UpdateBot at 12:54, 9 May 2022

2022-05-09T12:54:06Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
The [[Indian people|Indian]] presence in what is now [[Zimbabwe]] dates back to 1890 or earlier. Some scholars have suggested the similarities of the gold mining techniques carried out in southern Zimbabwe there is undeniable rascist propaganda from the Aryan hindu community trying to claim a presents in ancient Zimbabwe looking for indeginous rites of the natives in Zimbabwe with a lie that has been circulating that they had a presents in Zimbabwe before the arrival of the Portuguese because of a bronze cup found in the 14th century all this is false information, during the chimurenga people who committed acts of euthanasia towards the native indeginous population children used to spread this poisonous bias so they could spread Aryan agenda.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chittick |first1=Neville |title=Indian Relations with East Africa before the Arrival of the Portuguese |journal=The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |date=1980 |volume=112 |issue=2 |pages=117–127 |doi=10.1017/S0035869X00136287 |jstor=25211124 }}</ref> During colonial period Indian [[plantation]] workers in [[South Africa]] crossed the border into [[Southern Rhodesia]].<ref name="myref1">{{Cite web|url=http://eoi.gov.in/harare/?2000?000|title=India Zimbabwe relations|access-date=2015-05-30}}{{dead link|date=May 2022}}</ref> A voluntary wave of Indian migrants also came at this time from the east, made up mostly of Gujarati men crossing the Indian Ocean to look for new opportunities. These men landed in Beira in Mozambique. Finding that immigration restrictions made it difficult for them to go to South Africa, they made their way across Mozambique, ending up what was then Southern Rhodesia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Musoni |first1=Francis |title=Contested Foreignness: Indian Migrants and the Politics of Exclusion in Early Colonial Zimbabwe, 1890 to 1923 |journal=African and Asian Studies |date=17 October 2017 |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=312–335 |doi=10.1163/15692108-12341378 }}</ref> Further immigration was restricted in 1924 when the colony became a self-governing colony of the [[United Kingdom]]. The next year, entry of Indian migrants was restricted to wives and minor children of existing residents, with exceptions made on occasion for teachers and priests.<ref name=Kosmin1975>{{cite journal |last1=Kosmin |first1=B. A. |title='Freedom, justice and commerce' : some factors affecting Asian trading patterns in Southern Rhodesia, 1897-1942 |journal=The Journal of the Central Africa Historical Association |date=1975 |volume=6 |pages=15–33 |url=https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/7178 }}</ref> The restrictions remained in force until the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980.{{fact|date=December 2021}}

Indians in Zimbabwe have never made up more than one per cent of the country's population. In 1911, they numbered 2,912 as compared to the white settler population of 23,606, out of a total population of 771,077.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hole |first1=Hugh Marshall |title=Report of the director of census: regarding the census taken on 7th May, 1911 : presented to the Legislative Council, 1912. |date=1912 |publisher=Printed by the govt. printer |oclc=879804358 }}</ref> By 1969, Asians still only numbered 8,965 as compared to 228,296 Europeans out of a total population of 4,846,930.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ghdx.healthdata.org/record/zimbabwe-population-and-housing-census-1969 |title=Zimbabwe Population and Housing Census 1969 |website=GHDx }}</ref> The first migrants worked as traders, market gardeners, and laundrymen in the rural areas, often setting up stands on white farmers' land. They were eventually driven out of the reserves and into urban spaces by the [[Land Apportionment Act of 1930]].<ref name=Kosmin1975/> They became predominantly urban communities, opening up general dealer stores in Salisbury, Bulawayo, Umtali, and other smaller towns.{{fact|date=December 2021}}

Most Indians in Rhodesia were Gujarati, hailing from the same villages. According to the 1921 census, there were 612 Hindus resident in the country, and 231 Muslims (with one Parsee and 113 identifying as ‘other’).<ref>{{cite book |title=Census of the Population of Southern Rhodesia |date=1944 |oclc=709533628 }}{{pn|date=May 2022}}</ref>

Indian Zimbabweans faced discrimination during colonial rule as a minority non-white population. Although most stayed out of active politics, some Indian Zimbabweans discretely channeled funds to anti-colonial movements.<ref name="Oliver Marshall">{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Oliver |title=The last Indians of Masvingo, Zimbabwe |url=https://theworldelsewhere.com/2015/02/26/the-last-indians-of-masvingo-zimbabwe/ |work=The World Elsewhere |date=25 February 2015 }}</ref> Many Indian Zimbabweans emigrated to South Africa, [[Botswana]], and [[Zambia]], as well as [[Australia]] and the United Kingdom, following the economic downturn in Zimbabwe that began in 1999.<ref name="Oliver Marshall" />

As of October 2016, an estimated 9,000 Zimbabwean citizens are of Indian origin, mostly [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]]. Prominent Indian Zimbabweans in politics include [[Senate of Zimbabwe|Senator]] [[Kantibhai Patel]], who served as member of the [[Politburo of ZANU–PF|Politburo]] and Central Committee of the [[Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Herald |first1=The |title=Politburo member Patel dies |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/politburo-member-patel-dies/ |work=The Herald |date=12 September 2011 }}</ref> Patel died in 2011, and was declared a [[National Heroes Acre (Zimbabwe)|national hero]] in 2012. Indian Zimbabweans [[Bharat Patel]] and [[Ahmed Ebrahim]] have served as justices of the [[Supreme Court of Zimbabwe|Supreme Court]].<ref name="myref1"/>

Around 500 [[India|Indian]] citizens were residents in Zimbabwe as of October 2016. Most of them are professionals working in computer software, accounting and banking.<ref name="myref1"/>

==See also==
* [[India–Zimbabwe relations]]
*[[Sara Ali Khan]] is an Zimbabwean-Indian actress

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |chapter=Other Countries of Africa |pages=89–109 |chapter-url=http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter8.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206063957/http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter8.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2012 |title=Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora |date=2001 |publisher=Ministry of External Affairs |oclc=607370664 }}

{{NRI-PIO}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Zimbabwe]]
[[Category:Indian diaspora in Africa]]
[[Category:Zimbabwean people of Indian descent| ]]

Indians in Zimbabwe - Revision history

UpdateBot at 12:54, 9 May 2022