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The Struggle For Land in Zimbabwe (1890 – 2010)…..how Chief Makoni joined the First Chimurenga

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The fact that Africans in Mashonaland had more land per population density than Europeans in Europe did not justify European settler-invasions into Mashonaland and claim land as a right of conquest, writes Dr Felix Muchemwa in his book The Struggle For Land in Zimbabwe (1890 – 2010) that The Patriot is serialising.

IN the Makoni District, Portuguese records show that Paramount Chief Makoni had been the ruler of Maungwe territory from around 1625.
There was a good co-existence between Makoni and Mutasa in Manyika until the rule of Muruko (alias Nyakurukwa) Makoni in 1865 and Tendai Mutasa in 1874.
The two kingdoms had developed a very close family relationship cemented by inter-marriages, until the Mutasa Dynasty was involved in a bitter and vicious succession war which sucked in Muruko Makoni.
The war ravaged the two kingdoms for nearly 20 years until 1889 when Chingaira Makoni, a friend to Tendai Mutasa, took over the Makoni chieftaincy.
Chingaira Makoni lived at Dindingwe Hills and the paramount chief’s spirit medium, Chiendambuya, was based at Weya, close to Nhowe, in Paramount Chief Mangwende’s territory.
By 1896, the spirit medium Chiendambuya was part of a network of spirit mediums from Sekuru Kaguvi in Paramount Chief Mashayamombe’s territory, to Mbuya Nehanda in the Mazowe District, Sekuru Goronga in the Lomagundi District and all regional spirit mediums of the Charter District, Mangwende and Mbire who were set to resist occupation.
In 1891, Laurence Van de Byl was the leader of a group of 25 young men whom Rhodes sponsored to trek from Cape Colony to Mashonaland.
On arrival, they proceeded from Fort Charter and settled in Headlands which they called ‘Laurencedale.’ (Smith, 1978: pp.119)
The 25 young men went further to peg and occupy Paramount Chief Makoni’s land without his permission.
At the standard 3 000 morgen of land per trekker, the minimum amount of land alienated to the Van de Byl trekkers was 75 000 morgen (158 000 acres or 63 500 hectares).
Van de Byl died in March 1892 at Headlands and was buried on his farm.
Later, other members of the Trek also died, possibly from malaria, leaving only three members of the original 25 trekkers alive — the Fischer brothers and a Hugh Williams.
The Fischer brothers later acquired a huge estate in Headlands from Macheke River in the west to the Mezzi River, east of the present Headlands Town.
They established their homestead just a few kilometres north of present-day Half-Way House in Headlands.
It appears the Fischer brothers specialised in cattle ranching and piggery.
In 1894, the British South Africa Company (BSAC) established an administrative station in Makoni District near the Rusape River and called the station Rusape.
St Faith Mission station was established shortly after (1894) and granted over
3 000 morgen (6 350 acres), again without permission from Paramount Chief Makoni who still did not anticipate that, ‘the warungu had come to stay within his territory as indefinite guests; in fact he was prepared, if need be, to encourage them to move out’ of his territory.
Then, more European settler-farmers were granted farming land between Macheke and Odzi Rivers, still without Paramount Chief Makoni’s permission.
No treaty had been concluded with the paramount chief on land or minerals by 1894.
The then head of St Faith Mission, the Rev Douglas Pelly reassured Paramount Chief Makoni in early 1894 that European settlers in Makoni District were not going to take over Makoni’s land, but were to pass on like the Portuguese before them.
However, rumours were already rife in Makoni District in 1894, passed on from Matabeleland by wandering ‘madzviti’ that the ‘warungu’ had established settlements throughout the country and were not going to leave, but ‘to emulate the WaRozvi as appointers of Chiefs and Paramount Watongi of the Land.’ (Abraham, 1951: pp. 74-75)
In January 1894, immediately after the fall of Lobengula, many of Makoni’s people were ordered to move out of their ancestral land by a Wood who had occupied a large estate extremely close to the Paramount Chief’s village.
Wood claimed he was ‘occupying that land on the authority of the BSAC, and that if Paramount Chief Makoni had any complaints, he could present the matter either to the Civil Commissioner or to authorities in Salisbury, but if he allowed his people to constantly trespass on his land and to kill Wood’s goats, the Company would protect him. (Ranger, 1967: pp.84)
Further, in June 1894, a police patrol was sent to warn the Makoni people not to plough on Wood’s land without permission.
The warning was followed by a visit from the Native Commissioner of Makoni District who at the time was J.S. Brabant. (Hole, 1898 rpt. 1975: pp.54)
In January 1895, a white settler called Buchanan accused Makoni’s people of ‘trespassing’ on his land and compelled a Makoni sub-chief and his people to pay ‘rent’ in order to be allowed to continue living on his farm.
When Makoni complained, the colonial administration ruled in Buchanan’s favour, claiming that it was within the settler’s ‘rights’ to claim ‘rent’ from the indigenous owners.
This incensed Makoni who felt that the BSAC, which had given his land away ‘to strangers up to his very kraal’, had no legal authority over that land. (Ranger, 1967: pp. 84-85)
The Anglican Bishop, Bruce Knight, stationed at St Faith Mission in Makoni District, supported the BSAC and visited the Paramount Chief, insisting he had no right to deny European settlers any land they chose because ‘the Mashona only occupy a small part of the country and land which they have never occupied may, with justice, be said not to belong to them.’
The Bishop chose to ignore the fact that no piece of land in Mashonaland lay unclaimed by Africans and their chieftaincies. (Palmer, 1977: pp. 38-39)
Moreover, the moral issues raised by the Bishop did not justify the means of military conquest of African land by the BSAC as endorsed by the Matabeleland Order-in-Council of July 1894 to which Mashonaland was subjected.
More importantly, the fact that Africans in Mashonaland had more land per population density than Europeans in Europe did not justify European settler-invasions into Mashonaland and claim land as a right of conquest.
Because of the Bishop’s encouragement and justification for European settlers to seize and occupy Shona people’s land, the BSAC laid claim to more than 1 500 000 acres (600 000 hectares) or 70 percent of land in the Makoni District, enabling many European settlers to claim and occupy the best agricultural land in Makoni District between the Odzi and Macheke Rivers by 1896. (Palmer, 1977: pp. 182)
Paramount Chief Makoni was further incensed by O’Reilly, the Hut Tax collector, who, by 1896, was demanding and collecting Hut Tax in the form of cattle, goats and sheep from his people.
After consultations with his neighbours, Mangwende and Svosve, through emissaries and after consultations with the Makoni Spirit Medium, Chiendambuya, the Paramount Chief summoned his Dare (Council of Chiefs) to take military action against European settlers including the killing, if necessary, of the Native Commissioner, Archar Ross, and the recapture of all Makoni people’s property of cattle, goats and sheep taken away as Hut Tax by O’Reilly.
The result was that by June 9 1896 Makoni had joined the First Chimurenga and was attacking European settlers at Headlands and the out-lying areas of Chiduku. (Hole, 1898 rpt. 1975: pp. 54)

