111-592: Mutare City Council is a local governing board that oversees within Mutare City limits. It is a statutory body established in terms of Constitution Amendment 20 of 2013's Zimbabwean Constitution . Under the Women's Quota: Mutare Mutare , formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland . It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe . Having surpassed Gweru in
222-537: A 1922 referendum , the community rejected joining the Union of South Africa , electing instead to establish responsible government . In the 1964 Rhodesian independence referendum , the community voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence from Britain, leading to Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence under Prime Minister, Ian Smith . The community was embroiled in the Rhodesian Bush War (1964-1979), as
333-401: A SADC tribunal ruled that the government had racially discriminated against Campbell, denied him legal redress, and prevented him from defending his farm. In 2017, new President Emmerson Mnangagwa 's inaugural speech promised to pay compensation to the white farmers whose land was seized during the land reform programme. Rob Smart became the first white farmer whose land was returned within
444-462: A nature reserve Cecil Kopje and Tigers Kloof. The Mutare Boys' High Chapel was constructed in honour of former Old boys who perished in World War II, situated on a hilly knoll at Mutare Boys High (then Umtali Boys High). Mutare is served by rail with daily passenger and freight links to Nyazura, Rusape and Harare . There are three small aerodromes; the smallest is at Mutare Provincial Hospital,
555-598: A votive offering , as they were discovered near what appeared to be an altar. Mutare was founded in 1897 as a fort, about 8 km from the border with Mozambique , and is just 290 km from the Mozambican port of Beira , earning Mutare the title of "Zimbabwe's Gateway to the Sea". It is sometimes also called "Gateway to the Eastern Highlands". Many Zimbabwean locals refer to it as 'Kumakomoyo' (place of many mountains). There
666-625: A colonial invention, unknown in African tradition." John Bredenkamp started his trading business during the UDI era, when he developed expertise in "sanctions busting". He is reported to have arranged the export of Rhodesian tobacco and the import of components (including parts and munitions for the Rhodesian government's force of Hunter jets) in the face of UN trade sanctions. Bredenkamp was able to continue and expand his business after independence, making himself
777-520: A critical state. There is a main park in the city just before the cricket grounds that is also underutilised and not in good shape. A game park called the Cecil Kop is located in Tigers Kloof and also lacks proper management. Most of the buildings in the city are low-rise buildings with the tallest being 8 floors high. The city has a pleasant ambience. There are generally no sidewalks on all roads outside
888-493: A degrading campaign by the Zimbabwean State media in the 2000s. Several state newspapers referred to white Zimbabweans as "Britain's Children" and "settlers and colonialists". In 2006, several white Zimbabweans living in the affluent Harare suburb of Borrowdale were evicted from their homes because of their proximity to Mugabe's new home in the area. In 2007, it was reported that 100 mostly white youths were arrested during
999-469: A dramatic decline in Zimbabwe's agricultural production. Indeed, in an effort to boost their own agricultural output, neighbouring countries, including Mozambique and Zambia, offered land and other incentives to entice Zimbabwe's white farmers to emigrate. By 2008, an estimated one in ten out of 5,000 white farmers remained on their land. Many of these continued to face intimidation, however. By June 2008, it
1110-652: A fear that union would bring a wave of Afrikaner "poor whites" to the country. Some Afrikaners came to the country to escape the National Party politics, and they looked to Southern Rhodesia, not to become closer to Britain, but to forge a White African identity with English-speaking whites that was free of the Afrikaner supremacy in South Africa. The earlier wave of Jewish immigration consisted of Ashkenazi Jews from Russia and Lithuania . An active Jewish community with
1221-406: A food processing plant and large plantations of pine and wattle forests. Further south along the road to Masvingo , beyond the city limits is the high-density town of Zimunya. Mutare's main industrial areas lie south of the railway and west of Sakubva , although there is some light industry just east of the southern part of the city centre at "Greenmarket" and surrounding areas. These are some of
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#17328593137561332-405: A large effect in the context of an agricultural economy. Public spending on education, healthcare and other social services was heavily weighted towards white people. Most of the better paid jobs in public service were also reserved for white people. White people in skilled manual occupations enjoyed employment protection against black competition. In 1975, the average annual income for a Rhodesian
1443-578: A large transient element, and many white people might better be considered foreign migrants than settlers. Between 1960 and 1979, white emigration to Rhodesia was around 180,000, while white emigration overseas was 202,000 (with an average white population of around 240,000). White emigration accelerated as independence approached. In October 1978 the net white emigration of 1,582 was the highest recorded number of departures since Rhodesia declared its UDI in 1965. According to official government statistics, 1,834 whites emigrated and 252 white immigrants arrived. In
1554-471: A mellowing of government restrictions on white Zimbabweans owning land, with many of the returning white farmers forming joint ventures with black farm owners. The first wave of Afrikaners arrived in ox wagons in 1893, brought to the country at the time by the pioneer Duncan Moodie. The Afrikaners that followed mostly settled on farms in the subtropical lowlands of the southeast, and on the high central and northwestern plains known for its cattle ranching . It
1665-566: A month after President Mnangagwa was sworn in to office; he returned to his farm in Manicaland province by military escort. During the World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos , Mnangagwa also stated that his new government believes thinking about racial lines in farming and land ownership is "outdated", and should be a "philosophy of the past." As of 2023 , there are 900 white-run commercial farms in
