Garfield Todd

Sir Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd ( born July 13, 1908 in Invercargill, New Zealand, † October 13, 2002 in Bulawayo ) was 1953-1958 Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia. He later became an opponent of white supremacy in Rhodesia.

Life

Todd came in 1934 as a missionary from New Zealand to Southern Rhodesia and led the Dadaya New Zealand Churches of Christ Mission School. There he worked with Robert Mugabe. In 1948 he was elected to the Parliament.

Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia

He was followed on September 7, 1953 Godfrey Martin Huggins in the Office of the Prime Minister after he Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was. Going to his government reform back to improve the education of the black majority. So he doubled among other things, the number of primary schools. He also introduced the term "Lord" instead of the previous designation "AM" (African Male - African Male ) for black Africans. In addition, he allowed them to use European beer and wine. His government was working on the legalization of relations between white men black women. For the white minority these plans, however, were too radical and dangerous as they saw threatened their claim to power. His party urged Todd on February 17, 1958 resignation.

After his resignation

Todd was the white minority government with the time compared to more critical. He was also an opponent of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence of 1965. He tried at Edinburgh University enlighten the British people about the crimes committed by the government Smith injustice to the black population, but the government forbade him to leave and put him under house arrest. In 1972, Todd and his daughter Judith were arrested for the second time. Judith finally had to go into exile, while her father remained on his farm near Bulawayo.

In Zimbabwe

In 1980, Rhodesia gained independence from Britain as Zimbabwe. Todd was appointed on 8 April 1980 in the Senate and stayed there until his retirement in 1985. The violence of the Mugabe regime to opposition disappointed Todd. In 1986, he was defeated by Queen Elizabeth II knighted. Because of his criticism of Mugabe, he lost the 2002 citizenship of Zimbabwe.