67-793: The Gukurahundi was a series of mass killings and genocide in Zimbabwe which were committed from 1983 until the Unity Accord in 1987. The name derives from a Shona language term which loosely translates to "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains". During the Rhodesian Bush War , two rival nationalist parties, Robert Mugabe 's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Joshua Nkomo 's Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), had emerged to challenge Rhodesia 's government. ZANU initially defined Gukurahundi as an ideological strategy aimed at carrying
134-659: A "mandate" from the people to impose a one-party state. In November 1980 Enos Nkala made remarks at a rally in Bulawayo , in which he warned ZAPU that ZANU would deliver a few blows against them. This preceded the first outbreak of fighting in Entumbane Bulawayo, during which ZIPRA and the Zimbabwe National Army fought a pitched battle for two days. In February 1981 there was a second uprising , which spread to Glenville and also to Connemara in
201-436: A National Command Centre over a period of over a month without the presence of independent observers. The election process that followed was marred by more violence against and intimidation of voters and party workers. Morgan Tsvangirai initially stated he intended to contest the second round but pulled out of the runoff saying a free and fair election was impossible in the current climate. The elections were held on 27 June with
268-454: A ZAPU disinformation programme to discredit the army. The government characterised such allegations as irresponsible, contrived propaganda because it failed to give proper weight to the violence by dissidents, who targeted ZANU officials. It is estimated that 700–800 people were murdered by dissident gangs in rural regions. In August 1985, dissidents massacred 22 Shona civilians in Mwenezi. On
335-465: A common origin they gradually grew apart, with the split away group, ZANU, recruiting mainly from the Shona regions, while ZAPU recruited mainly from Ndebele-speaking regions in the west. There is a much earlier source for Ndebele hostility to the Shona, going back to the arrival in 1837 of Mzilikazi and his Matabeleland kingdom. Mzilikazi carved out a territory for himself by fighting and dispossessing
402-574: A military coup in Zimbabwe resulted in President Robert Mugabe being placed under house arrest and led to speculation over whether Grace Mugabe or Emmerson Mnangagwa would succeed him as leader of the party. Following the 2017 Zimbabwe coup, ZANU–PF voted to depose Robert Mugabe as party leader and install the banished Emmerson Mnangagwa as leader instead. Before the Zimbabwean parliament could vote to impeach Mugabe, he resigned from
469-459: A mission farm in Matobo, dissidents massacred 16 people. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe documented at least 2,000 deaths, and speculated that the actual number could be 8,000 or higher. Locals from the affected regions put the figure between 20,000 and 40,000. Journalist Heidi Holland referred to a death toll of 8,000 as a typical conservative estimate. In February 1983
536-528: A multiracial cooperative outside Salisbury, where he formed a new organisation, the People's Caretaker Council (PCP), to replace ZAPU, which was still banned. To preempt ZANU's growth, Nkomo took steps to solidify his hold on the masses, replacing ZAPU's existing centralised structure with a larger number of new, smaller branches. In the ZAPU–ZANU split, most of Nkomo's longtime allies who had been with him since
603-407: A new land redistribution law." In addition to land reform, Sithole pledged that "A bill of rights would be entrenched in the constitution guaranteeing the rights and freedom of every citizen." Sithole told the reporters that ZANU was "nonracial" and would accommodate "people who share a common destiny and democratic rule by the majority, regardless of race, colour, creed, or tribe." ZANU's platform
670-518: A result, ex-ZIPRA cadres deserted the army after this. They did this out of necessity to stay alive. With their leaders all locked up or in exile, they felt there was nobody to protect them within the army. "We were threatened, that was why I decided to desert," said one dissident. The army integration scheme saw former ZIPRA recruits being harassed and accused of sympathising with their deserted colleagues. They were no longer trusted and were being constantly harassed. However, Joshua Nkomo publicly disowned
737-458: A single candidate, Robert Mugabe, who was re-elected. Many blame ZANU–PF for neglecting to deal with Zimbabwe's problem with the mounting 2008 Zimbabwean cholera outbreak , which by the start of December 2008 had already killed between 500 and 3,000 people. Former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki facilitated, under the auspices of Southern African Development Community (SADC), a Zimbabwean Government of National Unity between ZANU–PF,
