'There is something about cattle' : towards an economic history of the beef industry in colonial Zimbabwe, with special reference to the role of the State, 1939-1980

• Main Author: Samasuwo, Nhamo Wellington
• Other Authors: Phimister, Ian R
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2016
• Subjects: Historical Studies
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22560

This thesis examines the historical evolution of the beef industry in colonial Zimbabwe in the period between 1939-1980 with special reference to the role of the State. It analyses how the State's statutory marketing and pricing policies helped to develop the industry from its infancy to a stage where it became not just a major food producer but also an important earner of foreign currency for the country. Three major objectives inspired this study: first, to fill in a yawning gap in the post-war colonial economic, social and political historiography of Zimbabwe and to highlight the centrality of cattle to this; secondly, to make a contribution to the history of the country's food industry and, thirdly, to critically examine how the development of the beef industry affected the economic, social and political well-being of both Africans and white settlers and their relations with the State during what was, arguably the most eventful period in the country's colonial history. The thesis is divided into six chapters, all of which follow the known chronological contours of colonial Zimbabwean historiography, i.e. the period before the Second World War, 1890-1938; Second World War, 1939-1945; Post-war years, 1946-1953; Federal period, 1954-1964; UDI and the Second Chimurenga, 1965-1980. Chapter One gives a historical background to the whole study and analyses the origins, growth and factors which governed the development of the beef industry since the establishment of colonialism in the 1980's up to 1938. Chapter Two examines the impact of the Second World War on the beef industry's development, while Chapter Three examines the economic impact of post-war economic growth on the industry's capacity to satisfy increased domestic demand for beef. Chapter Four explores the strengths and weaknesses of Federal State policy in enabling the country to achieve self-sufficiency in beef. Chapter Five explores the impact of economic sanctions and the process of agrarian diversification on the industry's development during the first six years of UDI. Chapter Six is the last one in this study and examines the economic impact of the Second Chimurenga or War of Liberation on the industry from 1972- 1980.