British South Africa Company
The British South Africa Company ( BSAC, dt British South Africa Company, unofficially Chartered Company) was a British business enterprise, the areas of " Zambezia " - now Zimbabwe and Zambia - opened up and managed. It was founded by Cecil Rhodes and Alfred Beit.
The Englishman Charles Rudd had in 1888 acquired the exclusive rights to metals and minerals in the UK on behalf of the South African Gold Fields Company of Matabeleherrscher Lobengula. A short time later, Edward Arthur Maund occurred with equal and even further claims on behalf of the Exploration Company.
Cecil Rhodes, Member of Parliament at the Cape and founder of the De Beers Diamond Mining Company in Kimberley, it finally understood reconcile the individual interests and to found the British South Africa Company with Alfred Beit. To the finances of the company itself Beit care. He and Rhodes took over shares worth 120,000 pounds sterling, De Beers took over 200,000 pounds, Gold Fields took over nearly 100,000 pounds and Exploration Company took over 75,000 pounds. The Company sold mainly in Rhodesia mining rights under the condition of 50 - % stake in the Erzfunden. The British South Africa Company received on October 15, 1889 a letter of protection ( Royal Charter ) of the British government, which granted her almost total autonomy in the management of Matabeleland, Mashonaland and Manicaland. Only the foreign relations were Britain reserved. Since 1899, the British South Africa Company also exercised control over the Barotseland from, later called North West Rhodesia, since 1900 also on Northeast Rhodesia.
An expedition under Colonel Pennefather occupied in September 1890 Southern Rhodesia. When they later advanced on Manika, it came in May 1891 a bloody conflict with the Portuguese at Massi cauldron. Thereupon the British government forced on June 11, 1891 a contract by which Manika and its gold fields passed into the possession of the British South Africa Company.
The Matabele under Lobengula were defeated in 1893 and brought in 1896 under the direct rule of the British South Africa Company. In the new colony soon streamed a lot of settlers and gold miners. 1897 were counted about 7,000 whites and 1899 in the capital Bulawayo alone 4,000 inhabitants. The new ocean far off colony was opened immediately by two railway lines. The first, of Mafeking, the administrative headquarters of British Bechuanaland to Bulawayo, was built from 1896 to November 1897. The second, between Beira in the then Portuguese Mozambique and Salisbury, now Harare, was opened to traffic on May 1, 1899.
The British South Africa Company was, as dramatically demonstrated in the Jameson Raid, an instrument of British colonial policy, the London every opportunity offered, not to come as a direct actor in appearance. Events in Africa south of the Zambezi left London thus every possible time to inspire the BSAC or brake. Starting January 1898, the British South Africa Company was under " very stringent " control by the British colonial authorities. This duplicity of British policy of violence in Africa south of the Zambezi River was internationally expressly disapproved. In addition, the BSAC had been committed at its inception, to make the British Empire to their heirs.