1776-405: A period of at least 10 years. The pattern of land ownership established during the Rhodesian state therefore survived for some time after independence. Those white people who were prepared to adapt to the situation they found themselves in were therefore able to continue enjoying a very comfortable existence. In fact, the independence settlement, combined with favourable economic conditions (including
1887-706: A personal fortune estimated at US$ 1 billion. Several white Zimbabwean businessmen, such as Billy Rautenbach , have returned to their native country after working abroad for some years. Rautenbach has succeeded in extending Zimbabwean minerals sector activity into neighbouring countries such as the DRC. Charles Davy is one of the largest private landowners in Zimbabwe. Davy is reported to own 1,200 km (460 mi ) of land, including farms at Ripple Creek, Driehoek, Dyer's Ranch and Mlelesi. His property has been almost unaffected by any form of land redistribution, and he denies that this fact has any link to his business relationship with
1998-510: A powerful economic unit, counterbalancing the economic power of South Africa. The economic power of these three areas was a major factor in the establishment of the Federation through a British Act of Parliament. It was also apparent as early as the 1950s that white rule would continue for longer in Rhodesia than it would in other British colonies such as Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) and Kenya. Many of
2109-412: A raid at Borrowdale's Glow nightclub, before being transported in two police buses and detained in the downtown central police station. According to eyewitnesses, several of the youths were attacked by Zimbabwean police. The Lancaster house agreement took place from 10 September – 15 December 1979 with 47 plenary sessions formally held in which Lord Carrington , Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary of
2220-469: A rapid increase from a population of 69,621 in 1982 and 131,367 in 1992. Mutare, like most cities in Zimbabwe, classifies residential suburbs according to population density: Low density, Medium density and High density. In the past, as was done across Southern Africa during the colonial period, people were segregated to suburbs according to their racial ethnicity. Whites inhabited the Eastern upmarket suburbs
2331-427: A short distance outside the city. The National Railways of Zimbabwe serves Mutare with overnight train service from Harare three times a week, leaving Harare at 9:30PM on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving early the next morning at dawn. There are no cross-border rail services from Mozambique, which are limited to freight. The Mutare railway station is just southwest of the city centre. The main activities of
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#17328593137562442-502: A stand. The land grabs formally followed after, in cause of the crumbling relations with the UK government. The Fast track land reform came to assume a very high profile in Zimbabwe's political life. ZANU politicians sought to revise Rhodesian land apportionment, which they saw as an injustice and pressed for land to be properly dispersed among white and black ownership. White farmers argued that this served little purpose. Therefore, to their eyes,
2553-624: A synagogue has existed in Salisbury (now Harare) since 1894. In the 1930s, a wave of Sephardi Jews arrived from Rhodes , the Greek island. German Jews fleeing persecution in the Third Reich also settled in the country. A number of Jews arrived from the Belgian Congo , escaping the civil war engulfing the newly-independent country. The Jewish community reached a peak of 7,060 to 7, 500 between 1961 and
2664-516: A time when their number was just about to fall below 100,000. About 49% of emigrants left to settle in South Africa, many of whom were Afrikaans speakers, with 29% going to the British Isles ; most of the remainder went to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. Many of these emigrants continue to identify themselves as Rhodesian . A white Rhodesian/Zimbabwean who is nostalgic for
2775-622: A total 899,187 inhabitants, according to the 1921 census, some of whom were accepted as being white. A proposal by Garfield Todd (Prime Minister in 1953–1958) to liberalise the laws regarding interracial sex was viewed as dangerously radical. The proposal was rejected and was one factor that led to the political demise of Todd. Rhodesians enjoyed a very high standard of living. The Land Tenure Act had reserved 30% of agricultural land for white ownership. Black labour costs were low (around US$ 40 per month in 1975) and included free housing, food and clothing. Nurses earned US$ 120 per month. The low wages had
2886-450: A total population of 899,187, of whom 33,620 were Europeans; 1,998 were Coloured ( mixed race ); 1,250 Asiatics; 761,790 Bantu natives of Southern Rhodesia; and 100,529 Bantu aliens. The following year, Southern Rhodesians rejected, in a referendum , the option of becoming a province of the Union of South Africa . Instead, the country became a self-governing British colony. It never gained full dominion status, but unlike other colonies, it
2997-685: A vehicle assembly Quest which assembles Buses Trucks and other vehicles. There are also numerous retail outlets, stationery shops, fuel service stations, computer equipment sellers e.g. EMachines, Mutare Computers. There are a number of freight companies e.g. Tinmac, EMaster, Mantray, Augastalane Freight, Madziro, Tisu Anhu Acho among others Banks in Mutare include Stanbic Bank a member of Standard Bank group, CBZ, Nedbank, MBCA, Agribank, POSB, Cabs, Ecobank, BancABC, FBC, First Capital formerly Barclays. Standard Chartered has closed shop in Mutare Civic Center
3108-691: A very small light aircraft strip for emergency evacuation (now defunct), a light plane aerodrome in Sakubva near Mutare Teachers College, and the Grand Reef Airport just outside the city at Irene. There is yet a fourth airport which was constructed in Chiadzwa to carry diamonds for processing in Harare. Despite its subtropical location, the city has a humid subtropical climate , of the highland variety moderated by its altitude. Mutare experience drizzle almost throughout
