User:Necrothesp/Notes on Southern Rhodesia

List of High Commissioners

Baron Loch, 1889–1895
Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, 1895–1897
Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner, 1897–1905
Earl of Selborne, 1905–1910
Viscount Gladstone, 1910–1914
Viscount Buxton, 1914–1920
Prince Arthur of Connaught, 1920–1924
Earl of Athlone, 1924–

Government

Southern Rhodesia officially became a Crown Colony under an Order in Council dated 30 July 1923. Responsible government was granted to the colony later the same year and the Constitution was issued on 1 September 1923.

The members of the Executive Council answered to and were appointed by the Governor, who continued to exercise supreme executive authority, but in practice they were the ministers of the elected government. The government was formally known as the "Governor in Council".

The Governor was appointed by the King as his representative and was also Commander-in-Chief of the military forces in the colony. The original salary was £10,000 per annum. The first Governor of Southern Rhodesia was Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Chancellor.

The first government comprised:

Department	Title of Minister	First Minister (Electoral District)	Senior Permanent Officials
Department of the Premier	Premier	Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan (Bulawayo North)	Chief of Staff Secretary to the Premier & Chief Clerk to the Legislative Assembly
Department of Native Affairs	Minister of Native Affairs	Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan (Bulawayo North)	Chief Native Commissioner
Department of the Colonial Secretary	Colonial Secretary	Sir Francis James Newton (Mazoe)	Secretary to the Department of the Colonial Secretary Controller of Printing & Stationery
Audit Department			Auditor-General Assistant Auditor and Inspector Inspector Senior Examiner
Department of Health, Education and Internal Affairs			Medical Director Director of Education
Department of the Treasury	Treasurer	Percival Donald Leslie Fynn (Salisbury North)	Secretary to the Treasury Commissioner of Taxes Controller of Customs Postmaster-General
Department of the Attorney-General	Attorney-General	Major Robert James Hudson (Bulawayo North)	Solicitor-General Secretary to the Law Department & Legal Adviser Senior Judge Judge Master of the High Court Commissioner of Police Registrar of Deeds
Department of Defence	Minister of Defence	Major Robert James Hudson (Bulawayo North)	Secretary to the Department of Defence Commandant of Southern Rhodesian Forces
Department of Mines and Public Works	Minister of Mines and Public Works	Howard Unwin Moffat (Victoria)	Secretary Accountant Inspectors of Mines (2) Mining Commissioners (4) Registrar of Claims Beacon Inspectors (3)
Public Works Department			Director of Public Works Assistant Architect Assistant Inspectors (2)
Roads Department			Engineer-in-Charge of Roads Assistant Road Engineers (2) Assistant Road Engineer and Surveyor
Geological Survey			Director of Geological Survey Geologists (2)
Department of Agriculture	Minister of Agriculture and Lands	William Muter Leggate (Northern)	Director of Agriculture Chief Veterinary Surgeon Director of Veterinary Research
Department of Lands	Minister of Agriculture and Lands	William Muter Leggate (Northern)	Director of Lands & Surveyor-General

As well as financial matters, the Treasurer ran the postal, telegraph and telephone services, as well as customs and excise. The Attorney-General was responsible for the police and prisons as well as legal and judicial affairs.

Ministers were permitted to prefix their names with "The Honourable".

The High Commissioner retained his nominal authority over Southern Rhodesia, but his powers were mostly devolved upon the Governor in Council.

Legislative Assembly

The first elections for the Legislative Assembly were held on 29 April 1924. Two members were elected by each of the fifteen Electoral Districts: Bulawayo, Bulawayo Central, Bulawayo North, Bulawayo South, Eastern, Gwelo, Hartley, Mazoe, Midlands, Northern, Salisbury North, Salisbury South, Umtali, Victoria, and Western. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker (and Chairman of Committees) were elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly from among their number, although they could also elect a non-member as Speaker. The first Speaker was L. Cripps, a non-member, and the first Deputy Speaker was Charles Eickhoff, member for Umtali.

Members of the Legislative Assembly were required to swear allegiance to the Sovereign.

Legislative Council

The Legislative Council was constituted on 20 October 1898 and first met on 15 May 1899. It consisted of the Administrator, the Resident Commissioner, four elected members (two each from Matabeleland and Mashonaland), and five members nominated by the British South Africa Company with the approval of the Secretary of State for the Colonies. These latter were senior officials of the government. As of 16 February 1903, this was expanded to seven elected members (three from the Western District, two from the Northern District, one each from the Eastern and Midland Districts) and seven nominated members (reduced to five again in 1907 and increased to six in 1914). In 1914, the country was divided into twelve Electoral Districts (Bulawayo, Bulawayo North, Bulawayo South, Eastern, Gwelo, Hartley, Marandellas, Northern, Salisbury, Salisbury Town, Victoria, Western), each electing a single member. In 1920 this was increased to thirteen by the addition of Midlands.

The Legislative Council was abolished as soon as nominations closed for the Legislative Assembly, but provision remained for the Legislative Assembly to reconstitute it.

Judiciary

Judges of the High Court were appointed by the Governor in Council. They could only be removed by the Governor in Council and then only if the Legislative Assembly requested it on the grounds of misbehaviour or incapacity.

Consulates

Consuls of Belgium, Greece and Portugal, and Vice-Consuls of Italy and Norway were present in Salisbury. Consuls of Denmark and the Netherlands, a Vice-Consul of Belgium, and a Consular Agent of France were present in Bulawayo. Most were British subjects.

Resident Commissioner

The Resident Commissioner was the Imperial representative in Southern Rhodesia, acting as a channel of communication between the Administrator and the High Commissioner in South Africa. He was also responsible for safeguarding the interests of the native inhabitants of the country. The post was established in 1898 and abolished upon the introduction of Responsible Government.

Sir Marshall Clarke, 1898–1905
Lieutenant-Colonel Chester Master, 1905–1908
Lieutenant-Colonel J. G. Fair, 1908–1911
Lieutenant-Colonel C. Burns-Begg, 1911–1915
H. J. Stanley, 1915–1918
C. Douglas-Jones, 1918–1924

Population

A Census was taken on 3 May 1921.

Race	1911 Census	1921 Census
European	23,606	33,620
Coloured (mixed race)	2,912	1,998
Asian	2,912	1,250
African (natives of Southern Rhodesia)	744,559	761,790
African (from elsewhere)	744,559	100,529
Total	771,077	899,187

European Censuses:

Census	European Population
1891 estimate	1,500
1904 Census	12,596
1907 Census	14,007
1911 Census	23,606
1921 Census	33,620

European populations of towns and villages:

Town or Village	1911 Census	1921 Census
Bulawayo Hillside Suburbs	5,199 —	6,830 503
Salisbury Avondale Suburbs	3,479 —	5,134 510
Umtali	1,056	1,634
Gwelo	570	925
Que Que	105	523
Gatooma	409	472
Shamva	—	446
Umvuma	—	414
Wankie	—	278
Lonely Mine	—	262
Penhalonga	330	240
Plumtree	137	231
Fort Victoria	119	222
Shabani	—	206
Selukwe	167	202
Nyson	—	145
Nil Desperandum and Birthday Mines	—	142
Melsetter	87	114
Sinoia	—	110
Hartley	175	110
Enkeldoorn	149	101

Nationality and place of birth of Europeans:

Place of Birth	British Nationality	Other Nationality
South Africa	11,634	—
United Kingdom	10,544	—
Southern Rhodesia	8,308	—
Elsewhere in Europe	46	1,521
Australasia	529	—
Elsewhere in British Southern Africa	359	—
Elsewhere in Africa	66	89
Asia	151	42
Americas	92	193
At sea and unknown	36	10

The population included 299 Greeks, 190 Italians, 168 Russians, 167 Americans, 157 Germans, 64 Swiss, 51 French, and 51 Poles, as well as 270 Europeans of other nationalities.

In 1921, 24.54% of European adult males worked in agriculture, 16.79% in commerce, 14.55% for the government, 12.84% in mining, 11.08% for the railways, 10.1% in industry, 5.01% in commercial services, 4.43% in the professions (medicine, law etc), and 0.66% were of independent means.

45.65% of Europeans belonged to the Church of England, 19.44% to the Dutch Reformed Church, 10.42% to Presbyterian churches, 7.7% to the Roman Catholic Church, 7.64% to Methodist churches, and 3.83% were Jews. Only 171 people stated they were of no religion, with another 47 refusing to say and 236 unknown. Nearly 75% of the Dutch Reformed Church members lived in rural areas, whereas over 60% of the other Christians (and over 77% of the Jews) lived in urban areas.

