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Rural resistance escalates

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By Dr Michelina Andreucci

A FIVE-YEAR PLAN was drawn up, which foresaw the transformation of about 30 million acres of ‘native reserves’ by the year 1961.  

Nevertheless, this greatly accelerated programme, that revolved on determining who had, and who did not have, access to land, cattle and an array of other resources in the ‘reserves’, meant that African opposition to the plan was to be inevitable.

Opposition, in turn, fueled the expansion of mass nationalism in the second half of the 1950s. “Any act whose effects undermine the security of our small land rights,” declared the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (ANC) in 1958, “dispossess us of our little wealth in the form of cattle, disperse us from our ancestral homes in the reserves and reduces us to the status of vagabonds and a source of cheap labour for the farmers, miners and industrialists — such an Act will turn the African people against society to the detriment of the peace and progress of this country.” 

“The NLHA (National Land Husbandry Act,” remarked George Nyandoro, “was the best recruiter Congress (ANC), ever had.”   Accordingly, by 1961, rural resistance had escalated to an extent where it had assumed the dimensions of “…a major revolt against the Act.”

The implementation of the NLHA was suspended in early 1962. Several official attempts were made to save the Act from imminent demise. 

“Africans, have been clamouring for such things as land rights, security of tenure and title deeds for many years. The Government has in the Land Husbandry Act evolved a partial solution to the problem as can be seen from the way it is being implemented in the target areas at the moment,” said the Native Commissioner (NC) of Belingwe (Mberengwa), outlining the objectives and implications of the Land Husbandry Act (LHA), whilst addressing the Branch of the African Teachers’ Association at Masvingo Mission in July 1956. 

He added that: “… the Act aimed at developing the Reserves economically…,” and stressed the point that farming was not the only means of gaining a livelihood as there were many other avenues both in the rural and urban areas; probably encouraging labour migrancy. Explaining the meanings of certain technical terms found in the LHA, the Commissioner was at pains to find clear definitions of farming rights, grazing rights and the holding capacity of a grazing area.

After his speech, described as ‘enlightening’ by his colleagues in the colonial administration, many of the people present at the meeting fired a barrage of questions at him.  Answering a question about who had the right to farming in the reserves, he said that all Africans had the right with the exception of minors and unmarried women. 

Clarifying his reply, he said: “All non-indigenous Africans …” (probably referring to labour migrants) “… had no right whatsoever to hold land in the reserves; the same applied to all indigenous Africans who were minors or had lost their farming rights or grazing rights for one reason or another.”

The NLHA was clearly applied with a great deal of haste. 

In July 1955, the Five-Year Plan to apply the land husbandry on the 40 million acres in all the African reserves, announced by the Minister of Native Affairs, was said to be “… in full swing.”  A progress report for the three months, ending September 30th 1956, released by the Agricultural Department in November, revealed that the work was ahead of schedule.  For example, the acreage planned to be surveyed and allocated in 1956 was 2 702 000 acres, but by the end of September, 2 882 166 acres had already been surveyed and allocated; exceeding the 1956 target. 

Conservation planning, including the demarcation and centralisation of lands, was reported to be completed on 2 291 217 acres, which was 84 percent of the 1956 target, and allocation of rights completed on 768 767 acres, which was 28 percent of the 1956 target area.

The same report acknowledged that there was a general shortage of African Agricultural Demonstrators. The shortage, it argued “…  was fortunately not being felt in some areas where the Act was being implemented because the areas were small … (such as Sanyati). But, unless the output of demonstrators was stepped up considerably, there would be difficulty in carrying out follow-up work, as large areas would be completed next year (1957), and in subsequent years.” 

To deal with the shortage of African staff it was announced as follows: “We will have to make more use of Supernumerary Demonstrators to make up for this shortage.  Pegger staff is up to strength in all provinces except Matabeleland and in that province, arrangements are in hand for training the additional 31 peggers required.” 

That rural farmers needed to be given authority to graze their cattle was one of the factors that heightened opposition to the NLHA.  

Grazing stock without permission was a punishable offence.   A chief from Wenlock, in Gwanda Reserve, and his right-hand man, were among several people arrested on 9th January 1962 for grazing stock without permits.

Reporting on the arrests, a news correspondent in Gwanda wrote: “It appears there were also other people who had been arrested in Wenlock in connection with such offences as failure to dip their cattle and refusing to destock their cattle,” adding that, “… what is upsetting the people very much is the presence of police jeeps in the area shortly after the ‘troops had been around before Christmas, terrorising the people’.”

The United Federal Party Paper for Africans had forecast the repeal of the Land Apportionment Act that became the NLHA after several amendments, in its entirety in 1962. 

The paper also predicted the abolition of the Native Affairs Department and projected that the year 1962 would be remembered in history as the year in which “…true freedom would be achieved in Southern Rhodesia because, by the end of 1962, there will not be a trace of racial discrimination left on Southern Rhodesian Statute Books.”

It informed that: “The big news of 1962 will be the complete repeal of the Land Apportionment Act. This means that you, if you can afford it, will be able to buy land and live wherever you like in Southern Rhodesia, even in the big towns like Salisbury and Bulawayo.”  

Predicting the abolition of the Native Department the, United Federal Party Paper for Africans, said: “It is certain that the Native Department will be abolished completely, following the recommendations of the Robinson Commission; and that its place will be taken by an administrative Department that will deal equally with the problem of all races.”  

Dr Michelina Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher, industrial design consultant, lecturer and specialist hospitality interior decorator.  She is a published author in her field.  For comments e-mail: linamanucci@gmail.com

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