CHAPTER I

History of entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe

Introduction

Zimbabwe has, for centuries, had strong entrepreneurial abilities. There has been evidence of all
industries stretching from primary, secondary and tertiary industry. Agriculture, mining, trade,
manufacturing industries were there before the 19 th century. The only argument could then be the
scale and the technology level. In fact, the history of entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe dates back to
the civilization era. In the Mutapa and Rozvi States, there were successful business initiators/
owners who became very wealthy.

By about 1200 to 1890 AD African Entrepreneurs on the plateau between Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers became
more advanced due to iron technology. The pre-colonial entrepreneurs included the iron Smiths (boiler makers) or
fitting and turning craftsmen (mhizha), potters, farmers (hurudza), hunters (hombarume), among others.

As an evidence to disagree with the explanation of African history that the pre colonial African societies were
primitive and unchanging, and therefore any important changes were brought by outsiders, archaeologists have
found pottery and iron tools at Great Zimbabwe and in other different parts of the plateau between Limpopo and
Zambezi Rivers (Zimbabwe).
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Entrepreurship in the Primary industry

Farming
There were great farmers during the pre-colonial era. These were known, in shona, as hurudza. These great
entrepreneurs produced not only for their consumption, but for trade and other fellow citizens. Crops like millet,
rapoko, ground nuts, round nuts were grown. That was crop farming. Animal farming was also popular. Great
entrepreneurs could own as many as 500 or more cattle. Goats and sheep were also kept. The cattle were a form of
wealth and could be traded or exchanged for jewellery and other commodities.

Mining
Zimbabweans have been great miners way before the arrival of the British in the 1880s. Entrepreneur – miners
extracted iron ore from the ground . Mining rights were given by the King and his advisors. The minerals mined
included gold, copper, iron, for instance.

Entrepreurship in the Manufacturing (secondary) Industry

There was a very successful value adding industry before colonization. The output from agriculture and mining was
processed. Great and useful items were made to serve the needs of the people then.

Metallurgist and Iron smith (Mhizha)

Entrepreneur – metallurgists crushed iron ore and smelt it with very hot fire. At Great Zimbabwe there is still
evidence of clay furnace, forge and bellow. This smelting separated the metal from the stone. As the pure iron
cooled, it hardened again, and the village smiths could hammer it into shape of hoes, axes and knifes. This was a
revolutionary development in the way of life of Africans.

These were the most skillful technicians, engineers, and business people who had the role of processing, the iron,
cooper, gold into useful products. The farmers needed hoes (mapadza), axes (matemo ) etc. The hunters needed
spears (mapfumo), bows and arrows etc. Jewellery such as golden necklaces were also needed by the wealthy
people and the royal family. These products could be traded to other kingdom for other products. The ironsmith
were usually very wealth. These skilled artisans were entrepreneurs of the time in metallurgy.. The iron smith
entrepreneurs were weapon and tool makers. The weapons and tools included arrows, axes, knives, and hoes,
among others. At first, iron was used only to make light arrow heads and jewellery. Bigger items such as hoes and
axes took much more time and labour

Entrepreneur – village smiths often paid tributes to their Chief or King with hoes, axe heads and other items from
iron.Hoes were used for special payments such as lobola.

The use of iron made it easier to hunt wild animals, till land and undertake domestic tasks. People who lived near
deposits became entrepreneurs in mining, smelting, and fabrication (boiler making) and traded their products for
other goods.

Entrepreneur-Potter
Some African Entrepreneurs were involved in pottery designing and making clay pots.

Brewing Industry
Millet, rapoko, and sorghum were processed and brewed into different beer flavours. As it is today, after work
villagers would gather and drink. This industry had strong competition and successful entrepreneurs were known
for exceptional brews and good customer care

Colonisation and its effect on African entrepreneurship

Colonization negatively affected the Zimbabwean entrepreneurs and/or industrialists as well as their governance.

Wars
When the British arrived, major wars were fought. These are the War of Dispossession or Anglo-Ndebele War :
1893-4;First Chimurenga:1896-7; and the 2nd Chimurenga:1966-79. These wars disturbed the smooth running of
entrepreneurial activities by blacks in Zimbabwe in so far as farming , mining, hunting ,among others, were
concerned.

Farming

The land Issue

 When the British arrived they introduced the reserve system and translocated the native Zimbabweans to
infertile dry inhospitable areas .

 In 1894 the first reserves were set up in Shangani and Gwaai and this affected the entrepreneurs in farming.

 After the defeat of the Ndebele, the settlers seized their 6 000 acres displacing many natives and those
displaced became fulltime labourers or squatters.