93% of the European population was able to speak English and 34.46% was able to speak Dutch or Afrikaans. Of those who were unable to speak English, all but a tiny minority spoke Dutch or Afrikaans instead. Over 83% of Dutch/Afrikaans-speakers lived in rural areas.

A high proportion of the Asian males were living apart from their wives or were married to African women. Only five men had more than one wife. Nearly 25% of the Asian population was Christian, with the remainder being mostly Hindu or Muslim. 50% were of British Indian origin. 25% were born in Africa, including nearly 19% born in Southern Rhodesia. Over 78% had British nationality, over 15% Portuguese and over 5% Chinese.

Employment of male Africans:

Industry	1911 Census	1921 Census
Agriculture	13,516	58,522
Mining	41,860	44,005
Commerce	3,344	4,621
Industry	10,827	11,433
Domestic service	12,135	14,247
Other	2,473	14,488
Total	84,155	147,316

Of these (in 1921), 52,691 were born in Southern Rhodesia, 44,702 in Nyasaland, 31,201 in Northern Rhodesia, 17,198 in Portuguese East Africa, 1,281 in South Africa and Bechuanaland, and 243 elsewhere.

Bushmen

The earliest inhabitants of Southern Rhodesia of which there is definite evidence were the Bushmen, or Abatwa. Numerous fine examples of their rock paintings have been found from Mount Darwin through Central Mashonaland to the Ndanga district in the south and to the Matobo Mountains in Matabeleland to the west. They appear to have been displaced by several waves of Bantu migration from the north.

Bantu peoples

The Bantu population comprises a large number of tribes.

The people originating in Mashonaland are collectively generally called the Mashona, Maswina, Bashabi or Makaranga by Europeans and other tribes, although they do not use these names themselves. They are the largest cultural group in the country and are divided into:

The Makorekore, who live in Northern Mashonaland (Lomagundi, Darwin, and parts of Mazoe and Mrewa districts)
The Vazezuru ("those who live on the high lands"), a generic name applied to a number of tribes who live in Central Mashonaland (southern Mazoe, Mrewa, Salisbury, Marandellas, Makoni and Charter districts)
The Makaranga, a generic name applied to a number of tribes (including the Bagobera and Bamali) who live in Southern Mashonaland (Victoria and Chibi districts, extending to Selukwe, Belingwe and Matobo districts in Matabeleland)
The Barozwi or Varozwi, who are scattered throughout various localities, especially in Bikita, Gwanda, Belingwe, Lomagundi and Makoni districts
The Manyika, who live in the Umtali and Inyanga districts
The Babudjga, who live in the Mtoko and Mrewa districts

The Makorekore, Vazezuru and Makaranga speak a dialect of Shona called Chitonga, commonly also called Chiswina or Chikaranga. The Barozwi speak the Chirozwi dialect.

Other groups include:

The Amatshangana and Bahlengwe, who live in the Melsetter, Ndanga and Chibi districts, and the Amandebele, who live in Central Matabeleland, all of whom are offshoots of the Zulu people
The Basuto or Bakaka, who live in the Gwanda and Bulalima-Mangwe districts, who speak Setswana

Most of the people in the Melsetter district speak Chindau, apparently a mixture of Shangaan and Chirozwi.

Food and agriculture

The staple crops of the Africans of Southern Rhodesia were:

Red millet (rupoko), the staple food of the people of the high veld and also used for making beer; it is winnowed and then slightly heated before being ground into flour
Grey millet (munga), most grown in the low veld and other places with poor rainfall; it is husked in a wooden mortar and then winnowed before being ground into flour
Maize, grown everywhere and before the arrival of Europeans usually eaten raw, roasted or boiled, and rarely ground into meal
Kaffir corn (maphundi), mostly grown in the low veld; usually ground into flour
Rice, red and white, grown extensively in the wetter areas; it may be ground into flour
Beans, especially the small spotted brown bean and the velvet bean
Ground nuts, extensively grown and eaten as an accompaniment to the staple millet or maize porridge; the oil is extracted to use for cooking or oiling the body
Bambara nuts, grown in some parts of the country
Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, gourds, tomatoes (a very small variety), chillies, watermelons and cucumbers, which are all grown everywhere
Cassava, or manioc, grown in the low veld, but rarely used as a food for humans except in times of poor harvest
Sugar cane, which the people grow for its juice, obtained by chewing the green stalk

