Makhokhoba and the Surrounding Areas as the Remarkable Centres of Liberation Struggle in Zimbabwe: A Case of Zhii Protests

Abstract

Makhokhoba and Mzilikazi are two of the oldest suburbs in Zimbabwe and Bulawayo respectively. The people in these areas played a pivotal role in dismantling the yoke of colonialism in Zimbabwe. They also suffered a lot during this period as they were treated as second-class citizens; as evidenced by their type of dwellings—mainly hostels and one- room houses. These were meant for accommodating a man only, as women were not allowed in these areas because they were supposed to stay in rural areas while only the men worked in the city of Bulawayo. This mistreatment, poor working conditions and other ills they suffered in the hands of colonialists led to Zhii protests (Zhii is an Ndebele word for Ndebele war cry). The Zhii protests were mainly volatile skirmishes against the colonial power in the 1950s concerning poor working conditions. These skirmishes are vividly captured in records of oral history interviews found at the National Archives of Zimbabwe. It is therefore, the aim of this article to delve more into these protests by studying the life stories of selected individuals in order to understand the socio-political and economic factors behind them. The life story approach will be interrogated as the best way of collecting oral testimonies. Oral history sources and published literature have been used as sources of information