3219-418: Is 818 mm. Rain falls mostly in the months December to February although heavy showers are possible before and after this period. The wettest month on record was January 1926 which received 580 mm while January 1991 received only 24 mm. The city's climate is also influenced by its proximity to the ocean, compared to other Zimbabwean cities. This leads to warm to hot summers and mild winters. Winter
3330-548: Is Westlea (the majority all streets in Westlea are named after Australasian cities, (e.g. Canberra , Auckland , Sydney , Perth and Christchurch ) and Florida (the streets in Florida have English Kings' names, e.g. Henry , Alfred , Richard , George ), as well as the high-density suburb of Chikanga, which was constructed in phases, beginning in the late eighties. Further west of Chikanga lies Garikai, Bernwin and Hobhouse. South of
3441-399: Is Zimbabwes gateway to the sea. The rail system however requires revamping and also including flyovers tunnels and or underpasses to avoid interaction with road traffic. Mutare has numerous hotels including Holiday Inn, Golden Peacock, Mountview, Eastgate and numerous lodges. There are a number of new manufacturing companies such as Willowton which manufactures edible oils, margari Mutare has
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3552-468: Is a border railway station on the railway line from Bulawayo to Beira with a railways mechanical workshop. The area was the site of Chief Mutasa's kraal . In 1890 A. R. Coquhoun was given concessionary rights and Fort Umtali (the fort later became Mutare) was established between the Tsambe and Mutare Rivers. The word mutare originates from the word 'Utare' meaning iron (or possibly meaning gold). The name
3663-485: Is estimated that the community peaked in the late 1960s, numbering some 25,000. P. K. van der Byl , an Afrikaner, served as Rhodesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs (1974-1979). Thousands returned to South Africa after independence in Zimbabwe in 1980; however, as many as 15,000 remained four years later in 1984. They were sometimes disparaged by their Anglo-Saxon counterparts in the country, who referred to them as "japies", "hairy-backs", "rock spiders" and "ropes". Until
3774-607: Is home to schools and tertiary institutions : There are a number of private colleges around the city. White Zimbabwean White Zimbabweans, also known as White Rhodesians or simply Rhodesians, are a Southern African people of European descent. In linguistic , cultural, and historical terms, these people of European ethnic origin are mostly English-speaking descendants of British settlers. A small minority are either Afrikaans -speaking descendants of Afrikaners from South Africa or those descended from Greek , Portuguese , Italian , and Jewish immigrants. In
3885-616: Is home to the new state university , the Manicaland College of Applied Sciences. To the south east, in the mountains from the Prince of Wales viewpoint (with views of Mozambique below), lies the scenic Vumba Mountain range, an area of immense great natural beauty and temperate climate, and home to an indigenous afromontane forests, exotic trees, such as pine and oak and the upscale, Leopard Rock Hotel, as well as resort areas for horse riding , kayaking , mountain climbing mountain trails,
3996-497: Is not particularly frosty with cool mornings often followed by mild sunny weather. Spring can feature "four seasons in a day" weather, but from March to June it is generally settled and mild. Temperatures during summer can reach 30 °C (86 °F). Due to its maritime influence, Mutare's temperate climate stands out considering its latitude. Prevailing winds in the city are mainly a cool, moist southeasterly and during late spring and winter alternating with subtropical winds from
4107-469: Is slightly larger, with 1,200 Cypriots continuing to live in the country. The Greeks and Cypriots were mostly known for running restaurants and small businesses in the country. There are some significant Greek and Cypriot business owners and landowners, with the majority of the Hellenic community employed in trade professions or involved in bakery operations. Hellenic Academy , an independent Greek high school
4218-464: Is the Mutare city council headquarters. It issues licenses e.g. shop licences, parking licenses, dog licensing, housing, industry planning certification online and other local authority by law certifications. Mutare has a small aerodrome that services small aircraft, helicopters. The city is in dire need of a proper airport for meaningful tourism to occur. There is also need for improved road networks, shopping mall/s and improved social amenities. Mutare
4329-582: Is the best government for commercial farmers that this country has ever seen". The lifting of UN-imposed economic sanctions and the end of the Bush War at the time of independence produced an immediate 'peace dividend'. Renewed access to world capital markets made it possible to finance major new infrastructure developments in transport and schools. One area of economic growth was tourism, catering in particular to visitors from Europe and North America. Many white people found work in this sector. Another area of growth
4440-607: The esprit de corps of the white dominant class in the former Rhodesia prevented the poor white people from becoming a recognisable social group, because of the social assistance provided by the dominant social class on racial grounds. This system broke down after the founding of Zimbabwe, causing the number of poor white people to increase, especially after 2000, when the confiscation of white-owned farms took its toll. As rich white land owners emigrated or fended for themselves financially, their white employees, who mainly worked as supervisors of black labour, found themselves destitute on
4551-516: The Indian Ocean and world commerce. Rhodesia was excluded from major sporting events, meaning that its white athletes were unable to participate in the 1968 , 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games . A small number of British migrants had reached the British colony of Southern Rhodesia , later Zimbabwe, as settlers during the late-nineteenth century. A steady migration of European peoples continued for
Mutare City Council - Misplaced Pages Continue
4662-471: The port of Beira (in Beira, Mozambique ). Mutare is hub for trade with railway links, pipeline transport and highways linking the coast with Harare and Zimbabwe's interior. Other traditional industries include timber , papermaking, commerce, food processing, telecommunications, and transportation. In addition the city serves as a gateway to the scenic Eastern Highlands , nearby Gorongosa National Park , and