The following wild fruits and plants are also extensively used:

Uapaca kirkiana (majanji or mahobohobo) fruit, eaten or used to make a sweet beer
Mahasha fruit, used to make beer
Baobab (mu-uyu) seed kernels, used to make a thick gruel
Wild figs (mukuyu), eaten or fermented and mixed with beer
Kaffir oranges (mutamba), eaten or made into a drink
Wild plums (somo and matondo)
Wild spinach, which grows profusely in old kraals and gardens and is extensively eaten

The people raise cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens for food, and also hunt antelope, hares, hyraxes (rock rabbits), cane rats, monkeys and baboons, as well as fishing and gathering numerous species of caterpillars, beetles and locusts.

The usual meal is a thick porridge made from one of the staple grains, usually with some sort of vegetable and/or meat accompaniment. Malt may be mixed with the porridge fed to children and the sick.

Bulawayo

Bulawayo was founded in December 1893 as a collection of tents atop the ruins of the kraal of King Lobengula; Government House was later built on this exact site. In June 1894 the town was moved to its current site nearby and rapidly grew in size. It lies on a slope at an altitude of 4,460 feet, nearly at the apex of the watershed of the tributaries flowing north to the Zambesi and south to the Limpopo. The area is relatively cool and dry and is thus generally free from disease.

The town gained the status of a municipality on 26 October 1897. By the 1920s it was divided into three wards, each electing three councillors. These elected a Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The town also had a salaried Town Clerk, Town Treasurer, Town Engineer, Medical Officer of Health, and Park Curator.

The population in the 1921 Census was 6,536 Europeans, 9,002 Africans, and 825 Indians and Coloureds.

The Bulawayo Museum was established in 1901 and the permanent building opened in 1910. It was situated on Eighth Avenue, opposite the Bulawayo Club. A large new wing was added in the early 1920s.

Bulawayo Public Library was founded in 1896 and had 12,000 volumes by 1924. It was largely supported by subscriptions (£2 per annum), but also received government and municipal grants. Subscribers had their own reading room, and there was also a public reading room and reference collection.

The Bulawayo Memorial Hospital was founded in 1894. It was controlled by a Board of Management comprising six elected members and four appointed by the government. It was maintained by municipal and government grants, fees from paying patients, and public donations. An Isolation Hospital was built on the outskirts of town by the municipal council in the early 1920s.

The Municipal Offices, which also contained the Post Office and the Customs Office, were erected at the corner of Main Street and Selborne Avenue in 1914. Next to the building, on Main Street, was the Matabeleland War Memorial, a stone Romanesque cloister with a garth (lawn) in the centre, on which was a granite cenotaph. Marble tablets bearing the names of the dead covered the cloister walls.

The Bulawayo Waterworks Co Ltd ran the town's electricity supply as well as its water supply.

The British South Africa Police provided the town fire brigade, with one officer and seventeen men manning three fire engines.

Bulawayo was Southern Rhodesia's railway hub. It housed the headquarters and workshops of the Beira and Mashonaland Railway and the Rhodesia Railway.

Weekly cattle sales were held in the Municipal Stockyards, which had their own railway siding.

There was a large area of parks between the town and the residential suburbs. The Central Park had lawns, flowerbeds and trees and was popular with the townspeople. The Bulawayo Town Band gave weekly performances there during the season. The North Park contained a small zoo.

The wide streets of the town were lined with trees.

The town boasted three large publicly-run schools and two boarding hostels, one each for boys and girls. There was also St George's Boys' Public School, run by the Jesuits, and a convent school for girls.

Bulawayo had a racecourse, golf course, cricket ground, football ground, hockey club, tennis and bowls club, and rifle range.

Salisbury

Salisbury was founded in 1890 as the capital of Southern Rhodesia. The original Board of Management was superseded by a Sanitary Board in 1895. It was created a municipality in 1897.

In 1924, Salisbury covered 1,327 acres and had about forty miles of streets. On 4 February 1901 the municipality was granted perpetual title to 20,000 acres of land surrounding the township itself.

White population:

Area	1899 Estimate	1904 Census	1907 Census	1911 Census	1921 Census
Township	1,600	1,439	1,428	3,479	5,134
Commonage and Suburbs	1,600	286	257	1,435	1,328
Total	1,600	1,725	1,685	4,914	6,462

The Town Council had nine members, including a mayor and deputy mayor. It employed a Town Clerk, Town Engineer, Electrical Engineer, and Medical Officer of Health.

