High Commission Territories of Southern Africa (Twilight of a New Era)

The High Commission Territories of Southern Africa are two protectorates and a colony in Southern Africa that are under the protection or rule of UK.

They are under political responsibility and administration of the High Commissioner for Southern Africa. Its office is separate from the one of Governor-General of South Africa since the 1920s.

These territories were supposed to be transfered to South Africa. However South Africa's segregation policies and opposition of local chiefs halted the possibility of annexation. Rhodesia-Nyasaland as officially petitioned for Bechuanaland to become its fourth state.

Each territory is governed by a resident commissioner who rules according to decrees issued by the High Commissioner for Southern Africa. Such decrees are formulated in close consultation with the resident commissioners, who in turn take informal and formal advice from white settler interests and local royalty. It later established in each territory two advisory councils to represent both Africans and European.

The Territories
The territories are: