1977 Rhodesian general election

General elections were held in Rhodesia on 31 August 1977, the last general election in the country dominated by the white minority. Prime Minister Ian Smith, who was conducting negotiations with moderate African nationalists, was forced into an early election by the defection of twelve MPs from his Rhodesian Front party, which denied him the two thirds majority of the House of Assembly needed to change the constitution. In the event, the Front overwhelmed the breakaway Rhodesian Action Party and all other forces, once again winning every single seat in the 50 seats elected by those of European descent.

ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotes%ARUNDEL2,503 (83.6%)†Archibald Oliver Garfield WilsonRF1,61377.1Anthony WarnerNUF25612.2Gideon TredouxRAP22310.7AVONDALE2,068 (78.8%)Brian StringerRF1,41286.7†Colin Eric BarlowRAP21713.3BELLEVUE2,366 (81.9%)†Wallace Evelyn StuttafordRF1,79792.8Carel David TheronRAP1407.2BELVEDERE1,944 (79.5%)†Dennis DivarisRF1,24780.6Randolph Harold ClarkNUF19612.7Ernest Roy WrightRAP1036.7BORROWDALE2,900 (81.5%)†Douglas Hamilton RitchieRF1,75974.4Lance Halford ReynoldsNUF35415.0Robert SuttonRAP23810.1Mrs. Wendy Ann TruenInd120.5BRAESIDE1,576 (81.3%)†Richard CartwrightRF1,14389.2Trevor Bryan Charles HardingRAP13910.8BULAWAYO CENTRAL1,243 (76.5%)Denys Sinclair ParkinRF67971.4Ewen Cardno GreenfieldNUF23624.8Brewster Bryan WhyteRAP363.8BULAWAYO DISTRICT1,705 (75.1%)†Alexander MoseleyRF1,20093.8Samuel James ShannonRAP806.2BULAWAYO EAST2,195 (76.9%)Charles McKenzie ScottRF1,31577.8Arthur Moses KaplanNUF29517.5Alexander Argyll McCallumRAP794.7BULAWAYO NORTH1,780 (77.9%)†Wilfrid Denis WalkerRF1,28292.4Thomas Hayward PannellRAP1057.6BULAWAYO SOUTH1,059 (69.5%)George Desmond ChalmersRF70195.2Ian Norman BerryRAP354.8CHARTER1,491 (76.1%)†Rowan CronjéRF1,02390.2Leonard George IdensohnInd1119.8EASTERN1,319 (81.3%)Andre Dallein WassennaarRF83377.7†John Hamilton WrightRAP23922.3GATOOMA1,421 (84.0%)†Albert Gannaway MellsRF1,09491.6James WheelerRAP1008.4GREENDALE2,168 (84.2%)†Mark Henry Heathcote PartridgeRF1,44879.3Eric Reginald SchofieldRAP23512.9Simon Dennis WhinneyNUF1427.8GWEBI1,319 (83.7%)Bertram AnkersRF76469.2†Thomas Ian Fraser SandemanRAP20718.8George Alfred PioInd13312.0GWELO1,308 (80.1%)†Roger HawkinsRF97593.1Michael Patrick John HugginsRAP555.2David Timothy Torbet FrostInd181.7HARTLEY2,254 (80.8%)†P. K. van der BylRF1,60488.0Jacobus Ignatius de WetRAP21812.0HATFIELD1,816 (84.8%)†Frederick Roy SimmondsRF1,30384.6†Edward Aylett Sutton PryceRAP19712.8Neville Ronald Arthur SkeatesNUF402.6HIGHLANDS NORTH1,860 (83.2%)†Fergus BlackieRF1,08269.9Allan SavoryNUF31820.6Marie Joseph Claude de Chasteigner Dumée DuvalRAP1479.5HIGHLANDS SOUTH1,960 (84.4%)John ChristieRF1,26676.5†Richard Hope HallRAP23013.9David Frank SutherlandNUF1589.6HILLCREST1,703 (84.9%)James Patrick ThrushRF1,33192.0Edwin Stanley O'ConnorRAP1158.0HILLSIDE1,876 (81.3%)William Redpath KinleysideRF1,38290.6Owen Victor ParvessRAP1439.4JAMESON1,704 (82.7%)Robert James GauntRF1,24288.1†John Peter Broberg NilsonRAP16711.9KAROI1,260 (76.0%)†Jan Jacobus BuitendagRF86190.0Donovan Hilgard ErasmusNUF9610.0MABELREIGN1,966 (82.1%)†John Cornelius GleigRF1,42087.9Adrian Thomas WymerRAP19512.1MARANDELLAS1,501 (83.7%)†David Colville SmithRF1,08686.4William John Raymond PrattRAP17113.6MARLBOROUGH2,211 (82.6%)†William Michie IrvineRF1,47780.9John Frederick HandfordRAP18810.3Ivor Cordner McCormickNUF1618.8MATOBO1,680 (84.1%)Donald Galbraith GoddardRF1,26289.3†Robert Henry Warren McGeeRAP15110.7MAZOE1,652 (80.4%)†George Rollo HaymanRF1,18489.1Robin Elliot Campbell LoganRAP14510.9MIDLANDS1,264 (79.7%)†Henry Swan ElsworthRF90389.7Kennith HahnRAP10410.3MILTON PARK1,703 (81.3%)†John Alfred LandauRF1,17184.6Ratilal Damodard DevchandNUF1168.4Peter Michael NurstenRAP977.0MOUNT PLEASANT1,938 (73.0%)†Jonas Christian AndersenRF1,29591.5Julian Richard HawRAP1208.5MTOKO1,752 (80.6%)Stanley Norman EastwoodRF1,04473.9†Rodney Guy Swayne SimmondsRAP18713.3Diana MitchellNUF18112.8QUEEN'S PARK1,521 (83.5%)†Arthur Denis CrookRF1,18993.6Bazil Geoffrey de LormeRAP816.4QUE QUE1,731 (83.3%)†Jacobus Johannes BurgerRF1,26587.7William Gerald KaschulaRAP906.2William Harris KeysNUF876.1RAYLTON1,922 (76.0%)†Patrick Francis ShieldsRF1,38594.8Norman John WesternRAP765.2RUSAPE1,344 (78.1%)Jacobus Phillipus du PlessisRF93489.0Gerhardus Paulus Johannes SwartRAP11611.0SALISBURY CENTRAL1,245 (74.6%)†Hilary SquiresRF77883.7Raymond StallwoodRAP768.2Mrs. Eileen Penny BrownNUF758.1SALISBURY CITY1,392 (75.5%)Ivor PitchRF68164.8Ahrn PalleyInd33331.7Anthony Charles Edward ScraceRAP323.0Leslie Thomas HayesInd50.5SALISBURY NORTH1,613 (79.9%)†André Sothern HollandRF1,06382.5Eric David Drought SymeNUF13510.5Mark Fraser McLeanRAP907.0SELUKWE1,812 (80.8%)†John Morris LowenthalRF1,33090.8Anthony William BaumannRAP1359.2SHABANI1,219 (76.5%)Theunis Christian de KlerkRF87293.6Johannes Jacobus HulleyRAP606.4SINOIA/UMVUKWES1,535 (75.8%)†Esmond Meryl MicklemRF1,08593.3Roland Oliver DavisNUF786.7UMTALI EAST1,588 (78.7%)†Bernard Horace MussettRF1,12289.8Mrs. Vera Aileen WinterRAP12710.2UMTALI WEST1,426 (81.0%)Desmond ButlerRF98385.1Robert Traill GalvinRAP948.1John Oswald MeikleNUF786.8UMZINGWANE1,726†Ian Douglas SmithRFunopposedVICTORIA2,071 (78.9%)Ormonde Corrington GeorgeRF1,40886.2†Gordon Richard OldsRAP22613.8WANKIE1,425 (75.1%)Donald GoldinRF97791.3William Ernest McNeirRAP938.7WATERFALLS1,516 (79.2%)Albertus Herman du ToitRF1,07889.8John Duncan OliverRAP12210.2

ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotes%HARARE1,210 (21.1%)Ronnie SadombaInd14757.6Tiriwanhu MudzimuInd8332.6David MunyamanaInd155.9Milton Jack MakayaInd103.9INSUKAMINI514 (21.8%)†John Zachary MaposaInd8676.8Edward Gabriel WatungwaInd2623.2KUNYASI1,651†Thomas Tavagwisa ZawairaIndunopposedMABVAZUWA1,001†Elijah Smile Gende Magavan NyandoroIndunopposedMATOJENI852†Lot Enoch DewaIndunopposedMPOPOMA434Lwazi Joel MahlanguIndunopposedNEMAKONDE880 (11.7%)William Benjamin ChimpakaInd7774.8Fanuel MarutaInd2625.2NTSHONALANGA836†Micah Mahamba BhebeIndunopposed

Fani Mlingo died on 15 February 1978. On 31 March 1978, Joseph Jumo Bheka was returned unopposed to replace him. Bheka was a supporter of Bishop Abel Muzorewa.

Simeon Chengeta died on 19 March 1978. On 19 July 1978, a by election was held in Lowveld. John Adonia Hungwe defeated Simon Dzichaperanhamo Bhene.

A by election was held in the Highlands North constituency on 21 July 1978 to replace Fergus Blackie, who had been appointed as a Judge and resigned on 15 May 1978. This by election occurred after the internal settlement agreement, and the Rhodesian Front candidate was therefore opposed not only by the National Unifying Force (pressing for a full settlement with African nationalists) but by two right wing candidates opposed to any deals: the Rhodesian Action Party and the Rhodesian Conservative Alliance. ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes%HIGHLANDS NORTHReginald Reed BeaverRF54549.1Clifford Allan Redin SavoryNUF35431.9Marie Joseph Claude de Chasteigner Dumée DuvalRAP15814.2Noel Allison HuntRCA524.7

Roger Hawkins resigned from the Assembly due to ill health on 30 November 1978, leading to a by election in Gwelo on 30 January 1979. ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes%GWELOTrevor Duncan DollarRF76284.7Reginald James McLeanRAP13815.3

George Rollo Hayman resigned on 27 December 1978, claiming that the power sharing government could easily fall under the control of a terrorist group. He then resigned from the Assembly to seek re election. This by election, held on 6 February 1979, was the last election conducted before the advent of the new constitution. ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes%MAZOECecil MillarRF61178.7George Rollo HaymanInd16521.3

Donald Goldin (Wankie) died on 12 February 1979. The seat was not filled before Parliament was dissolved.