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The Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has been the ruling party in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, led by Robert Mugabe, first as Prime Minister, and then as President from 1988.
On 18th March, 1975 Herbert Chitepo was assassinated in Lusaka, ZambiaRepublic of Zambia ( In Detail) National motto: One Zambia, One Nation Official language English Capital Lusaka President Levy Mwanawasa Independence October 24 1964 Area Total % water Ranked 38th 752,614 kmē 1% Population Total (2003) Density Ranked 77th with a car bomb. Mugabe was nominated to lead ZANU. Later that year there was a factional split along tribal lines, and the Ndebele followed Sitole into the moderate Zanu (Ndonga) party, who renounced violent struggle, while the Shona followed Mugabe with a more militant agenda.
Sithole joined a transitional government of whites and blacks in 1979Events January-February January 1 Sino-American relations: United States and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations January 4 State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of dead and injured in Kent State University shootings., but his small breakaway opposition group failed to win any seats in independent elections that swept Mugabe to power in 1980, still under the ZANU flag.
In 1988 after 8 years of low-level civil war termed GukurahundiGukurahundi is a traditional term in Shona (one of Zimbabwe's native languages), which means "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains". The chaff, i. hundi", remains after the corn has been removed during the process of thrashin, the opposition Zimbabwe African People's Union, ( ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo, merged with ZANU to form Zanu-PF with the added moniker of Patriotic Front, in what was seen as a step towards a one party state.
Officially, ZANU-PF is socialist in ideology, and is modelled on communist parties in other countries. In reality, the party was more pragmatic, acknowledging the importance of a mixed economy.
In recent years, Mugabe has pursued a policy of acquiring large farms, usually owned by the white minority, and redistributing them to landless black peasants.