On 5 November 1965 Rhodesian( now Zimbabwe) Prime Minister,Ian Douglas Smith, declared a state of emergency. This was prompted by the United Kingdom’s (UK) refusal to grant Zimbabwe independence after Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia (now known as Zambia) and Malawi. The British government refused to yield to their demands without amendments to the colony's constitution, including a graduated extension of the franchise leading to eventual African rule. On 11 November, the Smith government issued a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). The British government viewed UDI as illegal and imposed limited economic sanctions. These measures did not bring about the desired results.
eventREF E-0093949Revised
5 November 1965
Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency
- Updated
- 5 Nov 2019
How we know this
- 01Boddy-Evans A. ‘This day in African history:05 November’, from About African History, [online], available at www.africanhistory.about.com (Accessed: 27 September 2012)
- 02Encyclopedia of the Nations, ‘Zimbabwe-History’, [online], available at www.nationsencyclopedia.com (Accessed: 27 September 2012)
- 03Institute of Commonwealth Studies, ‘Rhodesia UDI 1965 - Online Exhibition’, [online], available at https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk (Accessed: 27 September 2012)
Last updated · 5 Nov 2019
South African History Online. (2012, October 31). Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949
South African History Online (2012) 'Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency', South African History Online, 31 October. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
South African History Online, Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949, (accessed 12 October 2026).
"Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency." South African History Online, 31 Oct. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
South African History Online. "Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith, declares a state of emergency." South African History Online. October 31, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0093949.
Also on 5 November
- 1908Cullinan diamond is cut into two
- 1969South African Springbok rugby tour in UK is disrupted by anti-apartheid demonstration.
- 1984Call for a stay-away in Black townships
- 1984Thelma Gutsche, a South African scholar, historian and film critic, dies
- 1987ANC stalwart and Rivonia Trialist, Govan Mbeki, is released from Robben Island Prison
- 1994Johan Heyns, influential church leader and former moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church is murdered
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