Paper 1 · November 2024 · Africa and Decolonisation
During the liberation war the Rhodesian government moved rural people out of their homes into fenced and guarded settlements, which villagers described as being put behind the wire. What were these settlements called?
Model answer
protected villages
Also accepted: protected village, PVs, keeps
Explanation
The protected villages, called keeps in everyday speech, were meant to cut the guerrillas off from the food and information the villages supplied. People were removed at short notice, often losing crops and cattle, and the resentment that caused did more to help the fighters than the fences did to hinder them.
Derived from ZIMSEC History Paper 1, Nov 2024, Q1