4773-408: The 2012 census, with an urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 in the surrounding districts, Mutare adds to the wider metropolitan area a total population of over 500,000 people. Mutare is also the capital of Manicaland Province and the largest city in eastern Zimbabwe. Located near the border with Mozambique , Mutare has long been a centre of trade and a key terminus en route to
4884-470: The A9 turns southward into the southern Eastern Highlands and Chimanimani . To the east is EN9 which connects Mutare to Chimoio and with the coastal city of Beira . Traffic is often heavy since this is one of Zimbabwe's main routes to the sea. There is also a lot of cross-border traffic with people visiting the nearby cities of Manica and Chimoio. Commuter buses are a popular way of travelling for traffic across
4995-717: The Ashkenazi synagogue and the Sephardi synagogue. As congregation numbers have depleted, both communities combine minyanim on Shabbat . Two Jewish primary schools continue to operate, with Sharon School in Harare, and Carmel in Bulawayo . With the local Jewish community decreasing in size, most of the students at the schools are not Jewish, however. The Greek Community in Zimbabwe peaked at between 13,000-15,000 people in 1972, but has decreased significantly to around 1,000 Greeks or people of Greek origin. The Greek Cypriot community in Zimbabwe
5106-581: The British landowning class . By contrast, settlers in Rhodesia after the Second World War were perceived as being drawn from lower social strata and were treated accordingly by the British authorities. As Peter Godwin wrote in The Guardian , "Foreign Office mandarins dismissed Rhodesians as lower middle class, no more than provincial clerks and artisans, the lowly NCOs of empire." Various factors encouraged
5217-516: The DRC from 1998, the government was able to call on sanctions-busting expertise and personnel from the UDI era to provide parts and munitions for its force of Hawk jets. After 25 years of ZANU-PF government, Zimbabwe had become a congenial place for white millionaires of a certain kind to live and do business in. The Independence constitution contained a provision requiring the Zimbabwean government to honour pension obligations due to former servants of
5328-589: The Economic Structural Adjustment Programme), produced a 20-year period of unprecedented prosperity for white Zimbabwean people, and for the white farming community in particular; a new class of "young white millionaires" appeared in the farming sector. These were typically young Zimbabweans who had applied skills learned in agricultural colleges and business schools in Europe. In 1989, Commercial Farmers' Union president John Brown commented, "This
5439-500: The Mozambique coast. Although the city was founded in the late nineteenth century, the region has a long history of trading caravans passing through on the way to the Indian Ocean , from ports such as Sofala , to inland settlements, such as Great Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe is also renowned for its soapstone carvings and figurines which are evidence of these trade routes, dating as far back as the late African Iron Age (c. 900 AD) right up to
5550-674: The Railway station up to the (then Umtali Club) now Mutare Club. The Tramway was at the centre of Main Street where the palm trees now stand. There were plans to set up a Stock Exchange in Umtali. The main post office was at the site where CABS centre now stands. The town lies north of the Bvumba Mountains and south of the Imbeza Valley. Christmas Pass is a mountain pass that leads into the city from
5661-466: The Rhodesian state. This obligation included payment in foreign currency to pensioners living outside Zimbabwe (almost all white). Pension payments were made until the 1990s, but they then became erratic and stopped altogether in 2003. Since the land invasions and chaotic political situation in the country, a number of expatriate white farmers and hoteliers from Zimbabwe have resettled in neighbouring Zambia , where they are reviving agriculture and develop
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#17328593137565772-643: The Smith government sought to maintain white minority rule . White men were conscripted into the Rhodesian Security Forces and the British South Africa Police . White civilians were targeted in some attacks such as Air Rhodesia Flight 825 and Air Rhodesia Flight 827 . The community faced fresh economic challenges during the UDI period as Britain imposed economic sanctions and Mozambique closed its border in 1976, blocking Rhodesia's access to
5883-499: The UDI era is known colloquially as a " Rhodie ". These nostalgic "Rhodesians" are also sometimes referred to by the pejorative " Whenwes ", because of the nostalgia expressed by them in the phrase "when we were in Rhodesia". The 1979 Lancaster House Agreement , which was the basis for independence from the United Kingdom, had precluded compulsory land redistribution in favour of subsidised voluntary sale of land by white owners for
5994-465: The United Kingdom, chaired the Conference. The content of Lancaster House Agreement covered the new constitution , pre-independence arrangements, and the terms of ceasefire along with an agreement of a bilateral payment from the UK to the republic of Zimbabwe in aid to the land reforms. The agreement signed under Margaret Thatcher, sought out to aid the oncoming land redistribution as powers shifted from
6105-623: The area a moderate climate which was conducive to European settlement and commercial agriculture. White settlers who assisted in the BSAC takeover of the country were given land grants of 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres); the black people who had long lived on the land were classified legally as tenants. In 1930, Land Apportionment and Tenure Acts displaced Africans from the country's best farmland, restricting them to unproductive and low-rainfall tribal-trust lands. It reserved areas of high rainfall for White ownership. White settlers were attracted to Rhodesia by
6216-523: The area are farming farming- forestry, dairy, horticulture, mining, manufacturing, services - the city's name Mutare is derived from "metal" Utare possibly gold which used to be smelted by the indigenous population for centuries - and forestry. Two of the largest food producers in Zimbabwe, Cairns Foods and Tanganda Tea , operate in Mutare. Mining includes gold at Redwing Mine, Penhalonga and some smaller mines, diamonds in Marange and gravel quarries around