 The settlers started ill treating the Ndebele like they were doing the Shona.

 To solve their labour problems, the company introduced forced labour. The chiefs were instructed to recruit
able bodied men and hand them over to the BSAC as labourers- “chibharo”. The Shona and Ndebele so
enslaved ran away into the hills to escape. The presence of white settlements contrary to the agreements
entered into.

 Again this did not please the Ndebele who wanted to claim their ancestral land back as in the reserves there was
food shortage and starvation at times.

CATTLE
 Livestock was seized to force men to go to work for the settler

 Soon after the defeat of the Ndebele in the Anglo Ndebele war, the whites confiscated the Ndebele cattle
numbering about 250 000.

 This drastically reduced the Ndebele herd and the Ndebele wanted their cattle back as it was a sign of prestige.

TAXATION
For example the Hut Tax of 1903 was enacted to raise revenue for settlers and to force black men to go and
work for the white men leaving their entrepreneurial activities.This was also imposed to indirectly force the
blacks to work in order to pay tax and it was meant to increase the company income.

The Native Reserve Order In Council: 1898.

The Act created reserves in dry inhospitable areas. This affected the entrepreneurial activities of blacks in
agriculture. The Act also effectively removed all native chiefs who were anti- settlers and replaced them with
puppet settler administrators.
Land Bank acts: 1912.
The land bank act provided new white settler farmers with free tillage for five years and the same period as
grace before commencing to repay loans from the state owned Land bank.
The Morris Carter Commission:1925.
Divided the whole country into agro-zones based on rainfall patterns from the highest rainfall region 1 to the
lowest rainfall region 5. Natives were trans- located to regions 4 and 5.
The Land Apportionment Act: 1930.In 1930 whites who numbered 50 000 were allocated 49 000 000 acres of
prime land while blacks who numbered 1 000 000 were allocated 28 000 000
acresoftheworstland in regions 4 and five. The translocation of blacks greatly affected their farming
entrepreneurial activities and was accompanied with untold violence and starvation and malnutrition became
endemic.. The Land Apportionment Act of 1930 confirmed and legalised the displacement of Africans that had
been ongoing earlier.

Up until 1906, ninety percent of Southern Rhodesia’s agricultural produce came from black farmers and many
whites did not like this state of affairs. As a result, the Rhodesia Native Labour Bureau (RNLB) stopped blacks
from competing with whites and between 1908 and 1915, 1.5 million acres of the best land was taken from blacks
and given to whites. New boundaries were created to exclude fertile high rainfall areas from newly created
reserves. The latter were located in semi arid areas. Blacks in regions 1, 2 and 3 were made to pay higher grazing
fees and taxes. Since many could not pay they were removed and settled in reserves which were situated far away
from markets and rail and tarred motor roads. By the 1920s, 65% of the black population had been forced into
reserves. This led to cycle of poverty among Africans which persists up to today -2004.

The Land Husbandry Act: 1951.

The Act barred any African family from owning more than five herd of cattle or eight acres of land in the
communal lands.

The Tribal Trust Land Act:1965.

 The Act segregated the ownership of land between white areas and black areas. Natives could only occupy land in
communal lands without holding title to it. In Towns natives could only lease property and no black man could own
a house in town until after 1980.

The Land Tenure Act:1969.

The act divided the land on racial lines and designated the best 45 000 000 acres as European land and shared among
the 250 000 whites and the worst 45 000 000acres was designated as native land to be shared by the 5 000 000
blacks. The act also barred the races from encroaching in the other race’s land.
Mining
In mining , pieces of repressive legislation were put in place by the British upon their arrival. For example Minerals
and Mining Rights laws restricted the blacks from carrying on with their entrepreneurial activities in mining. In
fact , one had to secure a prospectus license for mining of which it was difficult for the blacks.
Hunting
Laws were also put in place in hunting. Wildlife Parks and Game Parks were created. It became illegal to hunt in the
parks. One would be treated as a poacher if found in the parks. Thus , the blacks’ entrepreneurial activities were
affected by such parks.

Post Colonial Era

During the colonial era black entrepreneurs were so limited. The reason being inability by blacks to access means of
production and suppressed talent. Technical Education was also biased. From 1980 we saw the cropping of great
entrepreneurs from the black populace. There were business Start ups in the transport sector, retailing,
manufacturing, farming, and many industries.

The government supporting schemes has been the major driver facilitating entrepreneurial activities. Sources of
funds be obtained from AGRIBANK, SEDCO, etc
From 2010 the Indigenization and Empowerment Act created a further empowering tool leading to the starting up of
business in areas like mining.
Zimbabwe remains one of the African countries with potential for a vibrant entrepreneurial activities.