Rise and demise of the Zimbabwe Times : ZAPU’s and Lonrho’s covert(ish) nationalist daily in Rhodesia

Abstract

This article explores the emergence and destruction of the Zimbabwe Times, a weekly, later daily newspaper in Rhodesia. Covertly aligned to the Patriotic Front, an uneasy coalition of Zimbabwe’s two leading liberation movements, it primarily backed Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU. Financed by Lonrho, a London-based conglomerate, this nationalist friendly title dramatically altered Rhodesia’s media landscape. The paper first appeared in 1977 during the waning days of white settler rule. After 18 months of publication, it was banned amidst an abortive transition to a racially integrated interim government that incorporated more pliable black leaders. Despite its brief existence, the Zimbabwe Times’ reception and interaction with a range of political groups illuminates both political strategies and tensions that underpinned the fragile relations between a host of political actors during a dynamic era. This account is principally informed by the newspaper’s own coverage, external press accounts, and interviews with Zimbabwe Times staff.