This is the 11th of a series of blog postings from Clare Bottle, who will be telling us about her travels in Zambia - supported by transport charity Transaid - to see what the transport industry is like out there:
Packing up my things I felt a pang of sorrow to be temporarily leaving my new home at the Fairview Hotel. How on earth will I cope when I have to depart for good? Victor collected me soon after 9am and we set off for a two-day trip to Ndola, about 170 miles north of Lusaka.
Our first stop was a tiny detour into Kabwe to see a remarkably old tree which was once the site of a slave market. The tree is colossal, surrounded by a fence and protected by statute from having its branches cut. As the locals looked on, bemused to see me taking pictures, I was reminded of the Wilberforce Oak at Holwood, Kent, under which the UK politician William Wilberforce resolved to destroy the slave trade in 1787. Only a remnant remains today of that other historic tree.
The road from Lusaka to Ndola is remarkably straight which suggests that competing land-use was either non existent or disregarded when it was constructed. Despite being a major trunk route, the carriageway is just two lanes (one in each direction) with no central marking and a single yellow line indicating each outside edge. The narrow ‘hard shoulder’ beyond the yellow line is occupied by cyclists and pedestrians moving in both directions, and periodically by market stalls selling rural goods such as tomatoes or straw.
Our next stop was at Kipiri where despite having no appointment we were fortunate to come across Lewis Kaluba of TAZARA. TAZARA is a joint venture between Zambia and Tanzania, operating a railway line originally funded by aid from Chairman Mao’s China. UDI mutilated Zambia’s trade routes to the south, necessitating new transport paths for copper exports and fuel imports. The infamous “Hell Run” roadway was developed between the Zambian Copperbelt and the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, across inhospitable terrain. Between 1971 and 1976 the roadway was supplemented by 1860km of rail.
As it happens, Lewis has completed the CILT Advanced Diploma, but perceives that CILT Zambia section is not very active. He was pleased to hear about the prospect of a five-year strategic plan and gave us some useful suggestions. He also permitted me to take a few pictures, but with the stern proviso not to photograph any of the copper shipments, as they are subject to strict security. The policemen on the platform looked all set to arrest me until they saw my ID, confirmed that I had Lewis’s support and reiterated the rule about the copper. I was relieved to make it back to the car without causing an international incident.
Later in our journey, when Victor pointed out the anthills between Kapiri and Ndola I wasn’t sure whether to believe him. These structures tower about 12 feet high and punctuated the roadside vegetation at regular intervals for about a mile. Whilst I was marvelling at them it started to rain. I haven’t seen any rain before in Zambia and although it was heavy with big droplets, the sun kept merrily shining. Victor joked that this is a special rainy-season excursion for tourists, to give them a little taste of the terrible flooding which affects the country every February and March.
Upon arriving in Ndola, we met up with Kevin who welcomed me with a beer and some good advice about how to get the most out of this short trip. Tomorrow we’ll make an early start for nearby Kitwe where I can begin my introduction to the mining operations of Zambia’s Copperbelt province.
If you’d like to know more and would consider sponsoring me, please visit my charity giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/clarebottle.
Clare Bottle is a freelance logistics specialist, with experience and market knowledge in storage, packaging and transport; she is also a Board Director and Trustee of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK.