| In the early 1890s there were a lot of explorers, | | | | Rhodesia government for an end to sanctions in |
| hunters and fortune hunter who left their homelands in | | | | exchange for a smooth transition to black majority rule! |
| Britain, France, and Germany in search of a brighter | | | | Two clergymen - Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa |
| future for themselves and their families. These groups | | | | and Reverend Canaan Banana led an opposition to |
| landed in South Africa and decided to move north. | | | | this move and formed a new initiative - United African |
| One such group called the British South Africa | | | | National Council and the two exiled parties (ZAPU |
| Company crossed the Limpopo River and found a | | | | under Joshua Nkomo and ZANU under Reverend |
| land rich in minerals, wildlife and open lands ideal for | | | | Sithole) brought themselves under this council! At this |
| agriculture. They set up camp and using rifles and | | | | stage the initiative was just a forum and not a political |
| other weapons fought against the indigenous people | | | | party. It therefore was legal! It opposed violence and |
| they found there. They wanted the land for | | | | therefore had the support of the white government. |
| themselves! They set about giving each other pieces | | | | However, when Abel Muzorewa transformed this into |
| of land and decided to farm there using the local | | | | a party the members had their doubts and in-fighting |
| people as cheap labour. They were led by a man | | | | began. |
| called Cecil John Rhodes. They decided to form | | | | Meanwhile not all was ok in the ZANU party - |
| government and called their "new" country Rhodesia. | | | | leadership wrangles had started and this led to a split in |
| A constitution which favoured the white supremacy | | | | the party. One faction became ZANU-PF (Patriotic |
| was formulated in 1961. This gave all the power to the | | | | Front) and the other ZANU (Ndonga - after its symbol |
| few whites, and discriminated against the majority, local | | | | of a knobkerrie) |
| black people who they had found there. They used | | | | On 3 March 1978 an agreement was signed in Harare |
| them as cheap labour for their farms and mining | | | | (then Salisbury) between Muzorewa, Sithole, Jeremiah |
| operations. However, they had to trade with other | | | | Chirau and Ian Smith which paved the way for an |
| countries; they were not recognised as a country by | | | | interim government with the signatories as an |
| United Kingdom and other major powers of the day. | | | | Executive Council, to run the affairs of the state in |
| Their only ally was South Africa. | | | | preparation for a general election with black men |
| In 1965, the political party Rhodesia Front under Ian | | | | voting for the first time. However it still had a racial bias |
| Douglas Smith declared the country a sovereign | | | | as it reserved some seats on racial lines - 10 in the |
| independent state! Unilateral Declaration of | | | | Senate, 28 in parliament and a quarter of the cabinet |
| Independence (UDI). The United Kingdom and the | | | | positions! A predominantly white referendum voted for |
| United Nations lobbied sanctions against this new | | | | this constitution! |
| government but due to the vast wealth of the | | | | There were elections and as blacks had no other |
| country's natural reserves the country prospered. | | | | black party to vote for, and were a majority, UANC |
| There were schools, hospitals, industries and lots of | | | | won! A new nation was born - Zimbabwe Rhodesia, |
| agricultural produce. The country was heaven except | | | | with Josiah Gumede as president (non -executive - |
| there was discrimination against the local black people. | | | | remember Clifford Dupont? and John Wrathall?) and |
| No blacks were in white schools, no blacks in white | | | | Abel Muzorewa as Prime Minister! This did not go |
| hospitals, no blacks in white residential areas (except | | | | down well with the old guard - Joshua Nkomo (and |
| as domestic servants and garden -boys!) | | | | ZAPU) and Robert Mugabe (with ZANU) and the |
| This enraged the black man - their country had been | | | | guerrilla war intensified. International recognition did not |
| stolen from them and they were ill-treated in their own | | | | come either as these two strong parties had not been |
| country! In 1961 ZAPU was formed under Joshua | | | | involved in the elections! The plans to end the civil war |
| Nkomo (a Ndebele man!). All blacks rallied behind it and | | | | had not worked. |
| it was banned by the whites in 1962. It did not stop | | | | A solution had to be found to end the civil war! Once |
| activities but it went underground. Secret meetings | | | | again the British government took the initiative and |
| were held in every black township. In 1963 ZANU - a | | | | called for talks in London with all parties involved. |
| new political party was formed under Reverend | | | | ZAPU and ZANU decided to attend under a common |
| Ndabaningi Sithole - a man from the Manicaland region | | | | banner - Patriotic Front! The Lancaster House talks |
| of the country! (Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a | | | | took place from September to December 1979, |
| member of the new committee) and this party was | | | | punctuated with lots of disagreements and threats to |
| chiefly a Shona people's party! There were 3 pronged | | | | break down. The land issue was the main bone of |
| fights - against the two black parties and also against | | | | contention. The then British foreign Secretary - Lord |
| the white regime! ZANU was banned in 1964.There | | | | Carrington presided. It was agreed to hold fresh |
| were house raids from the different parties - people | | | | elections in early 1980. |
| had to resort to having membership cards from both | | | | These elections took place at the end of February |
| parties as failure to produce a membership card often | | | | 1980 and there was a lot of intimidation, violence and |
| resulted in being beaten up. | | | | threats to the continuance of the war if ZANU-PF lost. |
| The black man's struggle escalated and many people | | | | People were tired of the war and guess who won - |
| left for either Zambia or Mozambique, the party | | | | ZANU-PF! The UANC won 3 seats out of the 80 - |
| leaders were arrested, among them Robert Mugabe | | | | reserved for blacks. A new nation was born - Republic |
| (imprisoned 1964 - 1974). The black man decided to | | | | of Zimbabwe! With Robert Mugabe as Prime Minister |
| engage in guerrilla warfare against the white regime! | | | | and Canaan Banana as President! |
| In 1971 the British government tried to agree with | | | | |