Did the average native African really see a drastic decrease in living standards after Rhodesia was dissolved, or were they always poor?

r/

A common defense of Rhodesia is that “yeah sure they were racist, but at least they weren’t starving back then!”

I always assumed that they (the native Africans) were always starving, and that the wealth and food security was mainly centered around the whites. I’m curious about this but can’t find any quick sources to verify.

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