On this day in 1925, politician and religious leader Bishop Abel Muzorewa was born in Old Umtali (Mutare), Zimbabwe. Muzorewa studied theology at Old Umtali Bible School, he was ordained as a Methodist priest in 1963 and in 1968 he was ordained as Bishop. In 1971, together Canaan Banana, they formed the United African National Congress (UANC). In 1978-79, he was the principal negotiator with Ian Smith and the negotiations led to the formation of the Interim Government making him the first black Prime Minister of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia under the Internal Settlement. However, other parties (ZANU and ZAPU) did not support rather they continued with the armed struggle. Muzorewa’s reign as Prime Minister ended at the Lancaster in 1980 when Zimbabwe was declared independent. He died in 2010.
On this day in 1978, Prime Minister Ian Smith and moderate African leaders including Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Ndabaningi Sithole and Jeremiah Chirau signed the Internal Settlement, an agreement which favored African majority rule for the time.
On this day in 1996, presidential elections in Zimbabwe organized for two days began. The elections were contested by the incumbent Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF, Abel Muzorewa of United Parties and Ndabaningi Sithole of ZANU-Ndonga.
On this day in 1996, presidential elections in Zimbabwe organised for two for days came to an end, with Abel Muzorewa and Ndabaningi Sithole losing to Mugabe who claimed over 90% of the votes.
On this day in 2010, the first black prime minister of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Bishop Abel Muzorewa died at his home in Harare. He died after battling with cancer. Muzorewa was 84 at the time of his death.