Bechuanaland influenced events in Barotseland

Bechuanaland made it easy for explorers and imperialists, who made stopovers in present-day South Africa to communicate with people in Barotseland.  The prominence of Barotseland caused Europeans to mistakenly think that copper mines were under the Litunga when they were in fact in Lambaland on the Copperbelt.  It is for this reason that the call from Barotseland for the restitution of £75 million in mineral royalties by the Zambian government has been received with mixed feelings.

This is because the Lozi did not have consent from the Lamba people or their chiefs attached to the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 in accumulation of such funds.  The agreement formed part of Zambia's 1964 constitution and gave Barotseland the status of a "nation" within Zambia to administer local government systems such as courts, a native treasury, land and forest conservation.