Browsing by Author "Phimister, Ian R"

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    Basotho and the mines : towards a history of labour migrancy, c.1890-1940
    (1995) Maloka, Edward Tshidiso; Phimister, Ian R
    This thesis examines how Lesotho came to depend on the export of its men to South African mines; what the experiences of these men were; and how all this impacted on Basotho society during the years between c.1890 and 1940. The thesis is divided into three parts. Part I focuses on the context and dynamics of labour migration and recruitment in Lesotho during the late 1880s to the late 1930s. This Part lays the basis for subsequent sections by showing which sections of Basotho opted for labour migrancy; and why it was men and not women who, initially at least, became migrants. In discussing the decline of the Basotho economy in the 1920s and 1930s, this section also shows how this was characterised not only by dependence on migrants' earnings, but also by the orientation to and concentration of Basotho labour on the Witwatersrand gold mines. Part II discusses various themes relating to life and conditions on the mines and in the compounds during the period up to c.1940. While specific note is taken of the African miners' death and accident rate, most attention is devoted to the various ways which Basotho miners developed for dealing with the sickness, death and destitution befalling their compatriots in the compounds and on the mines. Conversion to Christianity was an important part of some miners experience, as church forums and the bible could be used for recreational purposes, while literacy classes imparted many with essential skills which could lead to promotion on the mine. But competition for promotion and favours, as well as conflicting survival strategies, often resulted in violent conflict among African miners. Although some scholars have mistakenly attributed such conflict to ethnic factors alone, this thesis argues for an approach which is simultaneously historically and materially grounded. Part III, by using the case of infectious and occupational diseases, and prostitution and commercial beer-brewing, traces and analyses the impact of the migrant labour system on Lesotho. The thesis shows how the spread to Lesotho of such diseases as syphilis and tuberculosis was directly linked to contact with South African towns and mining centres through wage labour. Beer canteens and brothels emerged and flourished in colonial Lesotho not only because of the decline of the country's economy and the breakdown of Basotho social structures, but also because these establishments serviced the migrant labour traffic itself. The significance of this study lies in two areas. Historiographically, this study seeks to contribute to migrant labour studies in Lesotho in particular and Southern Africa in general. Its approach stands between economism which attributes the causes of labour migrancy solely to economic factors, and those paradigms which privilege ideas and culture over material factors. There is a dialectical interplay between material factors and ideas, although the former ultimately determines the latter. Secondly, the significance of this study lies in the fact that many of the issues raised, especially those in Part III, continue to pose serious problems for Basotho people and their government to this day. Knowing something about the origins and history of these problems may contribute to finding lasting solutions. This study, therefore, is about Lesotho, Basotho, and the mines.
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    An economic and social history of the Herero of Namibia, 1915-1946
    (1989) Werner, Wolfgang; Kaplan, David; Phimister, Ian R
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    The growth of Cape Town commerce and the role of John Fairbairn's Advertiser, 1835-1859
    (1989) Meltzer, Jaqueline Lalou; Phimister, Ian R
    This thesis basically traces the expansion of commerce in Cape Town with particular reference to company growth from 1835 to 1859. Situated within the field of economic history, the nature of the study is primarily economic, though it attempts to avoid any narrow economic determinism, accepting the basic premise that the most useful method remains an inter-disciplinary approach. The content, however, acknowledges the importance of class in historical interpretation. The commercial bourgeoisie (defined as wholesale merchants, wholesalers-retailers and financiers) thus assumes a central place in discussion here. Yet, inextricably bound up with the history of commerce during the period is the editorial role of John Fairbairn. This connection was immediately apparent, once one began reading Cape Town's leading newspaper, the South African Commercial Advertiser, of which Fairbairn was sole editor between 1835 and 1859. His comments in the paper's editorial columns reveal his intense interest in and his identification with commercial developments. His commercial orientation, whether in debates concerning the advantages of free trade, slave emancipation, the usury law, joint-stock companies or in his reporting of relevant extracts from overseas newspapers, government economic statistics and company reports, led to the coupling in this thesis of the role of John Fairbairn with the history of commerce. Indeed it is the years of Fairbairn's sole editorship which provided one of the most important reasons for the chronological framework employed in the study, viz. 1835-1859. Despite the importance with which historians regard Fairbairn, it is surprising how little his role in the economic sphere has been acknowledged, when considering the vigour of the economic campaigns he conducted in his newspaper.
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    Making a community : Indians in Cape Town, circa 1900-1980s
    (1993) Dawood, Zohra Bibi; Phimister, Ian R
    The contention underlying this dissertation is that ethnic identity and notions of community in South Africa are the result of several intertwined processes, which include historic interventions by the state to create 'groups' and 'nations' as building blocks for apartheid structures. These processes also encompass initiatives by those oppressed to constitute 'oppositional' communities. Both sets of activities have occurred in specific historical and material circumstances. By focusing specifically on a 'group' descended largely from merchant forebears, this study of Cape Indians examines the significance over time of the class, caste and religious cleavages within a constructed 'community'. Moreover, this dissertation discusses the effects of political currents on Indians in the Western Cape whose relatively more privileged position in relation to Indians in Natal and the Transvaal has been instrumental in isolating them from most of the events in the other provinces. It is hoped that this dissertation will contribute not only to the history of the Western Cape but, in a broader sense, also to the history of Indians in South Africa.
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    '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
    (2000) Samasuwo, Nhamo Wellington; Phimister, Ian R
    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.