Word: nkomo
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...killed Oliver Saunyama, a top official in Sithole's party, in front of his suburban Salisbury home. Sithole blamed Mugabe's hit men for the murder and predicted the beginning of "an era of political assassinations." That fear was apparently shared by Muzorewa and Nationalist Leader Joshua Nkomo; they have ordered bulletproof Mercedes-Benz sedans for their campaign appearances and travel under heavy security guard. One noteworthy fact about the violence is that all the victims are black; not one white-owned farm has been attacked since the ceasefire...
Forebodings of danger have not cramped Nkomo's electioneering style While his ally turned rival Mugabe was sulking in Mozambique, Nkomo held huge rallies for blacks in Salisbury and Bulawayo under the Patriotic Front banner, which he has cleverly appropriated to his own party. He also wooed groups of white businessmen, industrialists and farmers. Nkomo's basic campaign message: reconciliation, political moderation and racial harmony. In contrast to much of his previous rhetoric from exile in Zambia, his official platform makes no mention of socialism or large-scale nationalizations...
...Nkomo's fence-mending efforts are hampered by a deep-seated white bitterness over the role of his guerrilla forces in downing two civilian Air Rhodesia Viscounts in September 1978 and February 1979. But Nkomo feels sure that the whites will eventually "forgive and forget." He may be right. A growing number of whites, led by former Prime Minister Ian Smith, believe that Nkomo is the only black leader with the charisma and political clout to pull the shattered pieces of Rhodesia together again. Said one white businessman who met him in Salisbury last week: "Politically speaking, Joshua makes...
...Although Nkomo is unlikely to win more than 20 of the 80 black parliamentary seats, he seems to be gaining strength as an election broker. Eager to distance himself from Mugabe's Marxist line, Nkomo seems increasingly open to an accommodation with more moderate small-party leaders, such as Sithole and James Chikerema. He could also form a postelection coalition with Muzorewa, who stands to win about 25 seats in the House but can no longer count on the undivided support of the 20-man white bloc. Mugabe, because of his support within the predominant Shona tribes, might...
...sort of coalition government seems inevitable. Muzorewa, whose party polled 67% of the vote last April (without Patriotic Front participation), should retain a substantial bloc. His party is by far the best organized, and he will surely benefit from the rift within the Patriotic Front. Some observers feel that Nkomo's recently adopted conciliatory tone suggests a pragmatic attempt to forge links with whites as well as other black factions, including members of the Bishop's own party. Mugabe, who has yet to return to Rhodesia and begin campaigning, apparently hopes to win an outright majority...