August 23

August 23 in recent years

August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 131 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

c. 1780 – Tonga oral traditions recount a major clan migration to the southern plateau around this time, settling near present-day Monze.
23 August 1860 – Portuguese missionaries record a lunar eclipse observed over Barotseland; locals interpret it as a royal omen.

23 August 1902 – British South Africa Company census records the population of Fort Jameson (now Chipata) at 312.
23 August 1914 – Northern Rhodesian Police begin recruitment for World War I carrier corps.
23 August 1926 – Fire destroys the central warehouse in Broken Hill (now Kabwe); losses valued at £13,000.
23 August 1942 – Wartime rationing regulations gazetted; maize meal and soap are first restricted items.
23 August 1957 – Africans in Kitwe protest the “hut tax” increases; 45 arrested.
23 August 1963 – Barotseland Agreement is debated in London among British officials and Litunga’s representatives.

23 August 1967 – Parliament passes the Foreign Missions Bill, paving the way for Zambia’s diplomatic expansion.
23 August 1980 – President Kaunda announces state control of selected private industries under the nationalisation programme.
23 August 1991 – Final rally of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) before the historic 1991 elections held in Lusaka.
23 August 2016 – UPND legal team files appeal before the Constitutional Court for extension of presidential petition.
23 August 2021 – President Hakainde Hichilema receives congratulatory message from the African Union Commission.

23 August 1973 – Government gazettes results of the one-party referendum.
23 August 1995 – National Assembly passes the Land Act of 1995, granting leasehold rights to Zambians and investors.
23 August 2013 – Judiciary Service Commission releases report on access to justice in rural districts.
23 August 2022 – Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs opens public submissions on customary land registration reforms.

23 August 1954 – Copperbelt African Mineworkers’ Union presents its wage demands to the British South Africa Company.
23 August 1976 – Bank of Zambia introduces new treasury bill auction system.
23 August 1998 – Government signs loan agreement with the African Development Bank for road network upgrades.
23 August 2007 – Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco) completes partial privatisation; Rabobank acquires 49% stake.
23 August 2023 – Trade volumes between Zambia and Tanzania reach US$550 million, according to COMESA figures.

23 August 1984 – Zambia U-20 defeats Malawi 3–0 in COSAFA Youth Cup semi-final.
23 August 1996 – Zambia loses 1–2 to Tunisia in an AFCON qualifier played in Tunis.
23 August 2001 – Zambia women's national volleyball team beats Kenya 3–2 in Lusaka.
23 August 2020 – Postponed 2019/20 FAZ Super League season officially concludes due to COVID-19 disruptions.

23 August 1971 – National Council for Culture and Arts established by statutory instrument.
23 August 1990 – Zambia Daily Mail launches its first arts and entertainment supplement.
23 August 2015 – Film adaptation of Bittersweet Rain by Zambian author Cheela Chilala premieres at Lusaka International Film Festival.
23 August 2024 – National Arts Council opens public nominations for the Independence Arts Awards.

23 August 1989 – Drought assessment report indicates serious maize shortages in Southern Province.
23 August 2014 – Kafue Flats Conservation Plan launched to protect wetlands and bird habitats.
23 August 2025 – Zambia joins SADC Regional Fire Management Strategy; wildfire hotspot tracking begins in North-Western Province.

23 August 1977 – Industrial accident at Nchanga smelter kills two workers; national safety review initiated.
23 August 1992 – Road accident on the Great North Road near Kapiri Mposhi claims 18 lives.
23 August 2004 – Fire destroys 34 market stalls at Luburma Market in Lusaka.
23 August 2022 – Lightning strike in Mwinilunga kills two during heavy afternoon storms.

23 August 1891 – First Protestant wedding recorded at Sefula Mission in Barotseland.
23 August 1958 – Church of Central Africa Presbyterian opens theological college in Lundazi.
23 August 2017 – Zambia Interfaith Council issues joint statement condemning political violence.