The town had its own power station. Water was piped from the Makabusi River, which was dammed (with a water filtration plant), about seven miles from the town, to a reservoir just north of the town. Public swimming baths were located in the Public Gardens, adjacent to the power station.

The fire brigade had two fire engines and ten men, mostly members of the police.

The municipal stockyards on the south-west side of town covered about seven acres and could accommodate about 2,000 head of cattle. They had their own spur line from the Beira and Mashonaland Railway. The town also had municipal abattoirs and chilling rooms.

Salisbury had many industrial concerns, including bacon, biscuit, oil, candle and tobacco factories, flour mills, breweries, fertiliser works, and a leather factory.

The Public Gardens were laid out in the centre of town in 1901 and occupied nearly fifty acres. In 1923 the collection of animals and birds owned by Lady Chaplin was donated to the town and formed a municipal zoo. The war memorial in the centre of the gardens was erected in 1922 by subscription of both Europeans and Africans. A granite obelisk nearly fifty feet high, it commemorated the Rhodesians who fell in the First World War and featured statues of both a white and a black soldier. Greenwood Park, in the north-east part of town, was set up as the municipal botanic garden, featuring only Rhodesian flora. Most of the streets in residential areas were planted with trees.

The two-storey Queen Victoria Memorial building was erected by public subscription on the west side of Moffat Street in 1902 and housed the municipal museum and public library, which in 1924 had a news room, 14,000 volume circulating library, and reference library, with separate public and subscribers' reading rooms. The museum had particularly good collections of birds and insects. Adjoining the building's grounds was the Volunteer Drill Hall, also erected in 1902. After the Volunteers were disbanded, it continued to be used by the Cadets, and also as a public hall for entertainment and public meetings. It stood in about six acres of grounds and also had stabling for about sixty horses.

The Salisbury Hospital was built in 1914. It had two storeys and could accommodate sixty patients (Europeans only), as well as a number of maternity cases.

Gwelo

Gwelo was the capital of the Midlands and was the centre of the gold mining industry, as well as being in the heart of rich agricultural, grazing and timber country. It was founded in 1894 and was very small until the outbreak of the Matabele Rebellion in March 1896, whereupon all the six hundred or so gold prospectors operating in the area flooded into the town for protection. In December 1896, Gwelo was granted a Sanitary Board and in July 1914 received municipality status.

The population in 1924 was 1,100 Europeans, 700 Africans, 70 Indians, and 40 Coloureds.

The Town Council had six members, including the mayor and deputy mayor. It employed a Town Clerk, Electrical Engineer, and Sanitary Inspector. There was a court house, drill hall, police station, and hospital. A municipal power station supplied electricity and water was obtained from artesian boreholes at the foot of the Gwelo Kopje, piped across the town by gravity.

The public library was founded in 1897 and was housed in a handsome brick building erected just after the First World War. By 1924 it held 3,700 volumes. Use of the reading room was free, but subscription to the lending library cost 2s 6d per month.

The town police also manned the fire brigade, which did not operate any fire engines.

Industries included wheat, mealie and grain mills, a creamery, wagon and timber factories, an iron foundry, and municipal cattle yards and abattoirs (the latter built in the early 1920s).

The Gwelo Gardens were in the central suburbs and acted as a public park. They also housed the Memorial Swimming Baths and a memorial obelisk to those killed in the Matabele Rebellion.

There was a sports ground and a racecourse, both provided by the British South Africa Company, although the former was administered by the Town Council. The Empire Theatre was primarily a bioscope (cinema), although it also put on the occasional concert or performance by a visiting theatrical company.

The Gwelo Hospital was owned by the government and run by the District Surgeon. It stood in extensive grounds.

There are schools for boys and girls, the latter named the Chaplin High School after Sir Drummond Chaplin, both with boarding accommodation, and a convent school.

Umtali

Umtali was generally considered to be the most picturesque settlement in Southern Rhodesia. It was also the easternmost town, very close to the Mozambique border. It was the centre of a prosperous ranching, farming and mining district. Nearby were the Premier Citrus Estate of the BSA Company, the Rezende Mines, and a number of smaller mines.