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#1732772996315804-537: A stone-throwing mob of Nkomo supporters. By 14 August, both Sithole and Nkomo were calling for an end the violence in the African press, to little effect. Nkomo blamed the violence on ZANU supporters, arguing that his followers were using "self-defence against a group of power-hungry people who have failed to gain public support." Sithole likewise claimed that his supporters were not the instigators, stating that he had "a group of well-disciplined officials who can control
871-605: Is a member of the Former Liberation Movements of Southern Africa , an association of six socialist political parties that were involved in the nationalist and anti-colonialist movements of Southern Africa . ZANU–PF was previously affiliated with the Socialist International (SI), having sent representatives with guest status to the SI congresses in 1980, 1992, and 1996, and was present at
938-570: Is a political organisation which has been the ruling party of Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. The party was led for many years by Robert Mugabe , first as prime minister with the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and then as president from 1987 after the merger with the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and retaining the name ZANU–PF, until 2017, when he was removed as leader. At
1005-805: The 2008 parliamentary election , the ZANU–PF lost sole control of parliament for the first time in party history and brokered a difficult power-sharing deal with the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC). ZANU-PF then won the 2013 election , gaining a two-thirds majority. The party narrowly held their super-majority in the 2018 election . On 19 November 2017, following a coup d'état , ZANU–PF sacked Robert Mugabe as party leader, who resigned two days later, and appointed former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in his place. The first militant African nationalist organisation in Southern Rhodesia
1072-483: The 2023 Zimbabwean general election . Officially, ZANU–PF has a leftist ideology. The party maintains a Politburo and a Central Committee. Mugabe pursued a more left-wing populist policy on the issue of land redistribution in 2000s, encouraging seizure of commercial farms—usually owned by Zimbabwe's white minority—"for the benefit of landless black majority". The inauguration speech of President Mnangagwa threw this program's support into question since he said that
1139-695: The Chinese -backed ZANU led by Robert Mugabe, which operated mainly from neighboring Mozambique . Both movements contributed to their respective military forces. ZAPU's military wing was known as the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) and ZANU's guerrillas were known as the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army . The objective of the PF was to overthrow the predominantly white minority government, headed by
1206-702: The Gukurahundi as "eternal hell" and blamed President Mugabe for having orchestrated it. Speaking at Nkomo's memorial service on 2 July 2000, Mugabe admitted "thousands" had been killed during the campaign, calling it a "moment of madness". Robert Mugabe and ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo signed the Unity Accord on 22 December 1987. This effectively merged ZAPU and ZANU into the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF). On 18 April 1988, Mugabe announced an amnesty for all dissidents, and Nkomo called on them to lay down their arms. A general ordinance
1273-868: The Gukurahundi genocide issue. Zimbabwean author Christopher Mlalazi wrote a novel on the Gukurahundi killings from a child's perspective, Running with Mother (2012). It is also covered in NoViolet Bulawayo's Booker-shortlisted Glory . Mass killings Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 553684210 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:49:56 GMT ZANU%E2%80%93PF The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front ( ZANU–PF )
1340-510: The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) is that more than 20,000 people were killed. The IAGS has classified the massacres as a genocide . Before the Rhodesian Bush War , the main black nationalist organisation in Southern Rhodesia , the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), split into two groups in 1963, the split-away group being the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). Though these groups had
1407-624: The International Red Cross disclosed that 1,200 Ndebele had been murdered that month alone. In a unanimously adopted resolution in 2005, the International Association of Genocide Scholars estimated the death toll at 20,000. In 1992, serving Defence Minister Moven Mahachi became the first ZANU official who publicly apologised for the execution and torture of civilians by the Fifth Brigade. Five years later, Enos Nkala , former defence minister, described his involvement in
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#17327729963151474-414: The Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change – Mutambara . In 2014, a battle between Vice President Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa , and possibly First Lady Grace Mugabe , began over the succession to President Robert Mugabe . An elective congress was scheduled for December 2014, in which ZANU–PF would elect members to fill vacancies in
