{{Short description|Zimbabwean farmer and politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Jock Kay | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | party = Independent Zimbabwe Group (1985–1987)<br />ZANU–PF (from 1987) | minister1 = David Karimanzira | office1 = Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement | predecessor1 = ''Office created'' | president1 = Robert Mugabe | term_end1 = March/April 1990 | term_start1 = 22 January 1988 | birth_date = {{circa|1921}} | birth_place = Manicaland, Rhodesia | resting_place = Chipesa Farm<br />Wedza District, Zimbabwe | spouse = Peggy Kay | children = Iain Kay | office3 = Member of Parliament | term_start3 = October 1983 | term_end3 = 2 May 1990 | predecessor3 = Arthur Tapson | successor3 = ''Constituency abolished'' | death_date = Before 2001 | constituency3 = Makoni (White Roll) (1983–1987) }}
'''John Maurice Kay''' ({{circa|1921}} – before 2001), better known as '''Jock Kay''', 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}}.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uyIOAQAAMAAJ|title=Review of the Press|date=1988|publisher=The Society|pages=10|language=en}}</ref>
In 1948, he purchased 5,000 acres of virgin land in Wedza District, near Marandellas (now Marondera), Southern Rhodesia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/apr2_2002.html|title=Committment|last=Kay|website=The Zimbabwe Situation|access-date=2017-12-12|date=2002-04-02|first=Kerry}}</ref> He named it Chipesa Farm, and grew maize and tobacco.<ref name=":7">{{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}}</ref> It supported hundreds of workers and their families.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=https://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}}</ref> As a farmer, Kay was known as a pioneer of cooperative irrigation techniques.<ref name=":3" />
=== Political career === In 1983, Kay ran as an independent candidate for parliament in a by-election for the Makoni white roll constituency.<ref name=":4">{{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}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{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}}</ref> The previous member, Arthur Tapson, resigned to move to South Africa.<ref name=":5" /> Makoni, a conservative farming area, was one of 20 seats in parliament reserved for whites per the Lancaster House Agreement.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BB1BAQAAIAAJ|title=Southscan|date=1986|publisher=Southscan|pages=56|language=en}}</ref> In the election on 30 September, Kay earned 493 votes, defeating the right-wing Republican Front candidate François Smit with 434 votes.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Kay's election caused Opposition Leader Ian Smith's conservative Republican Front party to lose its majority of the white roll seats in parliament.<ref name=":5" />
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.<ref name=":6" /> 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.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsOAQAAMAAJ|title=Africa Confidential|date=1988|publisher=Miramoor Publications Limited|pages=11|language=en}}</ref> 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<ref>{{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}}</ref> and combating soil loss through erosion.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
In the 1990 Zimbabwean general election, Kay did not run for reelection to parliament.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gRJBAQAAIAAJ|title=African Concord|date=1990|publisher=Concord Press of Nigeria|pages=19|language=en}}</ref> Shortly after, he was dropped from the cabinet in a presidential announcement.<ref name=":10" />
== Personal life == He was married to Peggy Kay.<ref name=":2">{{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}}</ref> Their son, Iain, is a farmer and politician who also served in the House of Assembly as a member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai party.
Kay died before 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-07-07 |title=Zimbabwe veterans corner, threaten white farmers |url=https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/old/july8a_2001.html |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Reuters |via=The Zimbabwe Situation}}</ref> He and his wife are buried on a koppie at their former home, Chipesa Farm, near Marondera, Zimbabwe.<ref name=":2" /> In 2000 and again in 2001, farm, then home to Iain Kay and his family, was occupied by war veterans and ZANU–PF supporters.<ref name=":63">{{Cite news |last=Thornycroft |first=Peta |date=16 March 2005 |title=Ex-farmer takes on Mugabe minister |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/1485785/Ex-farmer-takes-on-Mugabe-minister.html |access-date=11 December 2017 |work=The Telegraph |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> In March 2002, the Kay family abandoned the farm and moved elsewhere.<ref name=":63"/> In March 2008, the graves of Jock and Peggy Kay were vandalized by settlers now living at the former Chipesa Farm.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-06 |title=Graves Desecrated |url=https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2008/08/graves-desecrated/ |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=The Zimbabwean}}</ref>
== 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:<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> |}
=== 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:<ref name=":6" /> |}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Members of the 1st Parliament of Zimbabwe}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Jock}} Category:1920s births Category:Year of birth uncertain Category:Year of death missing Category:20th-century Zimbabwean politicians Category:Deputy ministers Category:Independent politicians in Zimbabwe Category:Members of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe Category:People from Mashonaland East Province Category:People from Marondera Category:Rhodesian farmers Category:White Rhodesian people Category:White Zimbabwean politicians Category:ZANU–PF politicians Category:Zimbabwean farmers