Judith Todd

Who is Judith Todd?

Judith, Lady Acton is daughter of Garfield Todd, Rhodesian Prime Minister 1953-8, and a political activist regarding Zimbabwe. She had been married from 1974 for ten years to Sir Richard Acton.

Todd was a political activist from the early 1960s opposing the minority government of Ian Smith. In January 1972, she was arrested and sent to a jail in Marandellas. Her father was arrested at the same time and went to jail in Gatooma. During her imprisonment, she briefly went on hunger strike to protest their detention, but relented after enduring several incidents of force-feeding. Several weeks later, both were released and were subsequently expelled from the country, becoming personae non gratae. She relocated to London. In 1978 she was among the founding members of Zimbabwe Project Trust, a humanitarian organization connected to the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded to help Zimbabwean refugees. Her exile lasted until all detentions were lifted in February 1980 under the process leading to the independence of Zimbabwe. The trust relocated from London to Zimbabwe and Todd was appointed director, a position she held until 1987.