Jock Kay

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jock Kay

| honorific_prefix = The Honourable

| party = Independent Zimbabwe Group (1985–1987)
ZANU–PF (after 1987)

| minister1 = David Karimanzira

| office1 = Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement of Zimbabwe

| predecessor1 = Office created

| president1 = Robert Mugabe

| termend1 = March/April 1990

| termstart1 = 22 January 1988

| birth_date = {{circa|1921}}

| birth_place = Manicaland, Rhodesia

| resting_place = Chipesa Farm
Wedza District, Zimbabwe

| spouse = Peggy Kay

| children = Iain Kay

| office3 = Member of Parliament of Zimbabwe
for Makoni (White Roll)

| termstart3 = October 1983

| termend3 = 2 May 1990

| predecessor3 = Arthur Tapson

| successor3 = Constituency abolished

}}

John Maurice "Jock" Kay ({{circa|1921}} – d) was a Zimbabwean farmer and politician. A member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe from 1983 to 1990, he served as the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement from 1988 to 1990. He entered Parliament as an independent, before joining the ruling ZANU–PF party in 1987.

Biography

Kay was born in Manicaland {{circa|1921}}.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uyIOAQAAMAAJ|title=Review of the Press|date=1988|publisher=The Society|pages=10|language=en}}

In 1948, he purchased 5,000 acres of virgin land in Wedza District, near Marandellas (now Marondera), Southern Rhodesia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/apr2_2002.html|title=The Zimbabwe Situation|last=kdc|website=www.zimbabwesituation.com|access-date=2017-12-12}} He named it Chipesa Farm, and grew maize and tobacco.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-apr-05-mn-16197-story.html|title=Zimbabwe Policeman Killed on White Farm|date=2000-04-05|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2017-12-12|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}} It supported hundreds of workers and their families.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/2758313.stm|title=Forced to flee|date=2003-02-14|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-12-14|language=en-GB}} As a farmer, Kay was known as a pioneer of cooperative irrigation techniques.

= Political career =

In 1983, Kay ran as an independent candidate for Parliament in a by-election for the Makoni white roll constituency.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjUXAQAAMAAJ|title=Keesing's Contemporary Archives|date=1983|publisher=Keesing's Limited.|pages=757|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lnsEAQAAIAAJ|title=Africa Research Bulletin|last=Ltd|first=Africa Research|date=1983|publisher=Blackwell|pages=7006|language=en}} The previous member, Arthur Tapson, resigned to move to South Africa. Makoni, a conservative farming area, was one of 20 seats in Parliament reserved for whites per the Lancaster House Agreement.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BB1BAQAAIAAJ|title=Southscan|date=1986|publisher=Southscan|pages=56|language=en}} In the election on 30 September, Kay earned 493 votes, defeating Republican Front candidate François Smit with 434 votes. Kay's election caused Opposition Leader Ian Smith's conservative Republican Front party to lose its majority of the white roll seats in Parliament.

In 1985, he won reelection to Parliament in Makoni, this time running as a member of the Independent Zimbabwe Group, a coalition of white moderates. Kay, with 707 votes, defeated Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe candidate Shelagh Gertrude van Reenen with 658 votes. On 28 July 1987, Kay crossed the aisle to join Prime Minister Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU–PF party, along with two other white MPs, John Landau and Tony Read.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwENL_ptZjYC&pg=PA209|title=Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe|last=Todd|first=Judith Garfield|date=2007|publisher=Zebra|isbn=9781770220027|pages=209|language=en}} In September 1987, having achieved the support of 75% of the House of Assembly as required under the Lancaster House Agreement, the constitution was amended to abolish the white roll constituencies. A number of new members were co-opted onto the House of Assembly to replace the departing white members. Kay, along with several other white ZANU–PF members, were allowed to keep their seats.