6327-416: The artisan, skilled worker and supervisory classes began to experience job competition from black people. Indigenisation in the public services displaced many white people. The result was that white emigration gathered pace. In the ten-year period from 1980 to 1990, approximately two-thirds of the white community left Zimbabwe. However, many white people resolved to stay in the new Zimbabwe; only one-third of
6438-429: The availability of tracts of prime farmland that could be purchased from the state at low cost. This resulted in the growth of commercial agriculture in the young colony. The White farm was typically a large (>100 km (>38.6 mi )) mechanized estate, owned by a White family and employing hundreds of Black people. Many White farms provided housing, schools and clinics for Black employees and their families. At
6549-501: The border and from outlying villages. Higher quality intercity buses are also available to both Harare and Beira, Mozambique . Mutare is served by a small airport that is largely geared toward small aircraft and chartered flights. The nearest international gateway is in, Harare some 214 km (133 mi) west.there is the Aerodrome close to sakubva and the Grand Reef Airport in Irene just
6660-466: The city and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and moved elsewhere. South of the city, hidden from view from the rest of the city by a series of hills, is the high-density suburb of Dangamvura. The affluent areas of Weirmouth (Plots) and Fern Valley are also on the southern outskirts of the city; in these areas, residential lots exceed an acre, and market gardening is an economic activity. Nearby Fern Valley,
6771-622: The city centre and the downtown area seems more dilapidated and neglected. The post-independent city council does not seem to have strict building codes for new office and commercial buildings in the city centre which would allow for the expansion of high and modern architecture for a growing city that aims to match global standards. Mutareans, like most of Zimbabweans, prefer to live in houses made of brick, usually brick under tile or asbestos. There are no shanty towns, shacks or squatter camps in Mutare as they are illegal and residents could face penalties or demolition for not building houses to code. As
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#17328593137566882-406: The city expands and develops, the town planners have not considered playgrounds for children, street naming, pedestrian pavements, cycle tracks, proper drainage and flora (tree-lined streets) in their planning of new suburbs generally resulting in unpleasant-looking narrow neighbourhood streets. There have been problems with wastewater treatment , meaning that at times untreated wastewater runs into
6993-418: The city. There are a number of forestry companies including The Wattle Company, Allied Timbers, formerly FCZ, Border Timbers and Timcon Investments. The main timber products include rough sawn timber, wattle bark, charcoal, various doors and frames and mouldings. The major timber produced is pine , sydney blue gum , black wattle , and some hardwoods on a smaller scale. The railway is linked to Mocambique and
7104-470: The colonial period. A large hoard of soapstone carvings, jewellery, weapons, sherds and other objects were found in the vicinity of Mutare by the British archaeologist E M Andrews at the beginning of the twentieth century - they were later donated by the trustees of Cecil Rhodes to the British Museum in 1905. The soapstone figures, which are both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic , might have been part of
7215-592: The constitutional outreach programme in Harare during a weekend, in which violence and confusion marred the process, with similar incidents having occurred in Graniteside. In Mount Pleasant , white families were subjected to a torrent of abuse by suspected Zanu-PF supporters, who later drove them away and shouted racial slurs. There were also many illegal seizures of white-owned farmland by the government and its supporters. By March 2000, little land had been redistributed as per
7326-503: The country became the de facto independent – albeit unrecognised — state of Rhodesia . As was the case in most European colonies, white immigrants took a privileged position in all areas of society. Extensive areas of prime farmland were owned by whites. Senior positions in the public services were reserved for whites, and whites working in manual occupations enjoyed legal protection against job competition from black Africans. As time passed, this situation became increasingly unwelcome to
7437-465: The country became the British Dependency of Southern Rhodesia. In April 1980, it was granted independence as Zimbabwe . The Rhodesian community kept itself largely separate from the black and Asian communities in the country. Urban Rhodesians lived in separate areas of town, and had their own segregated education, healthcare and recreational facilities. Marriage between Zimbabweans and Rhodesians
7548-689: The country. The country settled and the white population stabilised. Chris McGreal, writing in The Observer in April 2008, claimed that Zimbabwe's white people "... kept their houses and their pools and their servants. The white farmers had it even better. With crop prices soaring they bought boats on Lake Kariba and built air strips on their farms for newly acquired planes. Zimbabwe's whites reached an implicit understanding with Zanu-PF; they could go on as before, so long as they kept out of politics". White Zimbabweans with professional skills were readily accepted in
7659-423: The country. The farmers are not usually working their own land, but are renting in joint ventures from black farmers given confiscated white-owned land. Since the 2000s, there has been a surge in violence against Zimbabwe's dwindling white community, with the main targets of this violence being Zimbabwe's white farmers. On 18 September 2010, droves of white people were chased away and prevented from participating in
7770-532: The early 1970s. There were three active synagogues in Salisbury (now Harare), one in Bulawayo and a plethora of Jewish community centers, sports clubs, primary schools, youth movements and other organizations, such as the Chevra Kadisha (Jewish burial society). Smaller Jewish communities also existed in Gatooma , Gwelo and Que Que . There are currently two active synagogues in the country, both are in Harare :
