Paul Silas

HISTORY OF THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF ZIMBABWE The modern geographic boundaries of Zimbabwe were largely established during the late 19th-century European “Scramble for Africa,” primarily through the actions of the British South Africa Company (BSAC) under Cecil Rhodes, and have remained essentially stable since around 1900 (with minor adjustments later). Pre-colonial polities had fluid, overlapping spheres of influence rather than fixed international borders. Pre-colonial period (before ~1880s) The area of present-day Zimbabwe (the Zimbabwe Plateau, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers) was home to successive Shona-related states and other groups. These lacked fixed modern-style national borders; control was based on tribute, trade, military reach, and cultural influence, often centered on stone-built capitals. Early states: Mapungubwe (roughly 11th–13th centuries, near the Limpopo confluence, extending influence northward) was succeeded by the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe (c. 13th–15th/16th centuries). Great Zimbabwe’s core was in the southeast of modern Zimbabwe; its influence or related settlements covered a substantial part of the plateau (estimates around 50,000 km² or more at its peak), with long-distance trade links. Later states: The Mutapa (Mwene Mutapa) state dominated the northeast and Zambezi valley from the 15th century. The Torwa/Butua and later Rozvi (Changamire) states controlled the southwest (centered near Khami). The Ndebele (Matabele) kingdom, established by Mzilikazi in the 1830s–1840s after migration from further south, controlled a core area in the southwest (roughly bounded by rivers such as the Gwaai, Shangani, Umzingwane, and Umguza in the 19th century), with tribute relations extending further. Other groups (Kalanga, Venda, Tonga, Shangaan/Tsonga, etc.) occupied specific regions. Portuguese explorers and traders operated on the margins from the late 15th century but did not establish lasting territorial control inland. Colonial delimitation (1880s–early 1900s) European claims intensified after the Berlin Conference (1884–85). Cecil Rhodes and the BSAC secured mineral concessions (notably the 1888 Rudd Concession from Ndebele king Lobengula) and a royal charter (1889). Occupation began with the Pioneer Column’s arrival in Mashonaland in 1890. Key steps that defined the borders: Initial claims: An 1891 Order in Council described the area as bounded by British Bechuanaland, the German protectorate, the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, Portuguese possessions, and the South African Republic (Transvaal). By the end of 1891, the broad outline of the modern boundary existed. After the 1893 Anglo-Ndebele War: A 1894 Order in Council refined the limits after the defeat of the Ndebele kingdom, excluding the Tati District and using features such as the Shashi River and territories of Chief Khama. Amalgamation: The 1898 Southern Rhodesia Order in Council combined Mashonaland and Matabeleland into one territory (Southern Rhodesia). It defined borders using the Portuguese possessions (east), South African Republic/Transvaal (south, to the Shashi), the Shashi/Ramaquaban rivers and watersheds, the Hunter’s (Pandamatenga/Westbeech) Road, and the Zambezi River (north) to the Portuguese boundary. Physical features (rivers such as the Zambezi, Limpopo/Shashi system, and eastern highlands/mountains) were heavily used as reference points because the interior was poorly mapped. Conflicts with Portugal over the eastern border (Manicaland area) led to adjustments in the 1890s, generally favoring British claims and bringing more of the eastern highlands under BSAC control while excluding Gazaland. Western borders involved negotiations with Bechuanaland (Botswana) authorities and demarcation commissions (e.g., along the Pandamatenga Road in 1907 and later).