BACKGROUND
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, and is typically referred to as being in South-Central Africa. Its Neighbours are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the south-central part. The population of around 20.1 million (2023) is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country. Zambia contains minerals, wildlife, forestry, freshwater and arable land. In 2010, the World Bank named Zambia one of the world's fastest economically reformed countries.
THE REGION
The region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the 13th century.
13th Century Bantu migration routes
Following the arrival of European explorers in the 18th century, the British colonized the region into the British protectorates of Barotseland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia comprising 73 tribes, towards the end of the 19th century. In the Year, 1888, Cecil Rhodes was spearheading British commercial and political interests in Central Africa, obtained mineral rights concessions from local chiefs. In the same year, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, now Zambia and Zimbabwe, were proclaimed a British sphere of influence.
A map of Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
COLONIAL ERA
In the beginning, the territory was administered by Rhodes’ British South Africa Company (BSAC), which showed little interest in the province and used it mainly as a source of labour.
Laborers from Northern Rhodesians and Belgians build a bridge over the Lusemfwa River in Zambia. 1915.
In that period, the most important factor in the colony’s economy was copper. The discovery was made known by an American scout, Frederick Russell Burnham, who in 1895 led and oversaw the massive Northern Territories (BSA) Exploration Co. expedition which established that major copper deposits existed in Central Africa and this was evident in the copper deposits that the locals wore as bracelets. In 1923 the British government decided not to renew the BSA company’s charter. As a result, Southern Rhodesia was annexed formally and granted self-government in 1923.
FROM PROSPECTIVE LAND TO COPPER PRODUCER
After negotiations, the administration of Northern Rhodesia was transferred to the British Colonial Office in 1924 as a protectorate, with Livingstone as capital. Then the capital was transferred to the more central location which happens to be Lusaka in 1935 and a Legislative Council was established which comprised the British.
With Years going by, enormous copper deposits were discovered in the region which then became known as the Copperbelt in 1928.
Deposits of Copper ore that were discovered in Northern Rhodesia in 1928.
This transformed Northern Rhodesia from a prospective land of colonization for white farmers to a copper exporter. By 1938, the country produced 13% of the world’s copper extraction. The sector was developed by two companies: the Anglo-American Corporation (AAC) and the South African Rhodesian Selection Trust (RST), who controlled the sector until Independence.
HOW THE VICTORIA FALLS BRIDGE WAS CONSTRACTED
In 1905, 117 years ago, British Engineers constructed the Victoria Falls Bridge linking Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) across the mighty Zambezi river. This was part of Cecil John Rhodes mega project of connecting Africa from Cape Town to Cairo via rail.
Note, however, that the bridge was built/prefabricated in England and then shipped to Mozambique and transported to its current location from the Port of Beira by rail for assembly. The assembly took only 14 months, and it fit according to specifications.
Note, that this was 117 years ago, before computers & GPS’s were invented. The British Engineers had earlier come to assess the Victoria Falls gorge, take measurements and designed the bridge based on the geology of the gorge, then went to England to build the bridge!
To this day, the bridge is fully operational carrying both trucks and cargo trains – 117 years later.
(Video Courtesy of SINKS TV)
FORMER AND CURRENT PRESIDENTS OF ZAMBIA
Kenneth Kaunda
1st Republican President of Zambia
FREDRICK TITUS JACOB CHILUBA
2nd Republican President of Zambia
FREDRICK TITUS JACOB CHILUBA Second President of the Republic of Zambia from 1991 to 2001. Leader of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) Party. He championed multiparty democracy. Dr Chiluba was also instrumental in the introduction of Economic liberalisation and Privatisation. During his presidency, Zambia was declared a Christian nation and this was accordingly enshrined in the Constitution.
LEVY PATRICK MWANAWASA
3rd Republican Presisident of Zambia
LEVY PATRICK MWANAWASA Third President of the Republic of Zambia from 2001 to 2008. He continued leadership of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD)His leadership was marked by the promotion of the rule of Law and the anti-corruption crusade. He also spearheaded the attainment of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) that resulted in significant debt write-off for Zambia.
RUPIAH BWEZANI BANDA
4th Republican President of Zambia
RUPIAH BWEZANI BANDA Fourth President of the Republic of Zambia from 2008 to 2011. He assumed office under the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) following the death of President Mwanawasa. His leadership was premised on “President for all Zambians” in which he championed unity across tribe, region and ethnicity.
MICHAEL CHILUFYA SATA
5th Republican President of Zambia
MICHAEL CHILUFYA SATA Fifth President of the Republic of Zambia from 2011 to 2014. He ushered in a new political party -the Patriotic Front (PF)His legacy includes his passion for land-linked Zambia through a robust road network.
EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU
6th Republican President of Zambia
EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU Sixth President of the Republic of Zambia under the Patriotic Front (PF). He came into power following a by-election after the death of Mr Sata from 2015 to 2016 and then 2016-2021.
HAKAINDE HICHILEMA
Current Republican President of Zambia
HAKAINDE HICHILEMA Seventh and current President of the Republic of Zambia following the August 2021 elections. His agenda is economic revival and the fight against corruption so that public resources benefit the people of Zambia and not a few selfish individuals. President Hichilema’s leadership has also seen the introduction of free education, massive recruitment of teachers, health workers and other public service workers, including the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to unprecedented levels in the history of the country.