1541-575: The Ndebele people and ZANU drawing its base largely from the Shona people . Compared to ZAPU, ZANU branded itself as taking a more confrontational approach to white-minority rule, while portraying Nkomo as weak, indecisive, and insufficiently revolutionary. ZANU messaging downplayed ethnicity as a factor in the divisions within the nationalist movement, instead highlighting strategic and ideological differences. By contrast, Nkomo pointed to tribalism as
1608-671: The Prime Minister Ian Smith , through political pressure and military force. Their common goal was achieved in 1980, following the Lancaster House Agreement of December 1979, when the United Kingdom granted independence to Zimbabwe following a brief period of direct British control. During the 1980 general election campaign, the PF parties competed separately as ZANU–Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) and Patriotic Front–ZAPU (PF–ZAPU). The election
1675-538: The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), began a crackdown on dissidents in the Matabeleland North , Matabeleland South , and Midlands provinces, home of the Ndebele and Kalanga. Over the following two years, thousands of Ndebele and Kalanga were detained by government forces and either marched to re-education camps, tortured, raped and/or summarily executed. Although there are different estimates, the consensus of
1742-448: The "government is committed to work on a compensation plan for former land owners." The compulsory acquisition of commercial farmland without compensation was discontinued in early 2018. In 2018, Mnangagwa stated that "all foreign investments will be safe in Zimbabwe" and called for "increased production and capacity and new investment in the country." The ZANU–PF constitution establishes a hierarchical party structure consisting of: (1)
1809-627: The 1960s were characterised by internal rivalries and disputes over strategy. Divisions within ZAPU came to a head in April 1963 when Nkomo called a meeting of the party's executive in Dar es Salaam , where he had gone after ZAPU was banned in late 1962. The main criticisms of Nkomo were directed against his initial support of Southern Rhodesia's 1961 constitution (a position he later reversed), his extensive foreign travel in pursuit of international support for
1876-749: The CYL's principle of " one man, one vote " and elected Joshua Nkomo as its president. The SRANC, which demanded African majority rule, gained substantial support across the country, but was banned by the Southern Rhodesian government in February 1959. In turn, on 1 January 1960, the National Democratic Party (NDP) was formed. The NDP advocated a similarly militant platform, and was similarly banned in December 1961. In
1943-575: The Midlands. ZIPRA troops in other parts of Matabeleland headed for Bulawayo to join the battle, and the Zimbabwean National army units had to come in to stop the fighting. The government asked Justice Enoch Dumbutshena , the former Chief Justice of Zimbabwe , to hold an inquiry into the uprising – ZIPRA was found to be preparing for war. Many ZIPRA cadres defected after Entumbane, fearing retribution. This situation became worse after
2010-865: The National People's Congress, (2) the National People's Conference, (3) the Central Committee, (4) the National Consultative Assembly, (5) the National Assembly of the Women's League, (6) the National Assembly of the Youth League, (7) the provincial coordinating committees, (8) the provincial executive councils, (9) the district committees, (10) the branch committees, and (11) the cell/village committees. The current first secretary of ZANU–PF, reelected at
2077-634: The SRANC's formation in 1957—including Jason Moyo and George Nyandoro —stayed with ZAPU, while many nationalist leaders who had come to prominence in 1960 or later—like Sithole and Mugabe—joined the new party. On 22 August 1963, Sithole held ZANU's first press conference, telling reporters, "When the party came to power it would repeal the Land Apportionment Act . It would also repeal the Land Husbandry Act and replace both by
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2144-540: The Shona communities in Midlands , Mashonaland , Manicaland and Masvingo provinces. This is signified by the large number of people of Shona origin within the top ZAPU leadership structures prior to, and after independence in 1980. These included the vice presidents of ZAPU, who originated mainly from Shona speaking areas. In early 1983, the North Korean-trained 5th Brigade , an infantry brigade of
2211-498: The armed forces, was elevated to the post of vice president of the party (the first woman to hold that office) at the expense of contender Emmerson Mnangagwa and his supporters; Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo . The 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections were held on 31 March 2005. The party won 59.6% of the popular vote and 78 out of 120 elected seats. Later that year, 26 November, it won 43 of 50 elected senators. The parliamentary election