7881-627: The early-1980s, both in fear for their lives and an uncertain future. Political unrest and the seizure of many white-owned commercial farms resulted in a further exodus of Rhodesians commencing in 1999. The 2002 census recorded 46,743 Rhodesians living in Zimbabwe. More than 10,000 were elderly and fewer than 9,000 were under the age of 15. At the time of Zimbabwean independence in 1980, it was estimated that around 38% of Rhodesians were UK-born, with slightly fewer born in Rhodesia, and around 20% from elsewhere in Africa. The white population of that era contained
7992-474: The end of the Second World War, "the race problem" in Southern Rhodesia referred exclusively to Afrikaner and English-speaking rivalries. However, Afrikaners in the country did not push for the most radical demands of Afrikaner nationalism, including the absolute rejection of empire. "Anti-Dutch" sentiment contributed to white Rhodesia's rejection of union with South Africa in the 1922 referendum, as well as
8103-450: The euphoria of independence subsided, and as a variety of economic and social problems became evident in the late-1990s, the land issue became a focus for trouble. This was intention was to equally allocate the 4,000 white farms, covering 110,000 km (42,470 mi ) of mostly prime farmland, among the majority. The means used to implement the programme were ad-hoc, and involved forcible seizure in many cases. By mid-2006, only 500 of
8214-525: The eviction of his black neighbour Solomon Ndawa from a 200-hectare (500-acre) irrigated wheat farm. Meade represented Ndawa at hearings of the Land Commission and attempted to protect Ndawa from abusive questioning. Large-scale migration to Rhodesia did not begin until after the Second World War . At the colony's first comprehensive census in 1962, Rhodesia had 221,000 white residents. At its peak in
8325-569: The first nine months of 1978, 11,241 whites emigrated. In an attempt to stem emigration, the Rhodesian government allowed each departing family to only take up to $ 1,400 out of the country. The country gained its independence as Zimbabwe in April 1980, under a ZANU-PF government led by Robert Mugabe . Following independence, the country's white citizens lost most of their former privileges. A generous social welfare net (including both education and healthcare) that had supported white people in Rhodesia disappeared almost in an instant. White people in
8436-614: The first white mayor since 1981. Present-day Zimbabwe (known as Southern Rhodesia from 1895) was occupied by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) from the 1890s onward, following its subjugation of the Matabele (Ndebele) and Shona nations. Early White settlers came in search of mineral resources, hoping to find a second gold-rich Witwatersrand . Zimbabwe lies on a plateau that varies in altitude between 900 and 1,500 m (2,950 and 4,900 ft) above sea level. This gives
8547-573: The former Kenya Colony , the Belgian Congo , Zambia, Algeria, and Mozambique. For a time, Rhodesia provided something of a haven for white people who were retreating from decolonisation elsewhere in Africa and Asia. In 1974 the Smith government launched a massive campaign to attract one million Europeans to settle in the country. Post-World War II Rhodesian white settlers were considered different in character from earlier Rhodesian settlers and those from other British colonies. In Kenya , settlers were perceived to be drawn from "the officer class" and from
8658-567: The growth of the white population of Rhodesia. These included the industrialisation and prosperity of the economy in the post-war period. The National Party victory in South Africa was one of the factors that led to the formation of the Central African Federation (1953-1963), so as to provide a bulwark against Afrikaner nationalism . British settlement and investment boomed during the Federation years, as Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), and Nyasaland (now Malawi) formed
8769-518: The known Rhodesia to the now known Zimbabwe. By the mid-1990s, it is thought that around 120,000 white people remained in Zimbabwe. In spite of this small number, the white Zimbabwean minority maintained control of much of the economy through its investment in commercial farms, industry, and tourism. However, an ongoing programme of land reforms (intended to alter the ethnic balance of land ownership) dislodged many white farmers. The level of violence associated with these reforms in some rural areas made
8880-532: The land reform laws that were passed in 1979, when the Lancaster House Agreement between Britain and Zimbabwe pledged to initiate a fairer distribution of land between the white minority, which governed Zimbabwe from 1890 to 1979, and the black population. However, at this stage, land acquisition could only occur on a voluntary basis. Little land had been redistributed, and frustrated groups of government supporters began seizing white-owned farms. Most of
8991-407: The local tourism industry. Since 2009 the British government has put into action a repatriation plan assisting elderly British citizens living in Zimbabwe to resettle in the United Kingdom. Challenges for some of Zimbabwe's remaining white community include being reliant on remittances sent by relatives overseas, the cost of private healthcare and cost of living. The community was the target of
9102-464: The low-density suburbs, with Coloured people (mixed race) living in suburbs like Florida and black Africans being segregated to the townships of Sakubva and Dangamvura. The most upscale suburbs (low-density suburbs) such as Murambi, Fairbridge Park, Morningside, Tiger's Kloof and the Avenues are located on the north and east ends of the city. The suburb of Avenues is found just east of the city centre on
9213-486: The major suburbs of Mutare. . The city has one of the most important railway stations on the Beira–Bulawayo railway . Mutare is generally a clean town with the city council collecting rubbish daily. Most of the roads in the older parts of the city are paved (or were paved before), however, due to years of neglect and mismanagement and corruption, public infrastructure is in a shambles with roads and street lighting in
