The 1961 constitution opened the franchise to all persons aged 21 years or over of all races registered on‘A’ roll or ‘B’ roll. The qualifications forvoting on ‘A’ roll and ‘B’ roll were as follows.

A roll

• Income of 792 pounds or ownership of property of value of 1 650 pounds.
• Income of 528 pounds or ownership of property of the value of 1 100 and completion of a course of primary education.
• Income of 330 pounds or ownership of property of value of 550 pounds and four years secondary education.
• Appointment to the office of chief or headman.

B roll

• Income of 264 pounds or ownership of property of value of 495 pounds.
• Income of 132 pounds or property of the value of 275 pounds and two years secondary education.
• Over 30 years of age, income of 132 pounds and property of the value of 275 pounds plus primary education.
• Over 30 years of age, income of 198 pounds or ownership of property of the value of 385 pounds.
• Kraal heads with a following of 20 or more heads of family.
• Minister of religion.

One of the principal provisions of this Constitution was the increasing of membership from 30 to 65. Of these 65 members 50 were elected from 50 constituencies by voters on the higher or‘A’ electoral roll and 15 elected from 15 electoral districts by voters on the lower or‘B’ electoral roll.

Provision was made for a Declaration of Rights to prevent discriminatory legislation and to safeguard from laws infringing civil liberties of every person of any race. If the provision of Bill of Rights were contravened the wronged person could apply to the High Court for redress. AConstitutional Council whose function was to scrutinize legislation in terms of the Declaration of Rights was also set up. The Council comprised of 11 elected members of which at least 2 were to be Europeans, 2 Africans, 1 Asian, 1 person of the Coloured community, and 2 persons were either advocates or attorneys of the High Court of SouthernRhodesia of not less than10 years’ standing.Section 111 of the Constitution providedthat full power and authority would be reserved for Her Majesty by Order in Council to amend, add to or revoke the provision of the constitution. Hence, the Governor , who represented the Queen, had powers conferred upon him by this constitution or any other such powers as Her Majesty may please to assign him (Young, 1967: 54)

The 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI).

The experience of the abortive Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland forced the British government to realize that majority rule was inevitable. Hence its policy of No Independence Before Majority Rule (NIBMAR). The British government coined principles which called for progress to majority rule; ending of racial discrimination; improvement of political status of blacks; guarantees against retrogressive constitutional amendments; and that there should be no oppression of one race by another. (Bull, 1967:22) However, the RF rejected this, demanding for ‘independence without strings.’

The Unilateral Declaration of Independence [UDI] was declared on 11 November 1965.The settlers wantedSouthern Rhodesia to become a dominion like Canada or Australia. Initiatives, to resolve the impasse began in 1966 culminating in the ‘Tiger’ Proposals, the Whaley Commission and The ‘Fearless’ Proposals.

In a meeting aboard HMS Tiger at Gibraltar in 1966 the Rhodesian government agreed to proposals forwarded by the Commonwealth but did not implement them. The salient features of the ‘Tiger’ Proposal include;

• The principle of providing the blocking mechanism of elected Africans to safeguard entrenched clauses against change by a white dominated Parliament.
• Cross voting was accepted in spite of widening the B roll toinclude all Africans aged 30 years and above.
• There would be 17 European seats plus 12 European Senators to provide white blocking mechanismagainst amendments of the entrenched clauses by black government (Ibid).

The WhaleyCommission which was appointed by the Rhodesian government producedbeliefsand principles which rejectedseparate racial legislatures. It recommended a Legislative Assembly of 40 European elected members and 20 Africans. The report was never implemented. In 1968in a Summit aboard HMS ‘Fearless’ the British government made proposalssimilar to those of the ‘Tiger’ Proposals.