Ian Smith, who defied the world in 1965 when he led 270,000 white Rhodesians in a unilateral declaration of independence from Britain rather than accept moves to black-majority rule, has died in South Africa aged 88. State-owned radio ZBC, reporting his death, said "Smith will be remembered for his racism and for the deaths of many Zimbabweans."
| And for governing the Breadbasket of Africa. |
| And for giving up power rather than being carried out feet-first ... |
Smith became prime minister of white-ruled Rhodesia in 1964 and remained in office until a guerrilla war forced him to accept a ceasefire and political settlement in 1979. Elections were held the following year, when Rhodesia became the black-ruled republic of Zimbabwe, with Robert Mugabe as prime minister.
Born in the small Southern Rhodesian mining town of Selukwe on April 8, 1919, the son of a farmer, Ian Douglas Smith was educated locally and at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, where he obtained a bachelor of commerce degree. "Good Old Smithy" to his white followers -- stayed on in the black-ruled republic of Zimbabwe after independence in 1980, keeping a critical eye on those who had defeated him, and vehemently opposing Mugabe's plans for a one-party state. |