Zambesia's colonial borders (Part 1)

BEN S SIYAMBANGO NZEHENGWA WRITES:

As Co-ordinator for the General Movement for the Survival of the River Races in Zambesia I am writing to enquire as to whether our country is aware of its colonial boundary as opposed to the current political boundary it occupies.

We trust that you are acutely aware that the only platform where colonial boundary settlements were established was the Berlin Conference conducted from 15th November 1884 to 26th February 1885. At this Conference colonial powers, England and Germany and others, agreed to boundaries in Southern Africa.

The boundary between the former German South West Africa (GSWA), now Namibia, and former Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana, was the 20th degree East of Longitude following an agreement between Germany and England after the Chancellor of Germany, Prince Otto Von Bismarck, had complained that the coast was barren and of no value except that it gave access to the interior.

Lord Granville, then Chief Minister of England, had explained that there was no desire on the part of her majesties' government to interfere with Damaraland or Namaqualand behind the coastline and there could be therefore no objection from England's point of view against Germany going into the interior even as far as the 20th degree East of Longitude, which was pointed out to Prince Bismarck on the map. This formed a boundary settlement between England and Germany, which still exists today.

Bechuanaland was formally taken under British protection (30th September 1885) and the sphere of British influence was declared to extend N to 22 S and W to 20 E.

The telegram which announced the settlement explained as follows:

"March 14, 1885, German Empire has been informed by Her Majesty's Ambassador at Berlin that Bechuanaland and Kalahari, as limited by first section of Order in Council of 27th January 1885, are under British protection. As soon as practicable Warren should communicate with Sechele and Khame, and take care that no filibustering expedition takes possession of the country, more especially Shoshong. It should be clear that British protection was no longer restricted to the border of the Transvaal as Lord Derby had previously resolved."

It emphasised a special interest in Shoshong and a special duty in extending British protection to that ­important town and district as far as 22 degree of south latitude. This ­formed the northern colonial boundary of Bechuanaland protectorate.

The above colonial boundary of the Bechuanaland protectorate was signed off at Shoshong on 30th September 1885 between chief Khame of the Bahamangwato tribe and Queen Victoria's representative Sir General Charles Warren, leader of the Bechuanaland expedition who came to abolish the Boer towns of Stellaland and Goshen. The colonial boundary between Bechuanaland and Zambesia was placed at 22 degrees south latitude. Although chief Khame and his tribes' men had complained that their country had been halved, they nevertheless went ahead and signed the agreement.

There was a country north of British Bechuanaland located between 22 degree south latitude and the Zambesi River which was entrusted to the late Mr John Cecil Rhodes to Administer on behalf of the English people and was not part of the protectorate.

The Bechuanaland protectorate was used as a springboard by the English to promote their empire in Zambesia from 1885-1887. Bechuanaland and its Zambesian borderlines found itself the focus of the gathering forces of partition.

The new government of Salisbury, in 1886 for the second time as Premier together with Edward Stanhope as Colonial Secretary declined to see the logic of making this vast extension to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, particularly as in the passing of months, since the original Cape Alarmist letters, no grand German design for Central Africa was revealed. The matter of extending the Bechuanaland Protectorate to the Zambezi River was accordingly shelved.

It is therefore not true that the Order in Council of 30th June 1890 extended the Protectorate to the Caprivi Strip because at that time there was no such territory known as the Caprivi Strip, north of the Bechuanaland protectorate.