The law goes further to provide
for an African registry and pass
book system, the classification of
occupations and the mandatory
signing of registered contracts
between the indigena and master.
The indigena is warned to abide
by the contract, obey orders,
zealously watch over his master's
property, never to leave the house
without permission and to have the
maximum respect for his master and
the people he lives with.
Hewer-of-Wood
All African males over 18 years
of age, boys between the ages of
12 and 18 who are employed and
all African women who are
employed must carry a 32-paged
pass-book with them at all times.
When permission is granted to
travel from one district to another,
the destination and purpose of the
journey are noted in the pass-book.
If the destination is the city, the
indigena is given three days to
report to the administrative
authorities who stamp the book
with the limit of time he has to
stay. When seeking employment
the indigena is forced to seek
permission from the administration.
The administrator or chef do Posto
will then make a note in the passbook that the person concerned is
permitted to seek employment
only within that district for a period
of seven days, Saturday and Sundays
inclusive. Those who fail to find
employment within the period of
seven days are arrested and taken
as forced labourers. The pass-book
also contains a record of previous
employment, the wages received,
the reason for the termination of
service, criminal records, emigration
records, together with other biographical details, his tax records,
photograph and thumb-print.
Consequently all male indigenas
are considered idle and are forced
to work as FORCED
LABOURERS unless, they
can prove that they are usefully
employed by means of a pass-book
that is in order. To implement,
this policy, regular raids are
organised to recruit what they call
"volunteers" from the rural areas.
The raids do not differ from those
of the slave trade days. These
raids are done   with the help of
African chiefs who are forced to
co-operate with the Government and
those who do not, are severely
punished. In 1958 aprominent
African chief in Vila Countinho
Northern part of Mozambique was
arrested for having refused to give
his people to the Government for
forced labour. The chief was taken
to Lourenco Marques central
prison.
A large number of these labourers
are sentenced or sold to the farmers
in plantations and the rest on
public services owned and run by
the settler government. The next result
of the forced labour system is not
merely to force some workers, but
the overwhelming majority o f
Africans to participate in Portuguese economy on terms which are
deeply injurious to the African's
welfare but highly lucrative to the
dirty-minded European settlers.
Not satisfied with forced labour
in tht colony alone Portugal has
contracted to supply labour to the
neighbouring territories, the godforsaken Republic of South Africa,
and the white settler minority imposed Federation of Rhodesia and
Nyasaland.
Forced Labour
Men women and children over
the age of 12 years sold as internal
forced labourers are forced to live
under very bad and difficult conditions, in some respects the situation
is more grave than that created by
chattel slavery. In chattel slavery the
master after buying the slave had
always to make sure that the slave
was well fed and kept healthy for
fear of losing his money if he would
have to buy another one.
In forced labour he is simply rented by the government. His master
cares less if he falls ill
as long as he goes on working
when he lives. If he dies or
becomes unable to work, the master
can always ask to be supplied with
other labourers without losing one
farthing. In spite of the fact
that the shibalos are forced to work
all days in a week (Saturdays and
Sundays inclusive,) they are not
allowed the shortest possible time
to visit their homes before they
complete their contracts which last
from 6 to 12 months.
On completing their contracts,
thc shibalos hardly get half of the
fixed wages (though less than
twelve pounds ( £12) per 12 months
contract). These wages are paid to
them by the administrators who
before paying, deduct the amount of
money he may claim the shibalo to
be owing for tax. Owing to the fact
that administrators and chefes do
Posto are notoriously underpaid by
the Salazar regime, they always take
the advantage of deducting any
amount they desire. For fear of
being cruelly punished, the shibalos
hardly complain. In May, 1961 fifteen shibalos were shot dead
at Mlange because they asked for
better wages and improved working
conditions.
Special Punishment
Corporal punishment is common
and freely used in the colony. Punishment is carried out by means of a
special instrument called "PALMA-
TORIO". This is a thick
wooden disc perforated with five
holes and attached to a short handle.
The person who is to be punished
is held with his palm of his hand
upwards and is struck as many times
as the administrator wishes. The
holes in the palmatorio suck up the
flesh and raise painful welts. Usually
after such punishment the culprit
is forced though with swollen
palms to chop a considerable amount
of fire-wood. If one is to be struck
more than 50 palmatorios, this is
done to both palms and thc soles.
External forced labourers are sold
to mines in South Africa and the
Rhodesias, and this has been turned
into profit by the Portuguese
colonialists. This South African Settler Government entered into an
agreement with Portugal to supply
manpower amounting to 100,000 per
year and this is known as the
Mozambique convention which is
divided into three parts:—
(a) The fixing of the minimun and
maximum number of Africans
who are to be recruited and
provision of payment to the
Portuguese Government for
registration, engagement and
monthly fees in regard to
" each such recruit.
Continued on page 26
24   VOICE OF AFRICA