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ABSTRACT
In March 1981, the newly elected Zimbabwe government announced that as of May of that year shebeens were required to cease their operations. The announcement ignited a debate not only about the place of alcohol and shebeens in the newly independent “socialist” state, but also about what independence meant, and the kind of state different sections of the population wanted to fashion henceforth. Most scholars who have written about the 1980s emphasize the role of political elites in state-making. This focus on elites obscures the importance of the ordinary people in contesting state power. Interviews with contemporaries and an examination of the debate that followed the government crackdown on shebeens in cities reveal not only that the elites were in no position to impose their project from above but also that the state that emerged in the 1980s was a result of negotiation and compromise.
RÉSUMÉ
En mars 1981, le gouvernement nouvellement élu du Zimbabwe a annoncé qu’à partir de cette année-là, les shebeens devaient cesser leurs activités. Cette annonce a déclenché un débat non seulement sur la place de l’alcool et des shebeens dans le nouvel État « socialiste » indépendant, mais aussi sur la signification de l’indépendance et le type d’État que différentes sections de la population souhaitaient désormais construire. La plupart des chercheurs qui ont écrit sur les années 80 soulignent le rôle des élites politiques dans la construction de l’État. Cette focalisation sur les élites occulte l’importance des gens ordinaires dans la contestation du pouvoir de l’État. Des entretiens avec des contemporains et l’examen du débat qui a suivi la répression gouvernementale contre les shebeens dans les villes révèlent non seulement que les élites n’étaient pas en mesure d’imposer leur projet d’en haut, mais aussi que l’État qui a émergé dans les années 80 a été le résultat de négociations et de compromis.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Before May 1981, the government by and large turned a blind eye on the activities of shebeens.
2 For details about the concept of low stateness when applied to geographically peripheral areas, see Scott (Citation2009).
3 Herald House, Harare [Hereafter HH], 12B3, “Shebeens Illegal from June,” The Sunday Mail, 26 April 1981.
4 HH 12B2, “Drunkards Are Out,” The Herald, March 1981.
5 HH 12B3, “Beer Sparks off Council Debate,” The Herald, 27 February 1982.
6 HH 12B2, “Timely Warning,” The Herald, 29 March 1980.
7 HH 12B3, “Charcoal Faces,” The Sunday Mail, 25 September 1983.
8 HH 12B3, “Comment,” The Herald, 26 December 1986.
9 HH 12B3, “Clampdown on Shebeens to Go on – Mubako,” The Herald, 27 October 1983.
10 HH 12B3, “Charcoal Faces,” Sunday Mail, 25 September 1983.
11 HH 12B3, “Workers Crack down on Kachasu Brewing,” The Herald, 9 May 1985.
12 City Marketing, Mbare, Harare [hereafter CM], File 0:63, “Municipal Shake-Up,” The Herald, 30 March 1981.
13 HH 12B3, “I Love My Country too Much … ” The Sunday Mail, 18 October 1981.
14 Ibid.
15 HH 12B3, “Shebeen Queens Present Protest,” The Herald, 8 May 1981; “Shebeen Blitz to Flush out Criminals,” The Herald, 20 October 1983; “Police Battle Big Shebeen Upsurge,” The Sunday Mail, 4 May 1980; “Clamp on Shebeens Causes Upset,” The Herald, 3 April 1981.
16 HH 12B3, “Shebeens Still Thrive in Slums Despite Banning,” The Sunday Mail, 24 May 1981.
17 Interview with Mrs Maruta, Glenview 8, Harare, 26 August Citation2018.
18 HH 12B3, “No Cheers for Gweru Chibuku,” The Herald, 12 May 1982.
19 CM, 0:63, Tracey Munaku, “Pirate Taxis Warned of Clampdown,” The Herald, 6 May 1981.
20 CM, 0:63, S. F. Littleton, “Marketing Report,” 13 May 1981.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 HH 12B3, “Shebeen Queens Still Flourish under the Ban,” The Herald, 24 February 1983.
24 Chronicle Building, Bulawayo [Hereafter CB] 3F2B, “Sole Income Banned,” The Herald, 10 May 1981.
25 HH 12B3, Muromo’s Column, “There Is No Stopping ‘The Mouth,’” The Herald, 11 April 1981.
26 HH 12B3, “Clampdown on Shebeens to Go on – Mubako,” The Herald, 27 October 1983.
27 “Shebeen Hazards,” The Umtali Post, 3 April 1981.
28 CB 3F2B, “Shebeen Co-ops Urged,” Sunday News, 11 December 1983.
29 Ibid.
30 HH 12B3, “Shebeen Queens Hit at May Deadline Plans,” The Herald, 7 April 1981.
31 “Potent Drink Takes Toll on Rural Progress,” The Herald, 23 December 1988.
