White Zimbabweans

White Zimbabweans are Zimbabwean people of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, these Zimbabweans of European ethnic origin are mostly English-speaking descendants of British settlers. A small minority are either Afrikaans-speaking descendants of Afrikaners from South Africa or those descended from Greek, Portuguese, Italian, and Jewish immigrants.

In a 1922 referendum, the community rejected joining the Union of South Africa, electing instead to establish responsible government. In the 1964 Rhodesian independence referendum, the community voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from Britain, leading to Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence under the Prime Minister, Ian Smith. The community was embroiled in the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979), as the Smith government sought to maintain white minority rule. White men were conscripted into the Rhodesian Security Forces and the British South Africa Police. White civilians were targeted in some attacks such as Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and Air Rhodesia Flight 827. The community faced fresh economic challenges during the UDI period as Britain imposed economic sanctions and Mozambique closed its border in 1976, blocking Rhodesia's access to the Indian Ocean and world commerce. Rhodesia was excluded from major sporting events, meaning that its white athletes were unable to participate in the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games.

A small number of British migrants had reached the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, later Zimbabwe, as settlers during the late-nineteenth century. A steady migration of European peoples continued for the next 75 years. The white population of Southern Rhodesia, or Rhodesia as it was known from 1965, reached a peak of about 300,000 in 1975–76, representing around 8% of the population.

Emigration after the country gained independence as Zimbabwe in 1980 resulted in a declining white population: estimated at 220,000 in 1980; 70,000 in 2000; and 30,000 in 2012. However, by 2023, the white population had increased following the government easing restrictions regarding white ownership of farmland. Many formerly dispossessed white farmers have formed joint ventures with black landowners. There are currently three ministers in the Zimbabwean Government who are white, Kirsty Coventry, Joshua Sacco and Vangelis Haritatos, while in 2023, David Coltart was elected as Mayor of Bulawayo, becoming the first white mayor since 1981. Provided by Wikipedia