A circular distributed to employers in Bulawayo by the regime's Ministry of Information, and entitled "Elections '79: A Briefing kit for Managers", states:
"The elections which will be held from April 20 will be one of the most critical operations ever conducted in the history of this country.
"From the publicity side, we in the Ministry of Information have arranged for a mass distribution of pamphlets. The next phase of the campaign here in Matabeleland will be to ask farmers and managers in commerce and industry to take time off in order to motivate their work force into participating in the elections.
"We are suggesting that this take place in two phases.
"Firstly, that management representatives hold a meeting of their workers in order to explain political and functional mechanisms of the elections, and secondly that, on polling day the management make every effort to see that their workers are given every incentive to actually cast their vote.
"On election day it is of vital importance that every employer makes every effort to get his labour to the polling stations. If this can be done without disrupting production - well and good. Otherwise it might be necessary to close the premises for a couple of hours to ship labour out to the booths. If employers take the lead in entering the booths and going through the formalities this will do much to alleviate any suspicions the labourers might have".
Another circular addressed to householders from the Chairman of the National Election Directorate Mr. M.J. Thompson, states that "all white Rhodesians can assist immeasurably by helping their black employees to understand the election procedures, dispelling any fears they have and, where possible, actually going to the polls with them".
Note: The dates for the election, initially announced as 20 April onwards, were subsequently changed. Polling by the white electorate for the four contested white reserved seats (all of which were won by the Rhodesian Front), took place on 10 April. Polling for the 72 black reserved seats occupied a five day period from 17 to 21 April.
