The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant communist organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU – PF). It was relaunched in 2008.

The party was formed on 17 December 1961, 10 days after the Rhodesian government banned the National Democratic Party (NDP). It was founded by Joshua Nkomo as president, Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa as vice-president, Ndabaningi Sithole as chairman, Jason Moyo, Robert Mugabe as information and publicity secretary Leopold Takawira as external secretary. At the request of Joseph Msika, ZAPU was banned in 1962 by the Rhodesian white minority government, and later engaged in a guerrilla war against it. The armed wing of ZAPU, known as Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), was commanded by General Lookout Masuku.

ZAPU aligned with the Soviet Union, whose ideology was to mobilize urban workers, whereas ZANU had a pro-People's Republic of China orientation which was to mobilize the rural peasantry.