Geological Map Of The Country Around Shamva – Mazoe District – Rhodesia – 1928 – First Edition

Cartographer: Geological Survey Of Southern Rhodersia
Publisher: Surveyor General’s Office
Price: £38 (post-free in the UK)
Publication Date: 1928
Edition: 1st edition
Format: Colour printed
Condition: In very good condition
Sheet Size: 59.7cm x 43.7cm

Condition:

Size: 59.7cm x 43.7cm. Scale: 1:59500. Small amount of loss to the margin. Creasing and minor marks and wear. In very good condition overall.

Location: DOBRLTUBE 002820

The Mazoe District, Southern Rhodesia: A Historical Overview

1. Geographical and Colonial Context

Mazoe District is located in northeastern Zimbabwe, approximately 40 kilometres north of Harare. During the colonial era, it was part of Southern Rhodesia, a self-governing British colony established by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) in 1890 and formally administered by the British Crown from 1923.

The district is named after the Mazowe River, an important tributary of the Zambezi. Its fertile soil and mineral wealth made it a focus of settler interest from the earliest days of colonisation.

2. Early Colonial Period and Indigenous Resistance

The British South Africa Company Era (1890–1923)

• Colonial Penetration: The BSAC acquired control of the territory through controversial treaties and military force. By the early 1890s, settlers had moved into Mazoe.
• Mazoe Patrol (June 1896): A key event during the First Chimurenga (Shona and Ndebele uprisings against British colonial rule).
  • A group of settlers, including women, were besieged at the Alice Mine in Mazoe Valley.
  • The Mazoe Patrol, a rescue column, fought its way through ambushes to reach them.
  • This incident became a symbol of settler resilience in colonial narratives but is now recognised as part of the broader indigenous resistance to occupation.
• The region was subsequently pacified and came under full settler control.

3. Agricultural and Economic Development

Post-Chimurenga Settlement

• After 1896, the BSAC and later Southern Rhodesian governments encouraged white settlement through land grants.
• Mazoe District became a white farming stronghold, known particularly for:
  • Citrus production (notably oranges and lemons)
  • Tobacco and maize farming
  • Cattle ranching

Mazoe Dam (constructed 1919–1920)

• Built to support commercial agriculture.
• Engineered by the Department of Public Works and completed in 1920.
• It created one of the largest reservoirs in Rhodesia at the time and enabled the establishment of large irrigated citrus estates.

African Displacement

• The expansion of settler farms resulted in the displacement of Shona communities and their resettlement in designated Native Reserves.
• Labour for the farms and mines was largely supplied by local African communities under coercive labour regimes.

4. Mining in the District

Mazoe Goldfield

• Gold was discovered in the 1890s, particularly at Jumbo Mine (Mazowe Mine).
• The mine was operated first by the BSAC and later by private companies such as Lonrho.
• It became one of the most productive underground gold mines in the colony.
• The industry drew migrant labour, including workers from Malawi and Mozambique.

5. Social and Political Structures under Rhodesia

Segregation and Land Apportionment

• The Land Apportionment Act of 1930 legally divided land by race, reserving fertile areas such as Mazoe for white settlers.
• African land ownership and farming were tightly restricted.
• Political representation was also racially segregated, with white settlers dominating all levels of government.

Education and Missions

• Christian missions, including Catholic and Anglican institutions, operated schools and clinics.
• Africans had limited access to quality education compared to settler children, who attended better-funded schools.

6. Mid-20th Century: Toward UDI

Federation and Economic Growth (1953–1963)

• Mazoe was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which aimed to unify Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), and Nyasaland (Malawi) under white minority rule.
• During this time, Mazoe’s agriculture and mining sectors thrived, but political repression intensified.

Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI, 1965)

• In 1965, Rhodesia declared independence from Britain under Ian Smith, maintaining white minority rule.
• Mazoe remained a stronghold of white farming and conservative politics.

7. Liberation War and Transition to Independence (1966–1980)

Second Chimurenga

• From the late 1960s through the 1970s, Mazoe, like much of rural Rhodesia, experienced guerrilla warfare as nationalist movements fought to end colonial rule.
• ZANLA (Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army) operated in the region, targeting infrastructure and settler farms.
• The district was heavily militarised during the war, with frequent skirmishes and the construction of protected villages and security posts.

8. Post-Independence Transformation (1980 Onward)

Though outside the direct scope of Rhodesian history, it is important to note:

• In 1980, Southern Rhodesia became Zimbabwe.
• Large-scale farms in Mazowe began to be redistributed during the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme in the 2000s.
• Former commercial farming estates were subdivided, and some were nationalised.

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