Rhodesia could claim to not have been strictly an Apartheid state. But to all practical purposes, Rhodesia was an Apartheid state, the same way that the Portuguese also excluded Blacks in certain ways without actually having racial laws. A good way to see this is how the voting worked for example.

During the 1964 and 1965 elections in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the number of Black citizens "allowed" to vote—meaning those who were able to meet the strict financial and educational requirements to register—was a tiny fraction of the total population.

Under the 1961 Constitution, the franchise was divided into two rolls ("A" and "B") based on income, property ownership, and education level rather than explicitly by race. However, these criteria effectively disenfranchised the vast majority of the Black population.

1. The 1965 General Election Statistics
In the May 1965 general election, the numbers were roughly as follows:

Total Black Population: Approximately 4,020,000.
Total Black Registered Voters: Roughly 13,000 to 14,000.

"A" Roll (High Qualifications): Out of 97,284 total voters, only 2,256 were Black.
"B" Roll (Lower Qualifications): There were 11,577 total registered voters, the vast majority of whom were Black.

Percentage of Black Population: Only about 0.34% of the Black population was registered to vote.

2. The 1964 Independence Referendum

In the 1964 referendum, which asked voters if they supported independence under the 1961 Constitution, the total number of registered voters was 105,444. Historical records indicate that less than 15% of those on the total voter roll were Black.

Because many Black nationalist movements (like ZAPU and ZANU) called for a boycott of these "sham" elections, the actual turnout of Black voters was often even lower than the registration numbers suggest. In the 1965 election, for example, only about 1,636 votes were actually cast on the "B" roll.

3. How the "Rolls" Worked

The system was designed to maintain white minority control while appearing non-racial on paper:

The "A" Roll: Required high income (approx. £792/year) or high education + lower income. This roll elected 50 seats in the Legislative Assembly and was over 95% white.

The "B" Roll: Had much lower requirements (approx. £264/year). This roll elected only 15 seats and was predominantly Black.

Cross-Voting: A complex system meant "A" roll votes were devalued when voting for "B" roll seats, and vice-versa, ensuring that even if Black registration increased, it would not easily threaten the 50 "A" roll seats.

In short, while the law didn't say "Black people cannot vote," the economic barriers were set so high that over 99% of the Black population was excluded from the process.