Chief Jeremiah Sikireta Chirau, ICD (6 June 1923 – 27 January 1985) was a notable figure among

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

's chiefs, and during the

UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...

he became the only leader of the

Zimbabwe United People's Organisation Zimbabwe United People's Organisation (ZUPO) was a political party in Zimbabwe, formed on 29 December 1976, shortly after the Geneva Conference. ZUPO was led by Chief Jeremiah Chirau, (President) and Chief Kayisa Ndiweni (vice-president). Both c ...

(ZUPO), a party largely comprising chiefs. Born near Makonde, he was awarded a medal for service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A staunch traditionalist, he was well versed in African customary law.. In 1961 he was appointed acting chief, and eventually rose to chiefship of the communal lands of the Chirau people. Elected to the Council of Chiefs, he became its president in 1973, a position he held until his death. He entered politics in 1970 when he was elected into the Senate. He formed ZUPO in 1976 and was a signatory to the

Internal Settlement The Internal Settlement was an agreement which was signed on 3 March 1978 between Prime Minister of Rhodesia Ian Smith and the moderate African nationalist leaders comprising Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Ndabaningi Sithole and Senator Chief Jeremiah Ch ...

. ZUPO contested the resulting elections but failed to win any seats and was subsequently disbanded.

References

Bibliography

*(1976). "Backgrounds of the Four Tribal Leaders." ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. 29 April. *Darnton, John (1976). "Rhodesians Decry Naming of Chiefs." ''New York Times''. 5 May. *(1978). "Jeremiah Chirau." ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''. 27 March. *Mungazi, Dickson (2000). ''In the Footsteps of the Masters: Desmond M. Tutu and Abel T. Muzorewa''. Westport: Praeger. *Ottoway, David (1978). "White Rule Ends Quietly in Rhodesia." ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. 22 March. 1923 births 1985 deaths Rhodesian politicians People from Mashonaland West Province Members of the Senate of Zimbabwe Southern Rhodesian military personnel of World War II Zimbabwe United People's Organisation politicians {{Zimbabwe-politician-stub