The following lists events that happened during 1972 in Rhodesia.

• President: Clifford Dupont
• Prime Minister: Ian Smith

• 11 January – 11 March – The Pearce Commission arrives in Rhodesia to conduct tests of acceptability of settlement proposals which was agreed on in 1971

• 10 March – The African National Council is transformed into a political organisation and calls for a constitutional conference

• 31 May – The United States Senate votes against re-imposition of embargo on Rhodesian chromite.

• 22 August – International Olympic Committee asks Rhodesia to withdraw from the 20th Olympic Summer Games held in Munich, Germany

• 21 December – Guerrillas of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) attack Altena farm in Centenary area, marking an unprecedented escalation of the Rhodesian Bush War.

• 29 September – Abel Chimukoko, long-distance runner^[1][2]