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Zimbabwe: Southern Rhodesia (1979 - 1980)

Historical flag

Last modified: 2022-10-22 by bruce berry
Keywords: rhodesia | southern rhodesia | zimbabwe |
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  image by Clay Moss, 18 Dec 2006

    Other Zimbabwe Historical flags:

    See also:


Southern Rhodesia (December 1979 - April 1980) 

The Zimbabwe Rhodesia government entered into negotiations with the external nationalists at Lancaster House held under the auspices of the British Government. This resulted in a ceasefire and the arrival of a British Governor (Lord Soames) on 12 December 1979. In terms of the Lancaster House Agreement, Rhodesia  reverted back to being a British Colony under direct control from London. UN sanctions were lifted and legality was restored. The Union Jack was also reinstated, although in practice the Zimbabwe Rhodesian flag continued to fly. Under the supervision of the Commonwealth, further elections were held which resulted in victory for (the externally based guerilla nationalist) Robert Mugabe. On 18 April 1980 the new sovereign independent republic of Zimbabwe was born and the current Zimbabwe flag was adopted.

As the Union Jack had become the official the flag of the "colony" in December 1979, it was thus the Union Jack that was lowered at the Independence ceremony and not any of the other Rhodesian flags (see my article in The Flag Bulletin No. XXIV:2/163 - March-April 1995).
Bruce Berry, 20 Nov 1995, 14 Mar 1996 
 


Overview of the Flags of Southern Rhodesia / Rhodesia / Zimbabwe-Rhodesia / Zimbabwe

1890 - 1923                British South African Company (BSAC) flag
1923 - 1968                British Union flag (alongside various colonial flags)
1923 - 1953                Southern Rhodesia dark blue ensign (two variants - with and without white disc in fly)
1953 - 1963                Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland ensign (alongside British Union Flag)
1964 - 1968                Southern Rhodesian light blue ensign (alongside British Union Flag)
1968 - 1979                Rhodesian flag
Jun - Dec1979             Zimbabwe-Rhodesia flag (de facto until Dec 1979; de jure until Apr 1980)
Dec 1979 - Apr 1980  British Union flag (de facto although Zimbabwe Rhodesia flag in common use)
18 Apr 1980 to date    Zimbabwe flag
Stuart Notholt, 16 Mar 1996