Rhodesia Rhodesia 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 Southern Rhodesia, which had been self-governing since achieving responsible government in 1923. A landlocked nation, Rhodesia was bordered by South Africa to the south, Bechuanaland (later Botswana) to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique (a Portuguese province until 1975) to the east. In the late 19th century, the territory north of the Transvaal was chartered to the British South Africa Company, led by Cecil Rhodes.
Northern Rhodesia Police were divided into separate forces on 1 April 1932. The Military became the Northern Rhodesia Regiment. The establishment of the new Northern Rhodesia Police was for seven officers, 35 members of the inspectorate, 40 British constables, 494 uniformed African police and 42 African detectives, all under Captain P. R. Wardroper as Commissioner of Police. In May 1935 an increase in the annual tax led to unrest among African mineworkers on the Copperbelt. On 29 May a large mob made repeated attacks on the compound office at Roan Antelope which was guarded by less than thirty African police, a number of