9324-496: The majority ethnic groups within the country and also to wide sections of international opinion, leading to the Rhodesian Bush War and eventually the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979. After the country's reconstitution as the Republic of Zimbabwe in 1980, Rhodesians had to adjust to being an ethnic minority in a country with a black majority government. Although a significant number of Rhodesians remained, many of them emigrated in
9435-525: The mid-1970s, Rhodesia's white population consisted of as many as 277,000. There were influxes of white immigrants from the 1940s through to the early 1970s. The country saw a net gain of 9,400 white immigrants in 1971, the highest number since 1957 and the third highest on record. In the immediate postwar period, the most conspicuous group were former British servicemen. However, many of the new immigrants were refugees from Communism in Europe; others were former service personnel from British India , or came from
9546-589: The new immigrants had a "not here" attitude to majority rule and independence. Rhodesia was run by a white minority government. In 1965, that government declared itself independent through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence ('UDI') under Prime Minister Ian Smith . The UDI project eventually failed, after a period of United Nations economic sanctions and a civil war known as the Chimurenga (Shona) or Bush War . British colonial rule returned in December 1979, when
9657-435: The new order. For example, Chris Andersen had been the hardline Rhodesian justice minister, but made a new career for himself as an independent MP and leading attorney in Zimbabwe. In 1998, he defended former President Canaan Banana in the infamous "sodomy trial". At the time of this trial, Andersen spoke out against the attitude of President Mugabe who had described homosexuals as being "worse than dogs and pigs since they are
9768-414: The next 75 years. The white population of Southern Rhodesia, or Rhodesia as it was known from 1965, reached a peak of about 300,000 in 1975–76, representing around 8% of the population. Emigration after the country gained internationally recognised independence as Zimbabwe in 1980 resulted in a declining white population: estimated at 220,000 in 1980; 70,000 in 2000; and 30,000 in 2012. However, by 2023,
9879-480: The north in summer. Mutare racial makeup, 1965 In 1965, Mutare had a population of 46,000. The racial makeup was split between 36,100 black Africans, 560 Asians , 340 Coloureds , and 9,100 whites . The population is predominantly Shona , the majority of them speaking the Manyika dialect. Manyika people are locally known as Samanyika. According to the 2012 census data, Mutare has a population of 260,567. This marks
9990-582: The original 5,000 white farms were still fully operational. The majority of the white farms that avoided expropriation were in Manicaland and Midlands, where it proved possible to do local deals and form strategic partnerships. However, by early-2007, a number of the seized farms were being leased back to their former white owners (although in reduced size or on a contract basis); it has been claimed to be possible that as many as 1,000 of them could be operational again, in some form. A University of Zimbabwe sociologist told IWPR journalist Benedict Unendoro that
10101-418: The politician Webster Shamu . Davy has said about Shamu, "I am in partnership with a person who I personally like and get along with". Other views on Shamu are less kind. The political environment in Zimbabwe has allowed the development of an exploitative business culture, in which some white businessmen have played a prominent role. When Zimbabwe was subject to EU sanctions, arising from its involvement in
10212-518: The position of the wider white community uncomfortable. Twenty years after independence, there were 21,000 commercial farmers in the country. In 1997, the British prime minister Tony Blair and his government pulled out of talks to fund the Lancaster House agreements causing a traction. This would lead to the land grabs that were seen soon after. The war veterans felt as if the inability of the UK government to continue its agreement meant they must take
10323-450: The problem was really a lack of development, rather than one of land tenure. White farmers would respond to claims that they owned "70% of the best arable land" by stating that what they actually owned was "70% of the best developed arable land", and therefore that the two are entirely different things. Whatever the merits of the arguments, in the post-independence period, the land issue assumed enormous symbolic importance to all concerned. As
10434-407: The railway tracks, is the working class suburb of Sakubva, which contains nearly half of the city's population despite an area of less than four square miles. Sakubva is considered to be the poorest of Mutare's suburbs, and its economy is centred around a large outdoor food and flea market and the "Musika weHuku" (The Chicken Market). The market has been recently razed in the recent exercise to clean up
10545-538: The river in Sakubva township. There are clinics in all suburbs as well as a main general hospital and infectious diseases hospital. Maternity hospitals are also available in the city. The city generally has very good infrastructure that may need a bit of working on. Mutare is well-connected by several roads which are asphalted and decent, but potholes are increasingly common. The A3 motorway leads inland towards Harare and also passes through Rusape and Marondera , while
10656-817: The seizures took place in Nyamandlovu and Inyati . After the beating to death of a prominent farmer in September 2011, the head of the Commercial Farmers' Union decried the attack, saying that its white members continue to be targeted for violence, without protection from the government. Genocide Watch declared that the violence against whites in Zimbabwe was a stage 5 (of 10 ) case of genocide . In September 2014, Mugabe publicly declared that all white Zimbabweans should "go back to England", and he urged black Zimbabweans not to lease agricultural land to white farmers. Hundreds of white farmers returned to Zimbabwe following
10767-427: The streets of cities like Harare, with many found begging around urban centres like Eastlea. The land confiscated from white owners has been redistributed to black peasant farmers and smallholders, acquired by commercial land companies, or persons connected to the government. Sympathisers of the expropriated white farmers have claimed that lack of professional management skills among the new landholders has resulted in