2278-550: The assembled ZAPU leaders that neither he nor other African heads of state supported the idea of a government in exile and that "victory" could only be achieved within Rhodesia. Nkomo returned to Salisbury on 2 July 1963, after which a majority of the party executive that had remained in Dar es Salaam voted to remove him as president of ZAPU. In response, Nkomo suspended the various "rebels", including Sithole and Robert Mugabe , from
2345-475: The atrocities were driven from the top by ZANU–PF in pursuit of specific political objectives. Viewed across a period of several years, the documents appear to provide evidence that the massacres were but one component of a sustained and strategic effort to remove all political opposition within five years of independence. ZANU–PF leaders were determined to secure a "victory" against a non-existent opposition in elections scheduled for 1985, after which there would be
2412-617: The banks of the Cewale River, Lupane . Seven survived with gunshot wounds, the other 55 died. Another way 5 Brigade used to kill large groups of people was to burn them alive in huts. They did this in Tsholotsho and also in Lupane. They would routinely round up dozens, or even hundreds, of civilians and march them at gun point to a central place, like a school or bore-hole. There they would be forced to sing Shona songs praising ZANU, at
2479-506: The brigade would be called "Gukurahundi." This brigade was named the Fifth Brigade. The members of the Fifth Brigade were drawn from 3,500 ex-ZANLA troops at Tongogara Assembly Point, named after Josiah Tongogara , the ZANLA general. There were a few ZIPRA (ZAPU) troops in the unit for a start, but they were withdrawn before the end of the training. The training of 5th Brigade lasted until September 1982, when Minister Sekeramayi announced training
2546-419: The central committee, politburo, and presidium, and most likely endorse the party's next candidate for president. This congress, which takes place every five years, is the most important elective organ for the party. Although President Mugabe had not named a successor, Joice Mujuru was seen by many as the most likely candidate. She had support from both the politburo and the population at large (demonstrated by
2613-559: The congress that ZANU "stands for democracy, socialism, nationalism, one man/one vote, freedom, pan-Africanism , non-racism, and republicanism . The Patriotic Front (PF) was formed as a political and military alliance between ZAPU and ZANU during the war against white minority rule in Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe). The PF included the Soviet Union -backed ZAPU, which was led by Joshua Nkomo and operated mainly from Zambia , and
2680-457: The country it left behind many problems that remain unsolved. These include poor health, poverty, practical and legal problems and a deep-rooted suspicion of government officials. With the emergence of a 'new dispensation' under Emmerson Mnangagwa , there was a general expectation that for the first time the government would publicly apologise for the atrocities. However, like his predecessor, Mnangagwa has not done anything that can be accepted by
2747-545: The deserted soldiers and thus discouraged any others from leaving the army. Robert Mugabe , then prime minister, had signed an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Il Sung in October 1980 to have the North Korean military train a brigade for the Zimbabwean army. This was soon after Mugabe had announced the need for a militia to "combat malcontents." Mugabe replied by saying dissidents should "watch out," announcing
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2814-489: The election of her loyalists to the youth league). Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa was supported by a smaller group composed mainly of senior members of the security establishment, part of ZANU–PF's parliamentary caucus, younger party members, and a few influential parts of the Zimbabwean business community. He had been with Mugabe since Zimbabwe gained independence and was regarded by many as a successor who could maintain stability after Mugabe eventually left office. Mujuru lost
2881-485: The expanded 210 seats, with Sokwanele stating that this figure would have been lower had it not been for gerrymandering, electoral fraud, and widespread intimidation. At the 2008 presidential election , Morgan Tsvangirai , the MDC candidate, received the most votes, but did not gain an absolute majority; thus a runoff was necessary. Initial results led to MDC-T claiming the required majority. However, ballots were recounted at
2948-401: The field was their red berets. In January 1983, a crackdown by the Fifth Brigade in Matabeleland North was initiated to purge the dissidents, and its participation lasted until late 1984. The brigade's directives apparently specified a search for local ZAPU officials and veterans of ZAPU's armed wing, the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA). Seizure or detention by the Fifth Brigade
3015-407: The government claimed to have found arms caches in February 1982. ZANU now openly accused ZAPU of plotting another war and ZAPU leaders were arrested or removed from cabinet. However, the treason trial in 1982 involving Dumiso Dabengwa , Lookout Masuku , and four others failed to prove a case against them. All were released although Dabengwa and Masuku were re-detained without trial for four years. As
