Independence of Zimbabwe

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Following the break-up of the Central African Federation, Britain granted independence to its former parts: Northern Rhodesia, which became Zambia, and Nyasaland, which became Malawi.The third part, Southern Rhodesia, had problems with the lack of guaranteed majority rule.



On 11 November 1965, the Rhodesian Front of Ian Smith issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from the United Kingdom. The British Government considered the UDI unconstitutional and illegal, and imposed sanctions on Rhodesia. On 16 November, Australia announced a series of measures against Rhodesia that mirrored British actions. In 1966 and 1968, the United Nations Security Council imposed mandatory economic sanctions on Rhodesia.



Attempts were made in the later 1960s and early 1970s to reach settlement between the British Government and the Rhodesians. In 1974, an African National Council (ANC) was formed, bringing nationalist parties together. Then in 1976, the major African nationalist groups – the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo, and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), under Robert Mugabe – formed the Patriotic Front (PF).

Guerilla attacks by the PF, the crippling effects of economic sanctions, the independence in 1975 of the neighbouring former Portuguese colony of Mozambique, and the pressure applied by South Africa and the United States, forced Smith to begin talks with black leaders on the establishment of majority rule. In April 1979, a general election was held. The two PF parties chose not to participate. Bishop Abel Muzorewa, leader of the United African National Council (UANC), was elected the country’s first black prime minister, but was not recognised internationally.



The Australian Government of Malcolm Fraser considered an acceptable solution could be found within the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Lusaka, Zambia, in August 1979, at which Fraser was an active participant, produced the pathway that would lead to a resolution.



On 10 September 1979, the British Government met with representatives of the various Rhodesian groups at Lancaster House in London to begin discussions on a settlement. In December, British Governor Lord Soames arrived in Salisbury to administer Rhodesia.

By 21 December, the Lancaster House Agreement was signed, paving the way for a ceasefire, transitional British rule until the holding of free and democratic elections, and a new constitution implementing majority rule while protecting minority rights. The Australian Government implemented a number of measures including establishing a Liaison Office in Salisbury, contributing a contingent of 152 to the Commonwealth Ceasefire Monitoring Force, sending an eight-person national observer group and appointing an Australian official to the Commonwealth Observer Group for the elections.

The elections, held in February 1980, were won clearly by Mugabe's ZANU (PF) party. The republic of Zimbabwe was proclaimed at a ceremony in Salisbury (now Harare) on 18 April 1980, at which Robert Mugabe was sworn in as prime minister.

Selected records about the independence of Zimbabwe

Department of Foreign Affairs
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Rhodesia – relations with Australia – policy statements on Rhodesia 1960–73 A1838, 190/10/1/5 part 1
Southern Rhodesia – political – elections 1964–80 A1838, 190/2/4 part 1
Southern Rhodesia – political – elections 1980 A1838, 190/2/4 part 2
Southern Rhodesia – political – elections 1980 A1838, 190/2/4 part 3
Rhodesia – political relations with Australia – Australian government action on Security Council resolution (sanctions) [see also parts 18 to 31] 1971–72 A1838, 190/10/2/10 part 17
Rhodesia – Australian relations – activities of Rhodesia – Information service, Melbourne and Sydney 1977–79 A1838, 190/10/1/3 part 8
Zimbabwe – political – chronology of events 1978–79 A1838, 190/2/1/1 part 1
CHOGM – Lusaka, 1979 – possible declaration on racism and racial prejudice 1979 A1838, 899/6/21/3 part 2
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) – political – general [see also parts 56 to 89] 1979 A1838, 190/2/1 part 55
Southern Rhodesia – Australia relations – general [see also parts 19 to 30] 1979 A1838, 190/10/1 part 18
Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia 1979 A1838, 681/34 part 1
Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia 1979 A1838, 681/34 part 2
Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia 1979 A1838, 681/34 part 3
Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia 1979 A1838, 681/34 part 5
Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia 1979 A1838, 681/34 part 6
Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia 1980–82 A1838, 681/34 part 13
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – Lusaka, 1979 – issues [see also parts 2 to 8] 1978–79 A1838, 899/6/21/1 part 1
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – Lusaka, 1979 – issues 1979 A1838, 899/6/21/1 part 10
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – Lusaka, 1979 – issues 1979 A1838, 899/6/21/1 part 11
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – Lusaka, 1979 – issues 1979–81 A1838, 899/6/21/1 part 12

Cabinet Office
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Rhodesia sanctions 1970 A5869, 288
Southern Rhodesia – legislation to impose sanctions 1973–74 A5915, 783
Legislation to impose sanctions against Rhodesia 1974 A5931, CL867
Rhodesia Information Centre, Sydney 1977 A12909, 1152
Rhodesia – recent developments 1978–80 A10756, LC2172 part 1
Southern Africa and CHOGM 1979 A12909, 3135
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – Lusaka, 1–8 August 1979 – Australian initiatives 1979 A12909, 3304
Rhodesia – Australian contingent for Commonwealth ceasefire monitoring force 1979 A12909, 3651
Rhodesia – considerations for Australia 1979 A12909, 3653

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) by Southern Rhodesia – legal implications 1965–66 A1209, 1965/6724
Rhodesia – post-UDI negotiations and mediation 1965–66 A1209, 1965/6752 part 1
Rhodesia – post-UDI negotiations and mediation 1966 A1209, 1965/6752 part 2
Rhodesia – post-UDI negotiations and mediation 1965 A1209, 1965/6752 part 3
Visit of UK Prime Minister, Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher – June and July 1979 – briefing 1979 A1209, 1979/834 part 1
Visit of UK Prime Minister, Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher – June and July 1979 – briefing 1979 A1209, 1979/834 part 2
Prime minister's visit to Zimbabwe – April 1980 1980–81 A1209, 1980/521 part 1
Prime minister's visit to Zimbabwe – April 1980 – itinerary and air travel 1980 A1209, 1980/539 part 1
Prime minister's visit to Zimbabwe – April 1980 – security and general administrative arrangements 1980 A1209, 1980/541 part 1

Office of National Assessments
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Rhodesian settlement – the paradox of transition 1979 A13952, 2
Rhodesia – elections and their implications 1979 A13952, 3
Rhodesia – developments at Lancaster House talks 1979 A13952, 5
Rhodesia – threat to Australian monitoring force 1980 A13952, 10
Rhodesia – election results 1980 A13952, 11

Rt Hon John Malcolm Fraser (CP 51)
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Precedents file (standard replies to correspondence received, includes statement on Rhodesia) 1961–79 M1281, 19
Rhodesia (includes papers relating to Zimbabwe) 1977–80 M1268, 69
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) – Lusaka, 1979 1979 M1356, 11

Geoffrey Yeend (CP 982)
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Handwritten notes of conversation between Malcolm Fraser and Margaret Thatcher 1979 M4805, 28

Allan Griffith (CP 981)
Title or description of record Date range Series, item number
Africa – Rhodesia 1967–80 M4609, 7
Africa – Rhodesia 1978–80 M4609, 6
Africa – Rhodesia/Zimbabwe – report on April 1979 general election 1979 M4609, 9
Africa – Zimbabwe/Rhodesia – cables and other documents 1979 M4609, 10

Identifying further records

Use RecordSearch to identify further records held in the National Archives collection. Searches using the keywords 'rhodesia' and 'zimbabwe' will find relevant records.