5 COMMENTS

  1. This is a lie, Makoni refused to assist saying he thought it a ruse for Marange to invade him whilst he assisted Seke and Hwata. Afterwards some of his people became terrorists killing and burning settlement s

    • U don’t know anything about Hondo yeGwindingi were Chief Chingaira Makoni was beheaded. Don’t just hate without facts hey.

  2. Now history is being made up, the Makoni story is now being changed to suit the narrative of today neither was their a first chimurenga, it was an uprising as a response to attacks by white settlers in vengeance of the killing of a celebrated pioneer combatant by mistake by Madamombe and his hunting party. Makoni who had earlier been in a war with Mutasa, Gwenzi and Marange on one side had been depleted so much that he had no force, had it not been for the Hera Brothers refusing Musimuvi people to finish off Makoni he would not be in history, hence Musimuvi totem of Mushayavanhu. I was warned that many lies shall be peddled and I wondered by whom.

  3. A Respond to Munyukwi
    Makoni was militarily stronger after fighting Mutasa from 1889 to 1893. You might need to read the works of T.O. Ranger, Col Alderson and many others. History will always tell us that Makoni remains the only African chief to defeat the British twice is at Headlands where the entire British population was ejected from Rusape to Mutate. Taberer actually surrendered to Makoni. He also repulsed Col Alderson as confirmed by NC Edwards. Read your history and you will know the truth.

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