3082-435: The local VaRozvi led by Changamire Chirisamhuru , the then patriach. The armies of these two groups, ZAPU's Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), and ZANU's Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), developed rivalries for the support of the people and would fight each other. When Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980, following the Lancaster House Agreement , the two armies so distrusted each other that it
3149-466: The main cause of the ZAPU–ZANU split in his autobiography. ZANU held its inaugural party congress in the Mkoba suburb of Gwelo from 21–23 May 1964. There, Ndabaningi Sithole was elected as the party's first president, Leopold Takawira as vice-president, Robert Mugabe as secretary-general, Herbert Chitepo as national chairman, and Enos Nkala as treasurer. In his presidential address, Sithole told
3216-620: The movement, and his handling of the formation of a government in exile in Tanganyika . According to Nkomo, he had received permission to form a government in exile, but by the time the rest of ZAPU's leadership arrived in Dar es Salaam, he had changed his mind and was opposed the idea. Other accounts describe a split between Nkomo, who preferred an externally-based movement, and others—including Enoch Dumbutshena and Ndabaningi Sithole —who favoured an internal struggle and pressured Nkomo to return to Rhodesia. President Julius Nyerere told
3283-552: The party's elective congress on 28 October 2022, is President Emmerson Mnangagwa . The other three members of the party's presidium, appointed by Mnangagwa on 29 October 2022, are Second Secretaries Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi , and National Chairperson Oppah Muchinguri . The party maintains a Women's League and Youth League . A third wing, the War Veterans' League, was established in 2022 and held its inaugural conference on 9 September of that year. ZANU–PF
3350-501: The party. Unable to outmaneuver Nkomo within ZAPU, his opponents decided to create their own organisation. On 8 August 1963, Sithole, Herbert Chitepo , Leopold Takawira , Edgar Tekere , Henry Hamadziripi , and Mukudzei Midzi gathered at the Highfield home of Enos Nkala to form the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU). In response to ZANU's formation, Nkomo called a mass meeting on 10 August 1963 at Cold Comfort Farm ,
3417-586: The presidency on 21 November 2017. Mnangagwa was sworn in as the new President of the Republic of Zimbabwe on 24 November 2017. On 6 September 2019, Robert Mugabe died of cancer (according to Mnangagwa) at the age of 95. He was succeeded as President by Emmerson Mnangagwa . In the March 2022 by-elections , ZANU–PF had a poor performance compared to the Citizens Coalition for Change . ZANU–PF won
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#17327729963153484-536: The protection of Rhodesian police to hold their event, while a "milling pro-Nkomo mob of [a] thousand threatening death to the 'sellouts'" waited outside and stoned the cars of ZANU leaders Sithole and Nathan Shamuyarira as they left. Nkomo's support was even stronger in the African townships of Harare and Mufakose . The day after the meeting, Sithole "acknowledged [a] miscalculation of Nkomo's mass strength." In Bulawayo , two houses were bombed with Molotov cocktails , and on 17 August, three policemen were injured by
3551-520: The same month, Nkomo formed the Zimbabwe African People's Union , which shared the same aims and tactics of its predecessor organisations. In September 1962, amid growing unrest in Southern Rhodesia's major towns, ZAPU was banned and many of its leaders detained. The colony's Unlawful Organisations Act was also amended in an attempt to prevent ZAPU from being reconstituted with a different name. African nationalist politics in Rhodesia in
3618-403: The same time being beaten with sticks. These gatherings usually ended with public executions. Those killed could be ex-ZIPRAs, ZAPU officials, or anybody chosen at random. The Zimbabwe government repudiated these allegations and accused the hostile foreign press of fabricating stories. Zimbabwean Minister for National Security Sydney Sekeramayi countered that allegations of atrocities were part of
3685-449: The succession battle with Mnangagwa after being expelled from the party in 2015 a new power struggle began between Mnangagwa's faction (known as Team Lacoste ) and Grace Mugabe's faction (known as Generation 40 or G40) which had become violent by 2017. Emmerson Mnangagwa was demoted from Minister of Justice following a cabinet reshuffle, soon after he publicly claimed that he was poisoned, in early-October 2017. On 15 November 2017,
3752-559: The victims as bringing closure. This comes after Mnangagwa set up a seven-member Commission of Inquiry in early 2019 chaired by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe which critics like the Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) argue, will not solve the underlying problems. There is general discontent and people from the affected communities do not believe that the Government is sincere in its commitments towards
