Lawa Used to Oppress the Black People in Rhodesia Between 1890 to 1979

2382 Words10 Pages
Assignment Question : What where the laws used to oppress the black majority between 1890-1979 Zimbabwe was colonised in 1890 by the British South African Company (BSAP). Led by Cecil John Rhodes, a pioneer column of two hundred whites and several hundred mercenaries trundled into Mashonaland on September the twelfth hosting the British flag at Fort Salisbury now present day Harare. The new colony was then named Rhodesia after its founder. However, the blacks resisted such occupation through the First Chimurenga/Umvukela of 1893 by the Ndebele state and in 1896-1897 by the Ndebele and Shona .The black uprisings were defeated owing to the use of superior weapons by the settlers. This defeat of the blacks marked the beginning of extensive exploitation of the indigenous people through racist and oppressive laws such as the Pass Laws of 1902 and the Land Husbandry Act of 1934. These were put in place to ensure total subjugation of the natives. In order to eliminate the influence of chiefs who were paramount in organising the First Chimurenga/Umvukela of 1896 the colonial government was quick to put in place the draconian Native Reserve Order in Council Act of 1898. This statute removed all local chiefs and they were replaced by “loyal” settler administrators. These administrators were basically puppets of the occupiers helping in the enforcing of the white man new system of things. The Act also allowed for the establishment of reserves such as Gwai and Shangani creating space for whites in the conquered Bulawayo region and also for the cantonment of Africans. These forced evictions of the blacks have been described as “institutional violence” and as “….exceptionally harsh even for Rhodesia standards" (Alexander et al 2000:43). Not only were the reserves barren and arid they began a vicious cycle of racially based resettlements, resource exploitation and

More about Lawa Used to Oppress the Black People in Rhodesia Between 1890 to 1979

Open Document