Banda's arrival in the country from Ghana to lead the independence struggle from the British colonial rule, Tembo was invited to take up a parliamentary seat in Dedza South constituency. He had a brief stint as a teacher at Dedza Secondary School and later taught for two years at Robert Blake Secondary School in the central region district of Dowa in 1958. He later went to study at the University of Roma (also known as Pius XII College) in Lesotho, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts in political philosophy. He attended several primary schools before graduating to Blantyre Secondary School.

His father, Zenus Ungapake Tembo, was a minister of the Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP). Tembo was born on September 14, 1932, in Dedza District, Central Region. He was replaced as President of the MCP in August 2013. He has been variously described as 'physically slight, ascetic, fastidious' and 'cunning'. Beginning in the 1960s he was an important politician in Malawi, and he was a key figure in the regime of Hastings Banda (1964–1994). Tembo comes from the Dedza District in central Malawi, and he is a teacher by profession. John Zenus Ungapake Tembo (born Septem) is a Malawian politician who served for years as President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

Ruth tembo