32 Ibid.
33 HH 12B3, “Charcoal Faces,” The Sunday Mail, 25 September 1983.
34 Ibid.
35 Interview with Badza Makaza, Mount Pleasant, Harare, 5 January Citation2019.
36 For details about different types of shebeens, see Chimhete (Citation2004).
37 HH12B3, “Clampdown on Shebeens to Go on – Mubako,” The Herald, 11 April 1981.
38 During the interview, he repeatedly referred to the current hardships, and the leaders’ elitist attitudes.
39 HH 12B3, Stanford Masenda, “Shebeen Queens Still Flourish under Ban,” The Herald, 24 February 1983.
40 Thomas Mapfumo, Song popularly known as “Shebeen,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCYseSrjrw.
41 HH 12B3, Dianne Masaya, “Co-operatives Needed to Eliminate Shebeens,” The Herald, 15 June 1981.
42 Ibid.
43 CM, 0:63, Extract from the Minutes of the Finance and Development Committee, 14 May 1981. Busani Mpofu suggests that the idea of shebeen cooperatives was an initiative of politicians from Matebeleland region (Mpofu Citation2014).
44 HH 12B3, Dianne Masaya, “Co-operatives Needed to Eliminate Shebeens,” The Herald, 15 June 1981.
45 HH 12B3, “I Love My Country … : Zingizi’s Gossip,” The Sunday Mail, 18 October 1981.
46 HH 12B3, Dianne Masaya, “Co-operatives Needed to Eliminate Shebeens,” The Herald, 15 June 1981.
47 CM 0:63, Area Head, City of Salisbury to Director of Community Services, 6 May 1981; Director of Community Services, City of Salisbury to General Manager, City Marketing Department, 7 May 1981; Director of Community Services, City of Salisbury to Town Clerk, 11 May 1981; HH12B3, Dianne Masaya, “Co-operatives Needed to Eliminate Shebeens,” The Herald, 15 June 1981.
48 HH 12B3, “It’s Business as Usual in Shebeens,” The Herald, 2 May 1981.
49 Ibid.
50 Interview with Mrs. I. Mazanhi, Mbare, Harare, 8 July Citation2014.
51 HH 12B3, “It’s Business as Usual in Shebeens,” The Herald, 2 May 1981.
52 CM 0:63, “Sole Income Is Banned,” The Sunday Mail, 10 May 1981.
53 Ibid.
54 HH 12B3, “Muromo Column – There Is no Stopping the Mouth,” The Herald, 11 April 1981.
55 HH 12B3, “Shebeen Queens Present Protest,” The Herald, 8 May 1981.
56 HH 12B3, “It’s Business as Usual in Shebeens,” The Herald, 2 May 1981.
57 HH 12B3, “Shebeen Raids,” The Sunday Mail, 23 October 1983.
58 Ibid.
59 Interview with Pathisa Nyathi, Bulawayo, 4 January Citation2016. Nyathi is a respected historian of Zimbabwe.
60 HH 12B3, “Shebeen Queens Present Protest,” The Herald, 8 May 1981.
61 CM 0:63, “Shebeens Still Thriving in Slums Despite Banning,” The Sunday Mail, 24 May 1981.
62 Ibid.
63 Ibid.
64 Interview with Mr. Moses Mashazhu, Machipisa Shopping Center, 29 January Citation2015.
65 HH12B3, Zvinoti Netsei, “Where Does the Cancer Lie,” 13 May 1983.
66 Interview with Moses Mashazhu, Machipisa Shopping Center, 29 January 2015.
67 HH12B3, Zvinoti Netsei, “Where Does the Cancer Lie,” The Herald, 13 May 1983.
68 Chronicle Building, Bulawayo, [Hereafter CB] File 3F2B, “Minister in Plea on Shebeens,” Ziana, 3 April 1989.
69 Interview with Mr E. Matora, Lusaka, Highfield, Harare, 6 January Citation2017.
70 Ibid.
71 Ibid.
72 CB 3F2B, “Don’t Visit Shebeens – Police,” Sunday News, August 1982.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Nathaniel Chimhete
Nathaniel Chimhete is a senior lecturer in the Department of History Heritage and Knowledge Systems at the University of Zimbabwe. His works focus on the African alcohol industry and African nationalism in Zimbabwe. He is also interested in the history of mining in Zimbabwe and Tanzania. His PhD thesis explored how gold mining changed the moral economy of the Wanyamongo people of Northern Tanzania between the 1930s and 2009. He is particularly interested in the use of oral sources in the writing of African socio-economic history.