It was given the status of a municipality in 1914. It is divided into three wards, with three councillors representing each ward. One is elected mayor and one deputy mayor. The Council employs a Town Clerk and Treasurer, a Town Engineer, a Town Electrician, a Market Master, a Works Foreman, a Sanitary Inspector and Town Ranger, a Water Inspector, a Park Curator, and a Town Solicitor.

In 1924 the town's population comprised 1,874 Europeans, 108 Asians, and about 2,000 Africans.

The town had a building housing the Court House and municipal offices, a drill hall, an Agricultural Show Hall and associated buildings, a Public High School, Chancellor House (a hostel for schoolboys), and market buildings. There were churches of the Church of England, Presbyterian Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, Roman Catholic Church, and Dutch Reformed Church. There were also separate "native churches" of the Church of England and Methodist Episcopal Church. There were Masonic Lodges of both the English Constitution and Scottish Constitution.

The Turner Memorial Library (the municipal public library) was founded in 1902 in memory of Major Scott-Turner, a former Civil Commissioner. It had 5,550 volumes by 1924, with free and subscribers' reading rooms.

There was a power station providing electric light and power, although non-lighting power was not supplied to the public. The water supply operated on a gravitation basis, supplemented by boreholes.

The town had two sawmills, two aerated water factories, a ice factory, and two grinding mills.

The town had a station on the main Salisbury-Beira line of the Rhodesia Railway, 204 miles from Beira, with locomotive sheds and workshops.

The town had a public park (Victoria Park) and Botanical Gardens. The principal streets were lined with trees. There were also two eighteen-hole golf courses, a sports ground, tennis courts, two theatres, and a bioscope hall (cinema).

There was a Government Hospital, a maternity hospital, and a nursing home.

Prince Arthur of Connaught unveiled a war memorial in the form of a granite obelisk in August 1921.

Gatooma

Also a municipality.

The Gatooma and District Public Library was established in 1917. By 1924 it had about 1,800 volumes.

Fort Victoria

The town originated as Victoria and was granted a Sanitary Board in 1894, making it one of the oldest local authorities in the country. It was renamed Fort Victoria in 1917. The Sanitary Board had seven members. The Magistrate and Civil Commissioner was the chairman, with three elected members and three members appointed by the government. The senior town official was the Secretary to the Board.

The population in July 1923 comprised approximately 220 Europeans, 400 Africans, and 75 Asians and Coloureds.

The town had a twice-weekly market, although this did not handle grain or livestock.

The town was dependant on the Umshagashi River for its water supply, as well as a borehole one mile from the town. The town had no running water in 1924. The streets were not paved. Twenty-five acres on the riverbank had been set aside as a public park, and tree planting was in progress.

There was a Government Hospital and a cemetery.

Que Que

Que Que grew up around the Globe and Phoenix and Gaika gold mines, which were discovered in about 1900. By 1924 it was a small but prosperous township with a station on the main Bulawayo to Salisbury railway line.

In 1924 the population of the town, including mineworkers, was about 500 Europeans and 5,000 Africans.

It was administered by a Sanitary Board woith seven members, including the chairman (who was the town's Assistant Magistrate). Officials were the Secretary and Sanitary Inspector.

There was a Court House, post office, gaol, police camp, hotel, recreation hall, and the Globe and Phoenix Club (which also had a good library).

There was no public lighting, but electricity was supplied under contract to some households and establishments by the Globe and Phoenix Mine.

The town had many decorative trees. There were football grounds, a sports ground, a golf course, tennis courts, a racecourse, bioscope halls (cinemas), and dance halls.

The Globe and Phoenix Hospital was owned by the mining company, but was open to the public.

The village held a weekly vegetable market on Saturday mornings.

Umvuma

Umvuma acquired a Village Management Board in 1916 and a Sanitary Board in 1918. It was a private township, half of the plots belonging to Willoughby's Consolidated Company and half to the government, although by the early 1920s it was possible for residents to purchase their plots.

Electric light was provided by the nearby Falcon Mines. Water was pumped by way of a windmill, and was supplemented when necessary by the mines.

The Sanitary Board had seven members, including the chairman. The senior official was the Secretary.

Avondale

A suburb of Salisbury, 1,200 yards from the town centre, Avondale was originally built on a farm which was cut up into building lots and sold by its owners in 1903. It acquired a Village Management Board in June 1911. The board had five members, including the chairman.

