Operation Quartz
| Operation Quartz | |
|---|---|
| Part of the ZANLA | |
| Date | 14 February 1980 |
| Outcome | Cancelled |
Operation Quartz was a planned
Southern Rhodesian general election, 1980
. The operation was organized on the assumption ZANU-PF would attempt to violently seize the government should it lose the election. ZANU-PF ultimately won the election and Operation Quartz was never executed.
Planning
Operation Quartz had two elements. The first involved strikes against armed units of the
In addition to the Rhodesian Army and Rhodesian Air Force, it is believed that the South African Armed Forces may have planned a supporting role in Operation Quartz.[1]
Some accounts of Operation Quartz have described it as a planned
H-Hour. The allegations may have originated in information leaked by the British government.[2]
Aftermath
The ZANU-PF won a majority of votes in the election and Operation Quartz was never executed.[3] Following the ZANU-PF victory, details of Operation Quartz came to light and Walls, who had initially been retained by Mugabe as head of the armed forces, was accused in parliament of treason. On the advice of members of the government, Walls fled the country for his own safety.[1][4]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1909982376.
- ISBN 978-0811707251.
- ISBN 978-1626160439.
- ISBN 9781850435792.