If most Zimbabweans knew where John, Stewart and Thomas Meikle really got their money to build the Meikles Hotel and expand their business, they would be so furious and boycott that building forever. 
Much is talked about Gold as a means of wealth in the 1890s but little attention is given to the vast monopolies that dealt in the beef and cattle business. As everyone was rushing towards gold, the Meikles brothers invested in cattle as there was high demand for beef back in
England and the Americas. At first the Meikles brothers were buying cattle from the natives for a fair price and selling at a profit and sometimes fattening before exporting to Europe. However as demand soared higher, the Meikles brothers were pushed to the limits by the
Capitalist world and they had to do the unthinkable. They were the heart of the mafia and monopoly agents and they created a beef cartel under different aliases and influenced the Rhodesian government to introduce the infamous Cattle tax. They made sure no matter how big any
native's herd was, he had to retain only a predetermined number (usually 10) and the rest were taken away by the gvt. These which were taken away were slaughtered and the beef exported to Britain making capital to expand the TM chainstores & ultimately building the famous Hotel.
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