ABSTRACT
In German times, von Zastrow had noted that over half the farms in the Grootfontein district were run on Bushman labor and the blue book suggested that there were over 1,500 Bushmen employed on the Grootfontein farms. Although many farmers felt that the leniency displayed in court cases had encouraged Bushman depredations, rapprochement between the government and farmers was soon stimulated by the passing of two pieces of legislation. The difficulties involved in policing Bushmen are reflected in the negative imagery and associated strategies used by policemen in their "Bushman patrols." The negative imagery was shared by all policemen, from the deputy commissioner down to the lowest white constable. One suspects that the awesome reputation of such policemen was deliberately encouraged, because when people were as difficult to apprehend as Bushmen were reported to have been, such a reputation can be a very effective device of social control.
