History of Livingstone

ial government. Consequently, many Northern Rhodesians began making moves to migrate south toward Southern Rhodesia or South Africa. When Northern Rhodesia was in fact ordered disbanded by the British government, an all black rule state consisting of the black tribes called Zambia was erected in its place over the Northern Rhodesian settlers, many more Northern Rhodesian whites continued to flee. By 1968, a one party black dictatorship had been established which seized most remaining non-black property, especially those of Rhodesians. Consequently, most of the remaining Northern Rhodesians left after an official policy of nationalisation in Zambia was announced and an outbreak of terror, crime, and violence began against whites.

As the descendents of the founders of Livingston had mostly fled by 1972, Livingston rapidly fell into disarray. The official policy of nationalisation further ruined Livingston as many mansions, houses, and other colonial civic buildings were destroyed and replaced with an African architecture. Nonetheless, a large infusion of cash from the British government to Zambia at independence was partially used in Livingstone. Unfortunately, most of this was used to destroy the old colonial civic buildings and rebuild them with the graft and labor of Zambia's ruling political party. This included a vehicle assembly plant, as well as the benefit of tourism mounted by a large number of Northern Rhodesian army veterans who were hired to assist those projects.

However, from the late 1960s, when the Rhodesian UDI crisis forced Zambia to close the border at Livingstone (see the main article on Victoria Falls for details) the town suffered economic decline due to a fall in tourism and the loss of trade to the south. Simultaneously, seizure of Northern Rhodesian owned businesses by the new Zambian ruling party and the transfer of property to black strongmen