ABSTRACT
In 1889 the British South Africa Company was granted a Royal Charter to settle in, and administer, the land north of the Limpopo river. In 1890 Cecil Rhodes sent a pioneer column from South Africa, which crossed the Limpopo and established the town of Salisbury, the future capital of the new country. In 1898 Mashonaland was united with Matabeleland and the whole country became known as 'Southern Rhodesia', in honour of Cecil Rhodes. In 1923 Rhodesia was granted responsible government. Company rule came to an end and for the first time the settlers elected their own parliament. With internal self-government, the land question resumed its importance. With the rigid division of Rhodesia into African and European areas and the rapidly increasing African population—by 1941 the African population was estimated to be about 1.5 million—agricultural reform measures became more urgent. The ever increasing cattle population in African areas also caused grave concern.
