1976 in Rhodesia explained

The following lists events that happened during 1976 in Rhodesia.

Incumbents

• President: John Wrathall (starting 31 December)
• Prime Minister: Ian Smith

Events

June

• 23–24 June  - B.J. Vorster, Prime Minister of South Africa and Henry Kissinger, United States Secretary of State, hold talks in West Germany over the Rhodesian issue.^[1]

August

• 8 August - Operation Eland, aka the Nyadzonya Raid, is launched into Mozambique by the Selous Scouts
• 11 August - Umtali came under rocket attack and mortar attack from Mozambique in retaliation for Operation Eland. Houses were damaged in Greenside and Darlington.

September

• 24 September - The Rhodesian Government accepted proposals put forward by U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger for majority rule in Rhodesia within two years.

November

• 15 November - 31 guerillas killed by Rhodesian Security Forces in a battle in the Honde Valley

December

• 6 December - A retired Catholic bishop, a Catholic priest and a Catholic nun were shot dead in a guerrilla ambush in Lupane. They were 71-year-old retired Bishop of Bulawayo, Rt. Rev. Adolph Schmitt, 65-year-old Fr Possenti Weggarten, principal of Regina Mundi Secondary School in Lupane, and Sr Maria Frances van den Berg.^[2]
• 19 December - 27 male workers killed by guerillas at a tea estate in the Honde Valley.

Unknown

• Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo form the Patriotic Front

Births

• 6 July - Bobby Skinstad - former South Africa National Rugby Team captain

Deaths

• 6 December - Retired Catholic bishop of Bulawayo, Rt. Rev. Adolph Gregory Schmitt, aged 71. Shot by guerillas in Lupane

Bibliography

• (1978). "The Valiant Years." Galaxie Press, Salisbury, Rhodesia

Notes and References

1. Kalley, J.A.; Schoeman, E. & Andor, L.E. (eds)(1999). Southern African Political History: a chronology of key political events from independence to mid-1997, Westport: Greenwood.
2. Web site: Survivor Tells of Rhodesia Ambush. 1976-12-06. 2021-09-05. The New York Times.