Ernest Leonard Bulle (born in 1936 died 16 January 1996) was an academic and politician who served as a minister in the governments of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia. He served in the cabinet of Rhodesia as joint Minister of Finance and Minister of Commerce and Industry alongside David Smith from 1978 to 1979 as part of the country's Internal Settlement. He continued as commerce minister in the government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia between June and December 1979. First elected to parliament in the 1979 Zimbabwe Rhodesia general election, he stood unsuccessfully in the 1980 general election, which set the membership of the first parliament of the independent Zimbabwe. Bulle was a member of the United African National Council and served as the party's second vice-president.

Early life, education, and family

Bulle was born in Tjolotjo, Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gGFEAQAAIAAJ|title=Sub-Saharan Africa Report|date=1979|publisher=Foreign Broadcast Information Service|page=60|language=en}} He came from the Ndebele people,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMcpAQAAMAAJ|title=Teacher in New Africa|date=1968|publisher=Tina Publications|pages=xxvii|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Ashford|first=Nicholas|date=1980-01-20|title=Mr Nkomo seen as the unifying politician|url=https://archive.org/stream/NewsUK1980UKEnglish/Jan%2021%201980%2C%20The%20Times%2C%20%2360529%2C%20UK%20%28en%29_djvu.txt|access-date=2020-06-05}}{{Cite news|last=Smiley|first=Xan|date=1979-04-14|title=Rhodesia: the pipe-dream of partnership|work=The Spectator|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/14th-april-1979/7/rhodesia-the-pipe-dream-of-partnership|access-date=2020-06-06}} but as an adult preferred English to the Ndebele language.{{Cite news|date=1978-07-24|title=Rhodesia: Tribalism permeating politics|work=The Vancouver Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/493025757/|access-date=2020-06-05}} He attended Goromonzi High School, before studying at the University of Natal, where he graduated in 1959 with a degree in social studies or economics.{{Cite news|date=1978-04-12|title=Biographic Data on New Ministers|work=The Rhodesia Herald|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulZEAQAAIAAJ|access-date=2020-06-06}} In the late 1960s, he became the first Ndebele postgraduate student of the African languages department of the University College of Rhodesia. He was married 3 times, and had two daughters and one son from his first marriage, one daughter from his second marriage, and two daughters from his last marriage.

Career

After graduating from the University of Natal, Bulle worked for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. During that time, he also took a course in foreign trade and commercial policy in Brussels, Belgium, sponsored by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. After briefly working in industry, Bulle worked for Rhodesia Railways, which operated in both Southern and Northern Rhodesia. He initially worked as a personnel officer or in the planning department. Later, he moved briefly to Zambia to work in the planning and manpower localisation section of Zambia Railways. He returned to Rhodesia in 1971 to take a position as lecturer in the African languages department at the University of Rhodesia.{{Cite journal|last=Ngara|first=John|date=1978|title=The 'Internal Settlement' and the Zimbabwe Revolution|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/al.sff.document.0001.9976.000.075.1978|journal=The African Communist|volume=75|page=78}}{{Cite journal|last1=Curwen|first1=C. A.|last2=Rycroft|first2=David K.|date=1976|title=Notes and Communications|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London|volume=39|issue=1|page=157|jstor=616192}}

Politics

Bulle served as the second vice-president of the United African National Council, a political party led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa.{{Cite news|last=Ottaway|first=David B.|date=1979-05-23|title=Rhodesian War Spills Over Borders|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/05/23/rhodesian-war-spills-over-borders/1090f24b-f845-43f7-81fa-0f18a908a0cc/|access-date=2020-06-06}}{{Cite news|date=1978-04-06|title=Rhodesian 'Free Zone' Will Woo Rebels Home|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/06/archives/rhodesian-free-zone-will-woo-rebels-home.html|access-date=2020-06-06|issn=0362-4331}} After the signing of the Internal Settlement on 3 March 1978, Bulle was appointed joint Minister of Finance and Minister of Commerce and Industry the following 11/12 April, serving alongside co-minister David Smith.{{Cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/al.sff.document.puun1980001vol2|title=Report of the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples|publisher=United Nations General Assembly|year=1980|volume=2|location=New York|pages=26}} In October 1978, he announced on behalf of the government that "all discrimination" and racial segregation would be abolished in Rhodesia.{{Cite news|date=1978-10-09|title=Rhodesia will abolish 'all discrimination'|work=The Daily Iowan|url=http://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1978/di1978-10-09.pdf|access-date=2020-06-06}}{{Cite news|date=1978-10-09|title=Desegregation expected|work=The Boston Globe|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/437016690/|access-date=2020-06-06}}

In the 1979 general election, he was elected to Parliament to represent Matabeleland North Province. On 31 May 1979, he was appointed by Muzorewa to serve the government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia as Minister of Commerce and Industry.{{Cite news|last=Times|first=John F.|date=1979-05-31|title=Muzorewa Names a Cabinet, Reserving Key Roles for Himself and Smith|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/31/archives/muzorewa-names-a-cabinet-reserving-key-roles-for-himself-and-smith.html|access-date=2020-06-06|issn=0362-4331}} Bulle was an unsuccessful UANC candidate in the 1980 general election.{{Cite book|last=Rhoodie|first=Eschel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pMpBAAAAYAAJ|title=The Real Information Scandal|date=1983|publisher=Orbis|isbn=978-0-620-07057-7|pages=371|language=en}} He later reentered politics in the 1990s, in opposition to the ruling ZANU–PF.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6XwMAQAAMAAJ|title=Africa Confidential|date=1992|publisher=Miramoor Publications|page=25|language=en}}

References

Category:Year of birth missing

Category:20th-century linguists

Category:20th-century Zimbabwean politicians

Category:Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe

Category:Northern Ndebele people

Category:People from Matabeleland North Province

Category:People in rail transport

Category:Finance ministers of Rhodesia

Category:University of Natal alumni

Category:University of Zimbabwe alumni

Category:Academic staff of the University of Zimbabwe

Category:1996 deaths