3819-645: The war into major settlements and individual homesteads. Following Mugabe's ascension to power, his government remained threatened by "dissidents" – disgruntled former guerrillas and supporters of ZAPU. ZANU recruited mainly from the majority Shona people , whereas ZAPU was neither a tribal nor a regional party. While ZAPU had its greatest support in Matebeleland , amongst the Ndebele , Kalanga , Sotho , Venda , Tonga , Xhosa and other tribes found in Matebeleland, it also enjoyed significant support within
3886-467: The youngsters." Despite facing initial backlash, ZANU did gain a following, and found particularly strong support in the eastern districts around Fort Victoria and Umtali . Meanwhile, ZAPU maintained an advantage in Bulawayo and Matabeleland , and in and around the capital, Salisbury. Though neither party's leaders belonged exclusively to one ethnic group, the division arguably had an ethnic component, with ZAPU finding disproportionate support among
3953-417: Was absorbed through the Unity Accord with ZANU to form an official ZANU–PF. From 1999 to 2017, Mugabe faced a major political challenge from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change . Mugabe won 56% at the presidential elections of 9–11 March 2002. At the December 2004 five-year conference, Joice Mujuru , a Zezuru Shona like Mugabe, and whose late-husband Solomon Mujuru was the retired head of
4020-611: Was arbitrary. In Bulawayo , for instance, Ndebele men of fighting age were considered potential dissidents and therefore, guilty of subversive activities. Most detained were summarily executed or marched to re-education camps. Most of the victims were shot in public executions, often after being forced to dig their own graves in front of family and fellow villagers. On occasion the Fifth Brigade also massacred large groups of Ndebele, seemingly at random—the largest such incident occurred in March 1983, when 62 young men and women were shot on
4087-468: Was complete. The first Commander of the Fifth Brigade was Colonel Perrance Shiri . The Fifth Brigade was different from all other Zimbabwean army units in that it was directly subordinated to the Prime Minister office, and not integrated to the normal army command structures. Their codes, uniforms, radios and equipment were not compatible with other army units. Their most distinguishing feature in
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#17327729963154154-447: Was difficult to integrate them both into the national army. In the elections held in April 1980, ZANU received 57 out of 100 seats and Robert Mugabe became prime minister. Dr. Stuart Doran, a historian specialising in Zimbabwe, using historical documents, in the article “New documents claim to prove Mugabe ordered Gukurahundi killings”: The documents point to internal killings neither provoked nor sustained by outsiders, suggesting that
4221-441: Was disputed as being unfair. The leader of the opposition MDC party said, "We are deeply disturbed by the fraudulent activities we have unearthed", and various human rights groups reported that hundreds of thousands of "ghost voters" had appeared on the electoral roll of 5.8 million people. At the 2008 parliamentary election , the ZANU–PF lost its majority in parliament for the first time since independence, and held 94 seats out of
4288-458: Was issued saying all those who surrendered before 31 May would get a full pardon. This was extended not just to dissidents but to criminals of various types serving jail terms. Over the next few weeks, 122 dissidents surrendered. In June, the amnesty was extended to include all members of the security forces who had committed human rights violations. By the 1990s, the disturbances were finally at an end. This brought relief nationwide, but in parts of
4355-528: Was quickly taken up by the press, and stood in contrast to ZAPU, which had not made public a comprehensive platform. ZAPU responded by attacking ZANU leaders' character and ideological bona fides. Almost immediately following the split, violent clashes broke out between supporters of the rival parties in urban areas across the country. At one ZANU meeting in August 1963 in Highfield, 200 supporters required
4422-670: Was the City Youth League (CYL), formed in the colony's capital, Salisbury , in August 1955 by James Chikerema , Dunduzu Chisiza , George Nyandoro , and Edson Sithole . On 12 September 1957, the CYL merged with the long-established but largely dormant Southern Rhodesia chapter of the African National Congress to form the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC). The new organisation adopted
4489-407: Was won by Mugabe and ZANU–PF, with Nkomo and his PF–ZAPU retaining a stronghold in the provinces of Matabeleland . In December 1981, agents of South Africa 's apartheid government bombed party headquarters, nearly killing many senior ZANU–PF leaders, including Robert Mugabe. In December 1987, after five years of the low-level civil war known as Gukurahundi , the opposition ZAPU, led by Nkomo,
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