British South Africa Company

Controlling the resources.

And we'll look at that in a little bit when we get to what the basis for the BSAC, the British South Africa Company, was in the areas of Africa.

It was about monopolies on resources, not just diamonds, by the way, not just De Beers diamonds, but also oil and gold.

That was a big part of what these entities ended up operating for.

But it is what happened a week after this phonograph recording that directly affects the history of South Africa.

The British South Africa Company received a royal charter from the Queen of England on the 29th of October, 1889.

Back in episode 290, I covered some of the details of the build-up to this charter being awarded by the British government, part of Cecil John Rose's grand plan to colonize Africa on Great Britain's behalf.

by early june eighteen eighty nine the charter for the british south africa company had achieved the approval of enough influential people in london to move forward it now needed government sign-off and queen victoria's stamp of approval there were stumbling-blocks two of the senior staff at the colonial office john bramston and edward fairfield opposed the idea they were overruled by the secretary of state for the colonies lord knutsford as well as the permanent under-secretary robert herbert Lobengula had written to the colonial office repudiating the Rudd concession which lay at the very heart of Rhodes' claim to have convinced the Ndebele king to allow him into Matabele land and Mashonaland to explore for gold.

the three men who negotiated with lobengula included james maguire who was in london he told colonial officials that lobengula was illiterate therefore could not have written the letter repudiating the concession we know that lobengula's letter was written by a missionary john smith moffat on lobengula's behalf maguire knew that too so he was fibbing and secondly another london missionary man of the cloth charles helm had witnessed and translated during the initial negotiations it now appeared that helm had played a dirty trick on lobenkuhler the verbal agreement negotiated at the time was indeed different from the written agreement Helm had been based at Hope Fountain, near Lomengula's residence in Boulogneau, since 1875, learning in Dibele, building trust, which was now a broken trust.

Helm was a Cape man, born and bred, and it's true that he had rejected the clumsy attempts by Rhodes to bribe him, but it's also true that he firmly favoured the Rhodes' proposal to enter Matapili land and Mashonaland, believing it would hasten the spread of Christianity.

I suppose I must give it to you." With the great Kimberley mind consolidated, Rhodes essentially became a government.

He organized the British South African Company, And in late 1889, Whitehall in England granted it a charter with almost unlimited power.

It could make treaties and enforce laws, maintain its own political force, acquire new concessions from native chieftains.

It could build roads, railways, harbors, wherever it pleased.

Estaba obsesionado con la idea de construir un ferrocarril desde Ciudad del Cabo hasta El Cairo, conectando los recursos del sur con el estratégico canal de Suez en el norte.

Él y su compañía británica de Sudáfrica básicamente conquistaron y anexionaron enormes territorios que pasaron a llamarse Rhodesia en honor a él, porque la sutileza no era precisamente lo suyo.

La Conferencia de Berlín de 1884 y 1885 fue el momento en que las potencias europeas básicamente se sentaron y dibujaron líneas sobre un mapa, dividiéndose África entre ellas sin preguntar a los africanos qué pensaban.

Es uno de los momentos más absurdos de la historia colonial.

Robert would sort of sit in a strange place in history as one who was both a defender of peace and yet he played quite a significant role in British imperialism.

The Second Matabele War, in which he fought, was fought in the then region of Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, between the British South Africa Company, or the BSAC, and the Matabele people, eventually expanding to the Shona people and the rest of Southern Rhodesia as the battle wore on.

BSAC was founded by a guy named Cecil Rhodes, who hoped that the group would promote colonization and economic exploitations across much of South and Central Africa and was considered to be a dictator.

The Matabele people had revolted against the authority of their colonizer, the BSAC, in March of 1896.

About three months afterwards I heard from other sources that I had given by that document the right to all the minerals of my country.

But Rhodes interpreted the concession as a permit to exploit and govern Lobengula's country, and following the example of other empire builders such as Goldie of West African fame and McKinnon of East African celebrity, he organised a company, the British South Africa Company, and applied for a charter from the British government.

The British premier Lord Salisbury was at this time inclined to recognise Portugal's claims to the territory.

But by much wire-pulling Rhodes won Salisbury over, by inviting the Duke of Fife to become vice-president and the Duke of Abercorn to become president of the projected company, and by stating his intention that the conditions of the natives inhabiting the said territories will be materially improved and their civilization advanced.

Germany has failed in her colonization scheme, for, as a recent writer says, her colonists in Africa number less than 1,000 and cost about $2,750 a year each, while the only portions of Africa that have yielded large returns for investments made by colonists are the regions controlled by England on the Niger and in South Africa.

The British South African Company The government of these vast tracts and colonies has generally been granted to companies chartered by the governments of Europe.

One of these companies, the British South African Company, was founded in 1889 by Mr. Cecil Rhodes.

the son-in-law of the Prince of Wales and other members of the nobility, were made directors and officers, receiving fully paid founders' shares.

Dr. Jameson was one of the subordinate officers.

Additionally, there was also another important development just hours before independence.

On the 23rd of October 1964, the British South Africa Company, commonly known as the BSAC, surrendered its mineral rights and royalties to the new Zambian government, following negotiations over the company's long-standing claim to mineral rights in the territory.

On the other hand, there were political and constitutional changes.

In October 1973, Zambia held its first general elections under the Second Republic.