Today In History

On September 13, 1890 Cecil Rhodes’ Pioneer Column hoisted the first British flag at Fort Salisbury atop a kopje overlooking the future Rhodesian capital.

Before colonial rule, many African households survived on cattle ranching. These families stored their wealth in cattle and used them to pay taxes and other expenses. However, colonial rule changed the economic landscape of Africa. The colonialists required African labour to build new towns, railways, and mines. As a result,

On January 28, 1962 Johanne Relleke was stung by 2,243 wild bees at Kamativi Tin ine in Wankie, Rhodesia and survived. All of the bees tragically died in what is today known as The Relleke Massacre.

On November 5, 1964 Rhodesia held a referendum on the adoption of a constitution that would enshrine political power in the hands of the white minority and establish Rhodesia as a republic.

At approximately 10:27 am on Monday the 6th of June, 1972, a violent explosion ripped through the entire extent of the underground workings of Wankie No. 2 Colliery. Over four hundred mine workers lost their lives in Rhodesia’s worst mine disaster ever.

During the Chimurenga War, informational and political warfare was mounted by all involved. Anatomy of Terror, published by the Rhodesian Ministry of Information and distributed in Washington D.C., is one such example.

During the war of national liberation in Zimbabwe, there was a battle not just of arms and wills but also of ideas. To make their voices heard, two organisations – Robert Mugabe’s ZANU and Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU – published journals to promote their respective political programmes. The former put out

ITN’s Roving Report visits Rhodesia a decade after U.D.I. with Ian Smith still fighting for the preservation of white supremacy and the denial of African majority rule.

With his neighbouring countries newly-independet black governments piling on the pressure by supporting the guerrilla movements, Ian Smith realises the time had come to settle the issue of black majority rule before time ran out for the Rhodesian whites.

“But my dear Joan, the moment Kissinger had made his speech, the Foreign Office came out, with the full authority of the Foreign Secretary, with a very strong statement fully endorsing what had been …”

Any struggle without the participation of women cannot be complete and effective.

An interim government comprised of Ian Smith and three moderate black leaders quite literally comes under fire from ZANU and ZAPU guerillas.

Today in history the garrison town of Umtali, in the east of Rhodesia near its border with Mozambique, is hit with mortar bombs fired from an unknown position.

Poster by David King entitlled ‘Stop the Execution of the Katumba Brothers! Stop the Execution of All Zimbambwean Political Prisoners!’

Both guests want, “a democratic government which would not be racist in its composition and which would be achieved with the least bloodshed possible,” but disagree on the best means to that end.

Josiah Tongogara was killed by his own forces in Mozambique, according to outgoing UANC Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr David Mukome. His body was already in a mortuary before the terrorist commanders flew to Salisbury on December 21, 1979.

Mr Tekere and seven of his bodyguards were accused of murdering an elderly White farmer, and so Zimbabwe’s White minority wanted reassurance at the trial that their lives and property do have official protection.

On the second anniversary of independence from Britain, Zimbabwe embarked on the process of renaming its cities, towns and streets, in an attempt to eradicate all symbols associated with the British colonialism and White minority rule.

The Front-Line States are those that border South Africa. They are Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Angola. They are so named because they are on the front lines of the battle against apartheid.

Watch The Bhundu Boys’ live performance at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden, London.

On September 16, 1994, children at Ariel school in Ruwa, Zimbabwe said they’d seen a ‘UFO’ and ‘aliens with big eyes’ in bush land near their school playground. The story was reported around the world.

Today in history, Stephen Chidhumo, and three accomplices escape Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

Watch the infamous President Robert Mugabe speech at the 70th UN General Assembly in full.

Dereck Chisora revitalises his career with an emphatic knockout win over Carlos Takam. Skip straight to the eighth round – 36:06 for the knockout – because that’s the one that matters.