The Federal Executive or Cabinet and Federal Civil Service

Parliament meeting in Zimbabwe image credit Newsday.co.zw

• The Federal government had a cabinet that co-ordinated and directed its movements
• Initially there were 5 cabinet ministers which later increased to 7 by 1958
• The first African to be in the cabinet was Mr. Savanhu who was appointed its secretary in 1959 when the seats were increased to 18
• Savanhu then resigned in 1962 after lack of cooperation on the partnership issue in the Federal Civil Service
• No African was ever appointed a cabinet minister
• The Federal Public or Civil Service had four main branches in 1956
• The First branch was only for Europeans and they had high salaries
• The other 3 were for Africans and they earned low salaries
• Very few Africans made it to Branch I
• By 1963 the Federal Civil Service laws had been made nonracial but in it was never so in practice
• Africans occupied clerical and menial posts whilst Europeans had higher administrative posts
• The HQ of the civil service was in Salisbury and Northern territories did not like this

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