In March 1978 , Smith and non-militant nationalist groups headed by Muzorewa , Sithole and Chief Jeremiah Chirau agreed what became the " Internal Settlement " , under which the country would be reconstituted as Zimbabwe Rhodesia in June 1979 after multiracial elections . ZANU and ZAPU were invited to participate , but refused ; Nkomo sardonically dubbed Smith 's black colleagues " the blacksmiths " . The deal was badly received abroad , partly because it kept the police , the military , the judiciary and the civil service in white hands . There would be a senate of 20 blacks and 10 whites , and whites would be reserved 28 out of 100 seats in the new House of Assembly . Smith and Nkomo re-entered negotiations in August 1978 , but these ended after ZIPRA shot down an Air Rhodesia passenger flight on 3 September and massacred survivors at the crash site . Smith cut off talks , introduced martial law across most of the country and ordered reprisal attacks on guerrilla positions . Smith , Muzorewa and Sithole toured the US in October 1978 to promote their settlement , and met Kissinger , Ford and others including the future President Ronald Reagan . On 11 December , ZANLA attacked Salisbury 's oil storage depot , causing a fire that lasted six days and destroyed a quarter of Rhodesia 's fuel . Two months later ZIPRA downed another civilian flight , this time killing all on board
downed
Air Rhodesia Flight 827
Ian Smith