Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) was founded on 8 August 1963 by Ndabaningi Sithole, Robert Mugabe, Herbert Chitepo and others who broke away from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). Born from the fire of anti-colonial resistance, ZANU was committed to liberating Zimbabwe from the minority white government of Ian Smith's Rhodesia through armed struggle.
The party's military wing, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), fought a guerrilla war against the Rhodesian security forces from bases in Mozambique and Zambia — a war that became known as the Second Chimurenga, or the liberation struggle. Thousands of cadres, peasants and civilians gave their lives in the pursuit of freedom.
In 1979, after the Lancaster House Agreement in London, free elections were held in 1980. ZANU, led by Robert Gabriel Mugabe, won a landslide victory, and on 18 April 1980, Zimbabwe was born — an independent, sovereign republic with Harare as its capital. Mugabe became the first Prime Minister, and later the first Executive President in 1987 after merging with ZAPU under the Unity Accord to form ZANU PF.
In November 2017, the military intervened following growing factional tensions, and Robert Mugabe resigned after 37 years in power. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa was sworn in as President on 24 November 2017, ushering in what is known as the Second Republic. Mnangagwa won the presidential elections in 2018 and was re-elected in 2023, continuing to implement the ambitious Vision 2030 development agenda.
