Leader of the Opposition (Rhodesia)

The Leader of the Opposition in Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia was a title held by the leader of the largest political party in the most important house of the legislature that was not in government.

This was the unicameral Legislative Assembly from 1924 to 1970 and the House of Assembly of the bicameral Parliament from 1970 to 1979. They acted as the public face of the opposition, leading the Shadow Cabinet and the challenge to the government on the floor of the legislature. They thus acted as a chief critic of the government and ultimately attempt to portray the opposition as a feasible alternate government.

List of leaders of the opposition in Rhodesia (1924–1979)

No.	Portrait	Leader (Birth–Death)	Political party	Term of office
vacant[a]				1924–1928
1		Robert Gilchrist	Progressive Party / Reform Party	1928–1933
2		Percy Finn	Rhodesia Party[1]	1933–1934
3		Harry Davies (1878–1957)[2]	Labour Party	1934–1940
4		Donald MacIntyre (1891–1978)	Labour Party	1940–1946
5		Jacob Smit (1881–1959)	Liberal Party	1946–1948
6		Raymond Stockil	Liberal Party[3]	1948–1954
vacant[b]				1954–1958
(6)		Raymond Stockil	Dominion Party	1958–1959
7		Stewart Aitken-Cade	Dominion Party	1959–1960
8		William Harper (1916–2006)	Dominion Party	1960–1962
9		William Cary	Dominion Party	1962 – 14 December 1962
10		Edgar Whitehead (1905–1971)	United Federal Party	17 December 1962 – 12 February 1965
11		David Butler	United Federal Party	12 February 1965 – 7 May 1965
12		Josiah Gondo (died 1972)	United People's Party[4]	7 May 1965 – 25 March 1966
13		Chad Chipunza	United People's Party	25 March 1966 – 1966
(12)		Josiah Gondo (died 1972)	United People's Party	1966 – 21 January 1967
14		Percy Mkudu	United People's Party	21 January 1967 – 1969
(13)		Chad Chipunza	United People's Party	1969–1970
vacant[c]				1970–1979

Notes

1. At the 1924 election, the only opposition MPs elected were independents. No Leader of the Opposition was recognised.
2. At the 1954 election, the only opposition MPs elected were independents. No Leader of the Opposition was recognised, although Raymond Stockil and Stewart Aitken-Cade seemed to be recognised as having a leadership role.
3. At the 1970 election, the electoral system changed. Although the African MPs formed themselves into parties, the Rhodesian Front government declined to recognise any of them as the formal Opposition and therefore did not have a Leader of the Opposition. There was a white opposition party, the Rhodesia Party formed by Rhodesian Front defector Allan Savory MP in 1972, but he was not recognised as Leader of the Opposition either. Neither was the Rhodesian Action Party recognised as the lead opposition party when formed in 1977 — instead the Rhodesian Front government dissolved Parliament and called an early election.

Timeline

References

• European Politics in Southern Rhodesia, by Colin Leys (1959, Oxford University Press)
• Rhodesia: The Road to Rebellion, by James Barber (1967, Oxford University Press)
• White Working Class Disunity: the Southern Rhodesia Labour Party, by M. C. Steele (1st volume 1970, Rhodesian History; article in historical journal, particularly useful in explaining the situation in the 1940–45 period)
• Some Recollections of a Rhodesian Speaker, by Hon. A.R.W. Stumbles (1980, Books of Rhodesia)

1. Subsequently nonpartisan when the Rhodesia Party merged with the Reform Party.
2. Davies may have ceased to be Leader of the Opposition when he accepted Godfrey Huggins's invitation to join the government following the 1939 election.
3. Apparently, the party fell apart during this assembly.
4. At the 1965 election, the Rhodesian Front won all of the 50 constituencies with a mostly white electorate ("A"-roll seats), and the Rhodesia Party opposition won only in the districts which had a mostly black electorate ("B"-roll seats). As a result the Rhodesia Party soon dissolved and had itself replaced by an African opposition party.