In the late 1890’s a force called The Pioneer Column, endorsed by the British South African Company, made it’s way into Mashonaland, in what today is northern Zimbabwe, in order to secure British territory before other European colonists made their way to the region. Mashonaland was near the other British colonies in southern Africa, and the purpose of this force was to secure more African territory for colonialization.
On this day September 12th, in 1890 British South Africa Company founds Salisbury (Rhodesia) in the Mashonaland territory. Mashonaland still exists as a region of Zimbabwe, with 3 million people and the country capitol within its borders.
The Pioneer Column convinced the tribal king of the region to allow the British to mine and administrate the area. The force was founded by Cecil Rhodes, a South African businessman, who started the De Beers a diamond company. Rhodes’s De Beers and at one point controlled 90% of rough diamonds on the market, many of them coming from his new lands. Today De Beers still has 40% of the diamond market, a very large amount.