Labour Recruitment Methods in Zimbabwe During Colonial Period

Labour recruitment
methods in Zimbabwe
during colonial period.
Presentation by amigo Tutor :Theresa Shamiso Sibanda
Email add :shamisoblessing@gmail.com
Cell :0774658065
Mount Pleasant high school
Paper 1 Zimbabwe history
• Section C
• This topic if found in section C of A level
history syllabus under a broad theme
• Colonial administration in Rhodesia
Background history
• When whites colonized Zimbabwe they established
farms, mines and some industries.
• They needed Africans to work in their farms and
mines.
• Locals were reluctant to work in these farms and
mines due to poor working conditions.
• Whites had to devise various methods to recruit
Labour for their farms and mines.
• They used direct and indirect methods of
recruiting Labour force in Zimbabwe and in
Southern Africa.
RNLB
• Rhodesia Native Labour bereau is an organization that recruited
Labour force from neighboring countries.
• Due to resistance from locals, the whites decided to recruit labour
from Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.
• These foreign labourers solved Labour shortages in colonial
Zimbabwe.
• Mozambique government got remittances for sending export Labour
to Zimbabwe hence they continued to send more labourers.
• When these foreign labourers were dissatisfied with poor working
conditions in Zimbabwe, they deserted and proceeded to south
Africa.
• South African mines had better working conditions and better wages.
Forced Labour/chibharo/
isibalo
• Whites used force to obtain Labour for their farms and mines.
• An armed native commissioner would approach a village and
demand 50 or so men to work for them.
• The chief out of fear would round up men for the Whiteman.
• The Chiefs who refused to cooperate with commissioner's
request were flogged in public.
• At times villagers would retire to the mountains whenever
they see native commissioner coming.
• Native commissioners responded by burning homes,
granaries, seizing cattle and holding women as hostages to
force Africans to comply.
• This was a direct method of obtaining Labour for the farms
and mines.
Taxation
• Taxation was an indirect method of recruiting and
solving Labour problems.
• Africans were made to pay a series of taxes eg
dog tax, cattle tax, hut tax, poll tax, tax for extra
wife , bicycle tax, grazing and dipping fee.
• These taxes impoverished Africans. They ended up
selling their cattle in order to get money to pay tax.
• When their cattle started depleting they ended up
looking for work in farms in order to get cash.
• Working for the whites was not by choice but a
desperate situation to get money for tax payments.
Contract system
• Africans were forced to sign contracts which
they did not understand. (eg two years , 6
months, 12 months contract.
• It was a criminal offense to breach the contract.
• The breaching of contract attracted jail sentence.
• Therefore Africans were forced to supply Labour
for a given period stated in their contracts.
• Africans responded by forging signatures and
changing contract dates to show their resistance
to forced Labour in farms and mines.
Pass law
• Africans were forced to carry a series of
passes, eg pass book, gate pass, pass to leave
a compound and traveling pass.
• Every adult male had to carry a pass book.
• This pass book restricted workers movement.
• Details of workplace, employer and contracts
dates were stated in the pass book.
• It was very difficult for workers to leave an
employer despite poor working conditions.
Land apportionment act of
1930
• European passed land policies to force Africans to
work for them.
• Land theft was an indirect method of recruiting
Labour for the farms.
• Land apportionment act resulted in Africans losing
Fertile lands.
• Land granted to Africans was small and yeilds were
poor.
• Impoverished Africans sought employment inorder
to supplement family income since small fields could
not produce enough to feed their large families .
Land husbandry act 1951
• Another law was passed in 1951 which stipulated that
Africans were forced to remain with 5 herd of cattle and 8
acres of land.
• They limited numbers of cattle to prevent overstocking and
overgrazing. The Africans were then forced to sell extra
beasts to the whites at low prices.
• The impoverished Africans had no option but to work for
whites to get tax monies and also to supplement family
income.
• 8 acres of land was not enough for Africans and their
extended families.
• The yeilds were low. African men had to work in these farms
and mines inorder to supplement family income.
Effectiveness of these
methods
• An armed native commissioner ensured loyalty and used
coersive power to get labourers .
• Burning of homes made Africans to cooperate.
• Loss of land impoverished Africans who were then
forced to seek employment.
• Series of taxes made Africans to seek employment in
the farms and mines.
• Foreign countries like Mozambique got remittances for
sending export Labour hence more foreign labourers
were sent to Zimbabwe.
• Contract system tied a worker to an employer despite
poor working conditions.
Challenges faced
• Workers deserted employers for greener
pastures eg in South Africa.
• Workers retired to the mountains whenever they
saw white men coming.
• Africans killed native commissioner's or colonial
agents sent to recruit Labour.
• Africans preffered to sell their beast and pay tax
than to work for whites.
• Workers asked their educated friends to delete
contracts dates and forge employers signatures.
Conclusion
• Various methods were adopted by whites to
adopt Labour force.
• Both direct and indirect methods of recruiting
Labour in and outside Zimbabwe were used.
• The effectiveness of these methods depended
with the assistance given by the colonial
government.
• Colonial government made use of strict police
to achieve their goal of solving Labour
problems in the farms and mines .
Practice questions
• Analyse the methods used by Europeans to solve
labor problems in Zimbabwe.(25 marks)
• To what extent were methods adopted by
Europeans to solve Labour problems been
effective in Zimbabwe between 1923_51(25 marks)
• How did Africans respond to methods adopted by
the Europeans in solving their Labour problems.
(25marks)
• How effective were the methods used by
Europeans in solving Labour problems between
1923-51(25marks)
The end
• amigo Tutor :Theresa Shamiso Sibanda
• Email add :shamisoblessing@gmail.com
• Cell :0774658065
• Mount Pleasant high school

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