On 22 January 1988, Kay was appointed Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement.{{Cite news|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/zimbabwe-intimidation-countryside-escalates|title=Zimbabwe: Intimidation in countryside escalates|date=2005-03-18|work=ReliefWeb|access-date=2017-12-13|language=en}} He was one of two white deputy ministers, along with Charles Duke.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} His appointment as the deputy of Minister David Karimanzira, because he was a white farmer himself, was thought to help to assuage the concerns of the country's 4,500 white farmers.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsOAQAAMAAJ|title=Africa Confidential|date=1988|publisher=Miramoor Publications Limited|pages=11|language=en}} However, a United States State Department private communication at the time reported that his inexperience and "questionable" professional competence caused some farmers to be uncertain as to whether Kay would be able to protect the interests of white commercial farmers.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} As deputy minister, Kay focused on promoting irrigation{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c6QdAQAAMAAJ|title=Keynote addresses|last=Improvement|first=International Institute for Land Reclamation and|date=1988|publisher=Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation [and] International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement|pages=31|language=en}} and combating soil loss through erosion.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c71PAAAAYAAJ|title=The Zimbabwe Science News|date=1989|publisher=Zimbabwe Scientific Association|pages=79|language=en}}

In the 1990 Zimbabwean general election, Kay did not run for reelection to Parliament.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gRJBAQAAIAAJ|title=African Concord|date=1990|publisher=Concord Press of Nigeria|pages=19|language=en}} Shortly after, he was dropped from the cabinet in a presidential announcement.

Personal life

He was married to Peggy Kay.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thezimbabwean.co/2008/08/graves-desecrated/|title=Graves Desecrated|date=2008-08-06|website=The Zimbabwean|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-14}} Their son, Iain, is also a politician.

Kay and his wife are buried at Chipesa Farm in Marondera, Zimbabwe.

Electoral history

= 1983 parliamentary by-election =

class="wikitable" ! colspan="5" \|1983 by-election, Makoni (white roll)
colspan="2" \|Candidate !Party !Votes !%
style="background-color: {{party color\|Independent}}" \| \|John Maurice Kay \|Ind. \| style="text-align:right" \|493 \| style="text-align:right" \|53.2
style="background-color: {{party color\|Rhodesian Front}}" \| \|François Smit \|RF \| style="text-align:right" \|434 \| style="text-align:right" \|46.8
colspan="3" style="text-align:right" \|Total \| style="text-align:right" \|927 \| style="text-align:right" \|
colspan="5" \|Sources:

class="wikitable"

! colspan="5" |1983 by-election, Makoni (white roll)

colspan="2" |Candidate

!Party

!Votes

style="background-color: {{party color|Independent}}" |

|John Maurice Kay

|Ind.

| style="text-align:right" |493

| style="text-align:right" |53.2

style="background-color: {{party color|Rhodesian Front}}" |

|François Smit

|RF

| style="text-align:right" |434

| style="text-align:right" |46.8

colspan="3" style="text-align:right" |Total

| style="text-align:right" |927

| style="text-align:right" |

colspan="5" |Sources:

= 1985 parliamentary election =

class="wikitable" ! colspan="5" \|1985 election, Makoni (white roll)
colspan="2" \|Candidate !Party !Votes !%
style="background-color: {{party color\|Independent}}" \| \|John Maurice Kay \|IZG \| style="text-align:right" \|707 \| style="text-align:right" \|51.8
style="background-color: {{party color\|Rhodesian Front}}" \| \|Shelagh Gertrude van Reenen \|CAZ \| style="text-align:right" \|658 \| style="text-align:right" \|48.2
colspan="3" style="text-align:right" \|Total \| style="text-align:right" \|1,365 \| style="text-align:right" \|
colspan="5" style="text-align:left" \|Source:

class="wikitable"

! colspan="5" |1985 election, Makoni (white roll)

colspan="2" |Candidate

!Party

!Votes

style="background-color: {{party color|Independent}}" |

|John Maurice Kay

|IZG

| style="text-align:right" |707

| style="text-align:right" |51.8

style="background-color: {{party color|Rhodesian Front}}" |

|Shelagh Gertrude van Reenen