The Role of Hydo-Electric Power in Zambia and South Africa

FAIN: FT-59360-11

Andrea Lynn Arrington
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201)

From the beginning of its colonial history, North Western Rhodesia (later Northern Rhodesia and now modern day Zambia) was envisioned to serve as a territory that met the needs of her southern colonial sisters. The policies that the BSACo used to establish colonial authority were deemed parasitic by some white settlers in the territory, as resources from North Western Rhodesia were diverted to serve Southern Rhodesia and South Africa. Although perhaps the most noticeable and analyzed exported resource in terms of existing scholarship was migratory labor that funneled into mines in Southern Rhodesia, North Western Rhodesia was also targeted for its hydro-electric power potential. This project examines the historical roots of hydro-electric power generation and exportation, with a focus on how these schemes came from outside the colonial territory. Plans to harness the Falls revolved around the needs of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, with little concern about for Northern Rhodesia.