The National Democratic Party (NDP) was a socialist African nationalist political party in

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 ...

that was active from January 1, 1960 to December 9, 1961. The party was founded by

Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (19 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and Matabeleland politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's ...

with the objective of achieving greater rights for the African majority of the country, but it was banned by the white minority government just a year into its existence. Ten days after the NDP was banned, Nkomo founded the

ZAPU The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with the Zimba ...

party.

History

On 1 January 1960, the National Democratic Party replaced the

Southern Rhodesia African National Congress The Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC) was a political party active between 1957–1959 in Southern Rhodesia (now modern-day Zimbabwe). Committed to the promotion of indigenous African welfare, it was the first fully fledged ...

(SRANC), Chikerema and Nyandoro became members while still detained, and Nkomo came on as president on 28 November 1960."Chiume and Nkomo to Tour U.S." Africa Today. 6.4 (1959): 2 The NDP was an ideologically identical organisation to SRANC, although rural organising was nearly impossible after the Native Affairs Amendment Act.Sibanda, Eliakim M. "The Zimbabwe African People's Union 1961–87: A Political History of Insurgency in Southern Rhodesia." 1st ed. Asmara, ERITREA: Africa World Press, Inc. (2005): pp. 52–53

References

{{Reflist 1960 establishments in Southern Rhodesia 1960s disestablishments in Southern Rhodesia Socialist parties in Zimbabwe