Abel Muzorewa

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Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa (born 14 April 1925 in former Rhodesia), a Methodist bishop and nationalist leader, was prime minister of the short-lived coalition government in what was called Zimbabwe Rhodesia; he held office for only a few months in 1979.

In 1971 the British struck a deal with Ian Smith that provided for a transition to majority rule in exchange for an end to sanctions against the government. Muzorewa joined with an inexperienced cleric, the Reverend Canaan Banana, to form the United African National Council (UANC) to oppose the settlement under the acronym "NIBMAR" -- "no independence before majority African rule".

The proposed referendum was withdrawn; Muzorewa found himself a national leader and an international personality. The liberation movements -- the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) of Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) of Joshua Nkomo -- both placed themselves under the UANC umbrella even though they had some doubts when Muzorewa founded a national party.

After ZANU, led by Robert Mugabe after disagreements with Sithole, and ZAPU undertook guerrilla warfare, the UANC was the only legal black party since it rejected violence.

Muzorewa pictured on a UANC campaign T-shirt, 1979.

On the March 3, 1978, Abel Muzorewa, Ndabaningi Sithole and other non-exiled leaders signed an agreement at Governors Lodge, Salisbury, which paved the way for the interim government, the leadership of which was an Executive Council made up of Muzorewa, Sithole and Chief Jeremiah Chirau, along with Ian Smith. This Executive Council would run the affairs of state prior to elections taking place. A new constitution was drafted reserving 10 seats in the Senate and 28 seats in the lower house of parliament for the white minority, as well as a quarter of the Cabinet positions. The constitution was approved in a nearly whites-only referendum which took place in January 1979. An overwhelming majority of 85% voted yes.

Elections were held, and the UANC won. Josiah Zion Gumede was the first President, Muzorewa became prime minister and the country's name was changed to Zimbabwe Rhodesia. But both Mugabe and Nkomo denounced the arrangement, the war continued, and no international recognition was forthcoming because the external Marxist leaders had not been included in the elections. The civil war that Ian Smith hoped to stem when he worked out the "internal settlement" continued unabated.

The British government then asked all parties come to London for face to face meetings, including Nkomo and Mugabe, and thrash out a final settlement to the Rhodesian question at the Lancaster House Agreement. For the conference, Nkomo joined with Mugabe as the "Patriotic Front" (PF). The conference was held from September 10, 1979, until December 15, 1979, under the chairmanship of Lord Carrington, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Muzorewa was persuaded to accept fresh elections, to be held in early 1980.

The new elections took place at the end of February 1980, after a campaign filled with much intimidation on all sides. These new elections resulted in a resounding majority for Robert Mugabe and ZANU, with the UANC only having 3 out of 80 seats reserved for blacks in the House of Assembly. Muzorewa stood against Mugabe in the presidential election of 1995, but was resoundingly defeated.