In Southern Rhodesia, settler fear of African rebellion meant that the colonial state consistently avoided conscripting Africans for the police and army, and relied on voluntary recruitment. Many historians have asked why Africans would choose to join a colonial security force, the primary purpose of which was to enforce the subjugation and exploitation of their own people. The obvious answer would seem to focus on material gain, as African police and soldiers were paid for their work, received food and shelter for themselves and their families, and often acquired benefits like pensions and good jobs after their terms of service. This basic motivation, however, could be interpreted in several ways. Were African police and soldiers opportunistic mercenaries employed by a foreign conqueror, or did Africans enter the security forces as just another form of wage labor in the growing colonial capitalist economy? Although some might claim that African security-force personnel used claims of material need to justify their service to the colonial state, it is difficult to ignore the overwhelming amount of evidence for this. The gaining of prestige likely represented another motive for enlistment, as colonial police and soldiers were immediately distinguished by uniforms that associated them with the power of the colonial state. This leads to further questions. Were African police and soldiers naïve indigenous people awestruck by the technology and perceived authority of Europeans, or were they cleverly negotiating a better position for themselves within a discriminatory colonial society?