In 1911 there were 50 or 60 houses in the village; by 1924 there were 180.

Bindura

Bindura District is the centre of the Mazoe Valley, the most fertile part of Southern Rhodesia. Maize, tobacco and cotton are the chief crops. There are also several gold mines in the district and a number of prospectors worked in the area. Bindura Township is situated on high ground between the Poorti River and the Mazoe River, 61 miles from Salisbury by road and 70 by rail.

Bindura was established in about 1912 and acquired a Village Management Board in 1916. It had five members, including the chairman, who was the Assistant Magistrate.

The main road was Abercorn Road. There was an hotel, a branch of the Standard Bank, a post office, and the Farmers' Hall (the headquarters of the Bindura Farmers' Association, and also used by the government elementary school). The railway station, on the line between Salisbury and Shamva, was on the west side of the village.

In 1924, the European population was 94.

Bindura was also the administrative centre for the Darwin District.

The village had a volunteer unit (the Bindura Rifle Company, commanded by a Lieutenant), a gymkhana club and a tennis club. There were branches of the Sons of England (Milton Lodge) and the Overseas League.

Gwanda

Gwanda acquired a Village Management Board on 28 March 1902. It had three members, including the chairman.

Hartley

Hartley was established on the banks of the Umfuli River on 7 March 1901. It was moved to the present site in 1902 and acquired a Village Management Board on 21 November 1902. In January 1922, the membership was reduced from seven to five, all of whom should be elected by the village's ratepayers. It was thus the only Village Management Board in Southern Rhodesia whose members were elected, although the elections were subject to the approval of the Administrator. A Secretary and Sanitary Inspector were employed.

The village had no public lighting in 1922. The water supply was by way of a borehole and windmill, which raised it and piped it to standpipes across the village.

There was a court house, a Native Commissioner's Office, an Assistant Magistrate's office, a Cattle Inspector's office, a post office, a school, a public park and a cemetery.

There was a hospital (and medical officer) in Hartley between 1903 and 1918, when it was closed and moved to Gatooma. The Loyal Women's Guild ran a maternity home and general hostel under the charge of a nursing sister.

The first school was opened on 24 April 1912. In February 1922 it moved to the old hospital building, which also had accommodation for the teachers. In January 1923 it became a boarding school with its own hostel, also within the same building. It started with fifteen boarders, but that had increased to fifty (with a further 25 day scholars) by 1924. An annexe had to be opened for boys in the old Native Commissioner's office and the old schoolhouse to had to be reopened. There was a headmaster, lady superintendent (the headmaster's wife), matron, assistant matron, and three assistant teachers.

The Hartley Sporting and Athletic Club had a ground with five tennis courts, cricket pitch, football pitch, croquet lawn, and golf course.

Marandellas

Marandellas was situated on the Salisbury-Beira railway line about 45 miles from Salisbury, at an altitude of 5,446 feet. It was named after Marondela, a chief who lived nearby. It had a good climate and was known as a health resort.

It acquired a Village Management Board in 1913. It had three members until January 1922, when it acquired two more members. The Native Commissioner was the original chairman, succeeded by the Assistant Magistrate by 1922. The Secretary was also Sanitary Inspector and Superintendent of the Native Location.

In 1924 there were about one hundred European inhabitants. There were several stores, two garages, a mill, two butchers, a baker, and an hotel. Another, the Ruzawi Inn, was about 3½ miles from town.

There was a building housing the court and Assistant Magistrate's and Native Commissioner's offices, a police station, a post office, and a government school.

There were golf and tennis clubs and some private tennis courts. The Marandellas Sports Club held annual gymkhana and race meetings, usually in June.

The new Native Location was laid out by 1924 and substantial huts of kimberley brick had been built.

The village obtained its water from a number of boreholes.

Melsetter

The township was founded in 1894 by Martinus Martin, who led the original trek into this area of Rhodesia. It is built on a rise with a magnificent view of the Chamanimani Mountains. Melsetter is considered to be the healthiest town in Rhodesia and is a shooting centre.

The Village Management Board was formed in 1922. It had five members and was chaired by the Assistant Magistrate.

The water supply was by open gravity furrow until 1924, when pipes started to be installed.

A War Memorial Hall and Public Library were under construction in 1924. The town had avenues of trees planted along its roads.

