Desmond Lardner-Burke
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Senator The Honourable Desmond Lardner-Burke ID |
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| Minister of Justice and of Law and Order | |
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In office 1964–1976 |
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| Born | 17 October 1909 Kimberley, South Africa |
| Died | 1984 Zimbabwe |
| Political party | Rhodesian Front |
Desmond William Lardner-Burke ID (17 October 1909 – 1984) was a politician in Rhodesia.
Desmond Lardner-Burke was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape on 17 October 1909, and was educated at St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown. Lardner-Burke became a lawyer. He became a leading member of the Dominion Party, and in 1957 was a founder member of the Southern Rhodesian Association, of which he soon became leader. In 1962, this merged with Ian Smith's United Group and other organisations to found the Rhodesian Front, of which he was a prominent member.
Lardner-Burke was a supporter of white supremacy, and claimed to support the views of Cecil Rhodes. In 1971, he preached a sermon from the pulpit of Salisbury's Anglican Cathedral, in which he claimed that Christ had never declared that everyone was equal, nor that everyone was entitled to equal treatment. He attempted to illustrate how Christian theology could be shown to support apartheid.
At the Southern Rhodesian general election, 1962, Lardner-Burke was elected for the Gwelo constituency. The Rhodesian Front formed the new government, and after a period on the backbenches, Lardner-Burke was appointed Minister for Law and Order and Justice. In this role, he gave advice on which political detainees were suitable for release. He also acted as .
The Times have described Lardner-Burke as "...responsible for the harassment, arrest and detention without trial of tens of thousands of black nationalists, including President Mugabe, fighting against white rule in the 1960s and 1970s." He first ordered Mugabe to be detained in December 1963, writing:
"...whereas certain information has been placed before me and whereas due to confidential information which I cannot reveal, I am satisfied that you are likely to commit acts of violence throughout Rhodesia..."
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