I followed that closely. I wanted to get the local news and signed up for a local news sight. It was scary and brutal.
I had it from someone in a position to know that the articles about what was happening in Rhodesia were most accurate from alternate sources like Soldier of Fortune magazine (rated at 50% accurate, compared to mainstream outlets like the NYT and WaPo at 2%) in the late 70s as well as descriptions on the Soviet vs Afghan conflict.
Since there were many parallels between South Africa and Rhodesia, I fully expected that the conflict would take on similar vibes, especially in the bush. Human nature has not disappointed, in that sense; there is open warfare on white farmers who brought prosperity to the nation, and outside of towns, they are basically on their own, to defend or die. This all plays in with the control of resources other than farming (Gold, diamonds, oil, uranium, cobalt, to name a few), but the elimination of white farmers is a rallying point that obscures the much more lucrative resources being pilfered now by blacks within the country, rather than the 'evil colonialists' who can easily be portrayed as a common enemy.
While the masses butcher their 'enemies' (who really weren't), the elites line their pockets.