In 1834, there were conflicts between the Ndebele and the Rozwi and in the end the Ndebele were victorious after assassinating the Rozwi leader. Meanwhile, European gold seekers and ivory hunters were moving into Shona and Ndebele territory. The best known of these was Cecil John Rhodes who led heavy-handed white settlers in. By 1895, the new country was being referred to as Rhodesia and a white legislature was set up.
Tension between black and white came into sharp focus during the 1920s and 30s through referenda and legislation, which excluded black Africans from ownership of the best farmland. The effect was to forced Africans to work on white farms and in mines and factories for poor wages.
Ian Smith became Rhodesia's president in 1964 and he made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence.…
