / Social media: Active on Twitter/X (@lilomatic)
