Return from Exile
Mugabe returns to campaign in the British-supervised independence election.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1980 in Zimbabwe
Explore 25 historical events and records for Zimbabwe in 1980.
Historical records for Zimbabwe in 1980
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 25 of 25 unique records.
25Unique records
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21Named events on this page
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4Places on this page
January
Return to Salisbury
Mugabe returns from exile to campaign in the independence election.
March
Appointment as Prime Minister
Mugabe is appointed Prime Minister after ZANU-PF's election victory.
Appointment as Prime Minister
Mugabe is appointed Prime Minister following the election result.
Coalition with ZAPU
Mugabe includes ZAPU representatives in the first independence government.
Constitution of Zimbabwe
After a campaign marked by intimidation from all sides, mistrust from security forces and reports of full ballot boxes found on the road, the Shona majority is decisive in electing Mugabe to head the first Government as Prime Minister
Election
After a campaign marked by intimidation from all sides, mistrust from security forces and reports of full ballot boxes found on the road, the Shona majority is decisive in electing Mugabe to head the first Government as Prime Minister
Election
ZANU allies itself with the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) in the Patriotic Front (PF), the two parties adopting the names ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU respectively, but they split after achieving majority rule.
Election
ZANU win 57 out of 80 Common Roll seats in the new Parliament, with the 20 white seats all going to the Rhodesian Front.
Election Victory Announced
ZANU-PF wins the largest share of seats in the independence election.
Formation of First Government
Mugabe begins forming Zimbabwe's first majority-rule government.
Independence Election Victory
ZANU-PF wins 57 of the 80 common-roll parliamentary seats.
April
Appointment as President
Banana becomes Zimbabwe's first President at independence.
Independence and Commonwealth Membership
Mugabe leads Zimbabwe into independence and Commonwealth membership.
Independence of Zimbabwe
Mugabe leads the first government of the independent Republic of Zimbabwe.
Internationally Recognised Independence
Zimbabwe gains internationally recognised independence under Mugabe's government.
August
Admission to United Nations
Zimbabwe is admitted as a member of the United Nations.
Other events (month unknown)
Election
The election is won by Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF, with Joshua Nkomo and his PF-ZAPU retaining a stronghold in the province of Matabeleland
Independence Election Campaign
Nkomo campaigns as Patriotic Front-ZAPU leader in the independence election.
Integration of Former Forces
Mugabe's government begins integrating former guerrilla armies into national forces.
Nkomo Joins Independence Cabinet
Following Zimbabwe's independence Nkomo served in the coalition government led by Robert Mugabe.
ZANU
ZANU allies itself with the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) in the Patriotic Front (PF), the two parties adopting the names ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU respectively, but they split after achieving majority rule
ZANU-PF
ZANU allies itself with the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) in the Patriotic Front (PF), the two parties adopting the names ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU respectively, but they split after achieving majority rule. The election is won by Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF, with Joshua Nkomo and his PF-ZAPU retaining a stronghold in the province of Matabeleland
ZANU-PF Government Formed
Mugabe forms a ZANU-PF-led government following the supervised election.
ZAPU Election Campaign Conducted
Nkomo's Patriotic Front ZAPU contested independence elections separately from Mugabe's ZANU and won substantial support in Matabeleland.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.