Penhalonga

Penhalonga was a mining camp on the Umtali River, 10 miles to the north of Umtali itself. There were motor roads from the village to Odzi (22 miles) and Rusape (53 miles), as well as easy motor access to all the farms on the Umtali Plateau. Much of the surrounding area was mined.

The Village Management Boadr was established in 1909 and had three members, with a Clerk.

The village had a good water supply to all buildings that required it. The main street was planted with trees. There was an hotel and the Rezende Club. The club was open to all residents who wished to join and ran an athletic ground with three tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, and a cricket and football ground. The Penhalonga Rifle Company had a 1,200 yard rifle range and the Penhalonga Gymkhana Club had a racecourse and jumping enclosure.

Plumtree

Plumtree was on the main Salisbury-Cape Town railway line, 65 miles from Bulawayo.

It acquired a Village Management Board in April 1908. It has five members and is chaired by the Assistant Magistrate.

There is a well and windmill for raising and pumping the water, sunk in 1917. A public abattoir was erected in 1916. Public natives latrines and a market shed were erected in the early 1920s. There was a large boys' boarding school, which had the largest school library in Southern Rhodesia, with 1,400 volumes by 1924.

Rusape

Rusape had a Village Management Board with three members, including the chairman (also the Assistant Magistrate) and Secretary. It only handled sanitary matters.

Selukwe

The Village Management Board was formed in 1903. It had seven members.

The only water supply was via private wells and a single public well owned by the government. The water was very pure, but the arrangements were not ideal.

The village had cricket, football, tennis and golf clubs. There was a nursing home, controlled by the Village Management Board, which primarily dealt with maternity cases, although it also dealt with illness and accidents.

The main local industry was chrome mining, as well as one or two small gold mines. Asbestos from Shabani was brought to Selukwe by wagon to be loaded onto the railway and taken to the ports.

Shabani

The Village Management Board was established on 25 November 1921 and had three members, chaired by the Assistant Magistrate. It employed no officials.

Most of the Europeans in the area worked for and lived at the local mines. The population of the actual village was very small.

Sinoia

The chief town of the Lomagundi District. The Village Management Board was formed in 1914 with three members, chaired by the Assistant Magistrate. About 100 Europeans and 300 Africans lived in the village.

There was a government office building, Native Commissioner's office, Assistant Magistrate's office, court house, post office, police camp, and hospital. There was no public lighting. Water was obtained from a well, with a windmill, and from the Rongo Spruit when there was no wind to drive the mill. In 1924 a ram was built to raise water from the Rongo Spruit to the top of town, to be piped from there by gravitation.

The town had blacksmiths' shops, carriage building works, garages and mealie meal mills.

The Market Square was at the centre of town. There were tennis, golf and football clubs. The Farmers' Hall hosted dances and concerts.

The Hunyani River was 1½ miles away from town and the Sinoia Caves were five miles away. The British South Africa Company's Sinoia Citrus Estate was about a mile away, with orange groves, irrigation works and packing sheds with the most modern machinery.

Enkeldoorn

Had a Village Management Board.

Enkeldoorn Public Library was established in 1903. By 1924 it contained 1,909 volumes.

Nyson and Belle-View also had Village Management Boards.

Department of Mines and Public Works

The head office was at Salisbury. The first Mining Commissioners were appointed in 1891. A Secretary for Mines was appointed in 1902. Ernest (later Sir Ernest) Montagu held the position from 1902 until his retirement in 1923, when an elected minister took over the department.

Inspectors of Mines were based at Salisbury and Bulawayo. Their job was to visit all mines to ensure that regulations were complied with, give technical advice, and enquire into serious accidents. Mining Commissioners were based at Salisbury, Bulawayo, Gwelo, and Gatooma. The Magistrates at Umtali and Fort Victoria also acted as Mining Commissioners. These six officials supervised mining in their district, dealt with disputes, and collected revenue. The Registrar of Claims handled all statistical information. The Beacon Inspectors were surveyors who visited and surveyed all claims, compiled mining maps, and reported o the condition of beacons.

The Public Works and Roads Departments were established in 1895. The country was divided into three roads areas, each under an Assistant Engineer and Road Superintendent. In 1924 there were 8,000 miles of roads.

The Geological Survey was established in 1910 and was engaged in producing the geological map of the colony, parts of which were published on a regular basis.

Reference

Official Year Book of the Colony of Southern Rhodesia, 1924