ABSTRACT
The Shumbas and Mukanyas reside in the Sanyati and Hwedza communals of Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East provinces respectively. Located in Mashonaland West, Sanyati Communal Lands are about 120 kilometres north west of Kadoma. Along the tarred road coming from Kadoma, via Golden Valley, passing Muzvezve, about opposite the Sanyati Baptist mission but three or so kilometres inland, lies Shumba household. The Mukanya family, like most in the Hwedza communal, originally hailed from around Marondera to the north. The colonists progressively possessed the prime farming land there and pushed the people into a small communal area called Svosve. The Shumba cattle herd had already peaked at 30 head and would halve in size by the end of the 1970s. The Shumba household, for instance, managed to purchase farming equipment and consumer goods over the UDI period, such as a plough, scotch cart, sewing machine and radio.
