White people in Zambia

In 1966, three years after Zambian independence, 70,000 people of European origin lived in the country, with 18 percent living in the capital Lusaka. Half of the white population lived in the Copperbelt region to the north near the border with the Congo's Katanga Province.

In the 1960s, white Zambians tended to favour white-minority rule in Rhodesia and the apartheid system in South Africa, although small numbers prevented them from establishing a similar form of government in Zambia. At the Copperbelt mines, 6,500 expatriate workers held South African citizenship. Zambian whites made up the second largest group of immigrants moving to South Africa by 1967, fearful of the changing political climate in Zambia.[2]

The black African-led government of Zambia pursued a non-racial policy that allowed white residents of the country, as they were not automatically granted citizenship by birth, to register as Zambian citizens within two years of independence, however this did not guarantee that citizenship would be awarded. President Kaunda criticised continued racial discrimination in the Copperbelt in a speech delivered in October 1966. Following the speech, 23 whites were deported for inspiring "racial and industrial unrest". White Zambians remained disproportionately represented in the armed forces until a suitable number of qualified black personnel could be trained to replace them; until 1972 most of the senior military officers, including the commander of the Zambian Army, were white.[3] For a number of years afterwards, white Zambians were explicitly barred from enlisting in the armed forces; they were also granted a blanket exemption from conscription.[4]

In 2014, Zambia had a white population of European origin which numbered approximately 40,000.[1] Since independence, the community has never exceeded 1.1% of Zambia's population. Many long term residents have voluntarily retained South African or British nationality. However, only about 40,000 hold Zambian citizenship. Guy Scott, a white Zambian citizen and former Vice President, became Acting President of Zambia after the unexpected death of President Michael Sata.