BOOK REVIEWSIn conclusion, this is a timely contribution to the effort to conserve Harare'sold buildings, yet it also provides a fascinating insight in to a style and way of lifenow past but leaving its imprint all around us. It is encouraging to see this heritagerecognized.University of ZimbabweSioux D. HARVEYBusiness Law In Zimbabwe By R. H. Christie. Cape Town, Juta, 1985, lvii,575 pp., R85.00, ISBN 0-7021-1573-8.As the author states, this book is a successor to his Rhodesian Commercial Law,1 avolume which he admitted was obsolete almost as soon as it was prioted. One ofthe primary purposes of that work was to provide a commercial law text coveringall three territories of the Federation. The new work is confined to the presentZimbabwean law but is no less ambitious in its attempt to provide acomprehensive coverage of the legal aspects of business in Zimbabwe.The work is clearly intended as a simple exposition of the main areas of lawlikely to be encountered by the average businessman, accountant, charteredsecretary or non-legal professional in the conduct of his day-to-day businessaffairs. For the practising lawyer it will be a useful primer; however, the coverageof most topics is superficial and there is a lack of'in depth' coverage of the issues atthe 'cutting edge' of legal development. While this is accepted as a necessity in abook of this nature (otherwise it would run to four or five volumes), it becomesvery easy for the layman or student of business law to slip into the typical layassumption that law is static, whereas in a society such as present day Zimbabweit is dynamic.As is inevitable with a legal text, certain aspects of the book are already out ofdate, for example the chapter on Employment which will require amendmentpursuant to the passing of the Labour Relations Act (No. 16 of 1985). Theseperennial problems for the legal writer, of instant obsolence by the addition oflegislation, could be mitigated by reference in the introduction to each section ofpossible new directions which might be followed, given the socialist aspirations ofGovernment. The author has never professed to be anything other than a 'blackletter' lawyer, but a little social context, particularly for the business-orientedreader, would help the layman to understand the function and purpose of thevarious branches of the law. An example of this can be seen in the perfunctorytreatment of co-operative companies and co-operative societies in the chapter onthe options available when starting a business (p. 139). At least some mentioncould have been made of the major efforts by Government to promote co-operatives as a development technique. It is important not only for the emergentco-operatives themselves to know of their options but also for other businessenterprises or ancillary organizations such as insurance companies and banks toknow the nature (even if only postulated) of the type of organizations they are, orare likely to be, dealing with.Similarly, in the chapter on Sale, I could find no reference to either thelR. H. Christie, Rhodesian Commercial Law (Cape Town, Juta, 1961).146BOOK REVIEWSaverage consumer or consumer protection. The reason, no doubt, is that the bookdeals specifically with law for the businessman. However, I believe it is necessaryat least to mention the probleois attached to the exercise of legal rights by theconsumer. It is clearly insufficient merely to point out the remedies which exsist asit is a trite fact that most consumers cannot afford to pursue the remedy throughthe courts, and must at best rely on bodies such as the Consumer Council ofZimbabwe for assistance in negotiating a remedy. Given the market, the book isprimarily aimed at some discussion of liens, and similar remedies might also havebeen expected, perhaps in a chapter devtoted to 'Remedies'.Zimbabweanizing the law cannot be achieved solely by relegating the SouthAfrican and English cases to the footnotes. This technique may show theZimbabwean aspects of many areas of the law but, regrettably, it does not give anaccurate picture of the whole compass of the law in a given area. HolmdeneBrickworks (Pvt)Ltd. v. Roberts Construction Co. Ltd., 1977 (3) S.A. 670 (A), isa seminal decision in both the development of damages in contract and theaddition remedies, yet it is consigned to a footnote in both the chapters in which itis mentioned.The chapter on Negotiable Instruments would, I am sure, have been greatlyimproved by the addition of illustrations. Although most people handle and issuenegotiable instruments constantly, they are, by and large, singularly ignorantabout them. This great mystery area of the law could be significantly demystifiedby the use of simple illustrations accompanied by short explanations. Moreemphasis could have been given to cheques and their crossings, the effect ornon-effect of crossings, and the purpose of the lines and squiggles added tocheques. One only has to deal in the market place to discover how many businessemployees are hideously ignorant of even the simplest aspects of this branch oflaw. Unless I am mistaken, there is no reference to the use of cheque cards, apractice which is becoming increasingly necessary both for the consumer and thebusinessman alike. Admittedly, this lies outside the provisions of the Bills ofExchange Act, but business reality must be considered in such a text.Lest I give the impression that the book is unsatisfactory, let me point out thatit will prove to be a major contribution to the Zimbabwe business scene. Apartfrom my earlier comment on the absence of discussion on co-operatives, thechapter on Starting a Business is both useful and simply explained. Similarly, thechapter, albeit brief, on Importing and Exporting will prove invaluable to allthose interested in the legal aspects of business as a whole. The book will proveparticularly valuable to students of business law, largely because of its clearexposition of the legal rules and principles in a wide range of topics. It will alsoserve as a sound primer for the law student and legal practitioner.University of ZimbabweJULIE E. STEWARTRoots Rocking In Zimbabwe By Fred Zindi. Gweru, Mambo Press, 1985, viii,98 pp., illus., ZS6.18 (p/b), ISBN 0-86922-360-7.The covers of Zindi's Roots Rocking in Zimbabwe are a potent advertisement forthe intervening text, both to Thomas Mapfumo's fans and to the author-cum-