[5] During the Rhodesian Bush War the white minority nicknamed him the "Black Russian" because he trained in Moscow, Russia.

[5] From 1992 to 2000, he served in the government as Minister of Home Affairs, and in 1991 he was appointed to the chair of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project.

[citation needed] Following the election, although no official results were immediately announced, Dabengwa said in April 2008 that Makoni's campaign had accomplished its mission by preventing either Mugabe or Tsvangirai from winning a first round majority; he opposed holding a run-off and favored the formation of a transitional government of national unity followed by a new election.

[10] Dabengwa was the leader of the revived Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), which is currently separating from the unity accord of 1987.

During the launch of his childhood friend Jill Baker's Book, The Horns,[11] Dabengwa admitted that not only had he encouraged her to write this historical novel, but he was also the alter ego of her character Jabu.