10878-527: The time of independence in 1980, more than 40% of the country's farmed land was made up of approximately 5,000 White farms. At the time, agriculture provided 40% of the country's GDP and up to 60% of its foreign earnings. Major export products included tobacco, beef, sugar, cotton and maize. The minerals sector was also important. Gold, asbestos, nickel and chromium were mined by foreign-owned concerns such as Lonrho (Lonmin since 1999) and Anglo American . The Census of 3 May 1921 found that Southern Rhodesia had
10989-576: The way to Tiger's Kloof and Murambi, bordering Morningside. East of the CBD is the suburbs of Palmerstone, Darlington, Greenside and Bordervale, which are all near the border with Mozambique. In the west are the medium-density (i.e. middle class) suburbs, the largest and most famous being Yeovil - (the majority of street names in Yeovil are named after English counties e.g. Sussex Gardens, Hampshire , Devonshire , Somerset ). Then more recently developed after Yeovil
11100-680: The west. The pass was so named by some of the colonial pioneers who camped at the foot of the pass on Christmas Day 1890. Mutare is home to several tourist attractions such as, the Mutare Museum , the Utopia House Museum dedicated to Kingsley Fairbridge , the National Gallery of Zimbabwe , Murahwa Hill, known for its rock paintings and Iron Age village, Cross Kopje with a memorial to Zimbabweans and Mozambicans killed in World War I and
11211-470: The white farming community left. An even smaller proportion of white urban business owners and members of the professional classes left. This pattern of migration meant that although small in absolute numbers, Zimbabwe's white people formed a high proportion of the upper strata of society. A 1984 article in The Sunday Times Magazine described and pictured the life of Zimbabwean white people at
11322-444: The white population doubled to 150,000, and during that decade 100,000 black people were forcibly resettled from farmland designated for white ownership. However, some members of the white farming community opposed the forced removal of black people from land designated for white ownership. Some favoured the transfer of underutilised "white land" to black farmers. For example, in 1947, Wedza white farmer Harry Meade unsuccessfully opposed
11433-491: The white population had increased following the government easing restrictions regarding white ownership of farmland. Many formerly dispossessed white farmers have formed joint ventures with black landowners. There are currently three ministers in the Zimbabwean Government who are white, Kirsty Coventry , Joshua Sacco and Vangelis Haritatos , while in 2023, David Coltart was elected as Mayor of Bulawayo , becoming
11544-473: The year. The average annual temperature is 19 °C, surprisingly low for its moderate altitude (about the same as Harare which is 360 metres higher.) This is due to its sheltered position against the mountain ridge of Cecil Kop which encourages cool breezes from lower altitude to the east and south. The coldest month is July (minimum 6 °C and maximum 20 °C) and the hottest month is October (minimum 16 °C and maximum 32 °C). The annual rainfall
11655-610: Was around US$ 8,000 (equivalent to $ 45,000 in 2023) with income tax at a marginal rate of 5% — making them one of the richest communities in the world. In November 1965, in order to avoid the introduction of black majority rule (commonly referred to at the time as the Wind of Change ), the Government of what was then the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), upon which
11766-419: Was horticulture, involving the cultivation of flowers, fruits and vegetables, which were air-freighted to market in Europe. Many white farmers were involved in this, and in 2002 it was claimed that 8% of horticultural imports into Europe were sourced in Zimbabwe. The economic migrant element among the white population had departed quickly after independence, leaving behind those white people with deeper roots in
11877-481: Was paid by the British South Africa Company to the townspeople for the cost of moving. The town was proclaimed a municipality on 11 June 1914 and in 1971 it was granted city status. The name was officially changed from Umtali to Mutare in 1982. The white population in Umtali dropped from 9,950 in 1969 to 8,600 in June 1978. The city had a tramway from January 26, 1897, to May 23, 1921, which transported passengers from
11988-433: Was possible, but remains to the present day very rare. The 1903 Immorality Suppression Ordinance made "illicit" (i.e. unmarried) sex between black men and white women illegal – with a penalty of two years imprisonment for any offending white woman. The majority of the early white immigrants were men, and some white men entered into relationships with black women. The result was a small number of mixed-race persons: 1,998 out of
12099-521: Was probably given to the river as a result of gold being discovered in the Penhalonga valley through which the Mutare River runs. In 1891 the location was moved to a site now known as Old Mutare , about 14 km north of the city centre. In 1896 the construction of the railway between Beira and Bulawayo led to the town being moved a third time so that it was closer to the railway line – compensation
12210-619: Was reported that only 280 white farmers remained, and all of their farms were invaded. On the day of Mugabe's inauguration as president on 28 June 2008, several white farmers who had protested the seizure of their land were beaten and burned by his supporters. In June 2008, a British-born farmer, Ben Freeth (who has had several articles and letters published in the British press regarding the hostile situation), and his in-laws, Mike and Angela Campbell, were abducted and found badly beaten. Campbell, speaking from hospital in Harare, vowed to continue with his legal fight for his farm. In November 2008,
12321-484: Was treated as a de facto dominion , with its Prime Minister attending the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conferences . Portuguese explorer António Fernandes was the first European to visit the region. In 1891, before Southern Rhodesia was established as a territory, it was estimated that about 1,500 Europeans resided there. This number grew slowly to around 75,000 in 1945. In the period 1945 to 1955,
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