| Denis Norman | |
| Office: | Zimbabwean Minister of Agriculture |
| Term Start: | 1980 |
| Term End: | 1985 |
| Term Start2: | 1990 |
| Term End2: | 1997 |
| Term Start3: | 1990 |
| Term End3: | 1997 |
| Birth Date: | 26 March 1931 |
| Birth Place: | England |
| Nationality: | British / Zimbabwean |
| Residence: | Oxfordshire |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
Denis R. Norman (26 March 1931 - 20 December 2019) was a British-Zimbabwean politician who spent a total of twelve years in the Cabinet of Robert Mugabe. He was known as "Nothing Wrong Norman" due to his penchant for trying to put a positive spin on difficult situations.[1] [2]
From 2003 he lived in Oxfordshire, England, before his death on 20 December 2019.[3]
Norman headed the Commercial Farmers' Union when Robert Mugabe came to power in 1980.[1] [2] [4] Norman was appointed Minister of Agriculture that same year, and held the position from 1980 to 1985.[1] [2] [4] [5] Mugabe asked Norman to leave the government after the 1985 elections which resulted in Ian Smith's faction winning most of the (minority-designated) white roll seats. The then-Prime Minister was aggrieved that the party which was sympathetic to ZANU-PF's cause did not win even though Mugabe had 'tried to appeal to the white population in Zimbabwe'.[6] Norman proceeded to head the Beira Corridor Group,[7] before being appointed to two positions by President Mugabe - Minister of Transport and Minister of Power - from 1990 to 1997.[1] [2] [8] As minister of transport, Norman began introducing safety regulations for public transport.[9]