The Lowdown - 2013-09 September by The Lowdown

Vol.19, No. 09, 2013

September

For Whom The Road Tolls?

Perfidious Albion

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

The Cat O’ Nine Tales

Charging Like An Elephant

What’s Happening

Star Gazer

Biz Zone

In the Garden

Restaurants

Fool On The Hill

Small Adverts

Mole In The Hole

Employment Sought

Beauty Naturally

Front Cover Photograph: Wildflower ‘Life after fire’ Lusaka Province, by Mel D Phiri Editor: Heather Bender Chalcraft Layout & Design: Louann Chalcraft Published by: LH Publications Limited, Plot 8747, Buluwe Rd, (Off Leopards Hill Road), Woodlands. PO Box 36666, Lusaka, Zambia. +260 211 266-353/266-287 editor@lowdownzambia.com www.lowdownzambia.com Winners of the 2011 Africast Tourism Journalist of the Year Award Advertising, Subscriptions and Distribution: ads@lowdownzambia.com Printed by: New Horizon Printing Press Ltd, PO Box 38871, Lusaka, Zambia. +260 211 236-637 1

For Whom The Road Tolls? Recent announcements by the Road Development Agency (RDA) that they intend to construct and operate toll gates on selected roads around the country raises some interesting questions and debate. This is especially so for those of us who remember the ‘toll gates’ that were constructed around the country back in the 80’s and which collected not even one ngwee of road tolls.

In the normal course of events, the decision to toll a road is made to solve a specific problem. For example, heavy traffic congestion within an urban area may result in a toll being instituted to draw traffic away from the road and to put

that traffic onto other modes of transport such as railways, trams or other mass transit systems. Clearly this is not the intention in Zambia given that the intended toll gates are not within urban areas. Of course this does not only apply to urban roads but others roads as well. Whilst we do have railways as an alternative mode of transport, to expect that (with the current status of our railway system) they would be able to efficiently and effectively cope with the country’s freight should there be a sudden shift in transport mode is unfathomable. The other scenario in which the tolling of roads is contemplated is to raise revenue. The main problem of toll roads with the objective of revenue generation is that the toll should be at a level that it does not price people off the road, thereby reducing demand. But to set the tolls at a level that will maximise revenue, the tolls simply

become a new tax on road users. This increased cost will be passed on which will in turn ripple through the entire economy leaving less money in the pocket. The tolling of roads has, certainly within the SADC region, been recognised as a way in which to fund the enormous cost of road infrastructure. However, so far, it is really only South Africa, with it’s vastly superior level of infrastructure development and higher traffic volumes, that has had any experience in the implementation and management of toll roads. And even their experience of late has been fraught with problems, especially the recent move towards the introduction of the e-toll roads. In fact, it has been so fraught with problems that despite an implementation date of April 2011 the e-tolls have, at the time of writing, still not been put into operation. Granted, the delays have, from what we understand, mostly been because the enabling legislation has yet to be signed and therefore brought into effect and because of public protests and court battles. In Zambia, the legislation is already in place in the form of the Tolls Act of 2011, although inexplicably the RDA have been given the authority to act as a regulator as well as an implementer! Before tolling roads, there are a few basic principles which need to be established. Tolls are normally only placed on newly built roads, roads which have not been built using tax payers money. Tolling new roads is a way to leverage private sector investment which is then recovered through the tolls. To toll existing roads becomes a tax on a tax. The second principle is that there should be a viable alternative route so that motorists can use this route in place of the tolled road should they so decide. Furthermore, tolled roads, if motorists are going to pay to use them, need to be in a good condition with no potholes and they need to be kept that way. Given the proposed sites for toll gates, it does not appear that these principles have been taken into account. Hang on! The erstwhile executive officer of RDA said ‘the toll gates will go a long way 4

in decongesting the roads as they will be alternative routes’ Just where, we wonder, are the alternative roads on the route from Livingstone up to the Copperbelt? Perhaps in the future if new roads are built, but not in the time period which has been stated (2013 - 2015) for the implementation of the first tolled roads. After this, we need to take a look at how these tolls are going to be collected. The ideal method would be for this to be done electronically so that there is no cash that changes hands out on the roads. Electronic payments can work and do work very well in countries which have developed banking systems and where the population carry plastic money. Purchasing ‘motoring miles’ can then easily be done at booths or on the internet. But not so here in Zambia. Many motorists do not have bank accounts and very few people have plastic money. The alternative is to construct toll booths which is what appears is going to happen. What is going to be the cost of the construction of these toll booths? And the cost to get electricity to them as they will need to operate 24 hours a day and for safety purposes, both in terms of road safety and crime, will have to be well lit. And then the cost of staffing them 24 hours a day? The cost of collection may well be higher than the revenue collected. How do we ensure the security of personnel on duty and security of the money being collected? Zambia’s toll booths could well turn out to be ATM’s for armed robbers. The next challenge to be addressed is what happens to international motorists and transporters who have already paid the international transit toll or the COMESA harmonised road user charge? They cannot be expected to pay twice and I am sure some modality will be worked out. But how will accountability of the money collected be assured if some vehicles are allowed free passage? The Tolls Act does, correctly so, allow for free passage of emergency vehicles including the police, fire departments, the military, ambulances

and the Presidential and Vice Presidential cavalcades. How will a police vehicle carrying school children be classified? And Government vehicles, will they pay? And what of the ox drawn scotch carts that ply our roads; are they liable to pay the toll and can they afford to pay the toll? What of congestion on the roads and delays to motorists. Anyone who has driven

through Kapiri Mposhi will understand what we mean. The road area outside the weighbridge, which is built well off the road and has a sizeable parking area for trucks, is always congested. Now add to the trucks the small vehicles trying to move through the toll booth and obtain a receipt for their payment. Certainly, the size of the road where toll booths are to be sited will have to be increased to allow multiple lanes in each direction. As one commentator said ‘Toll gates and weighbridges together with police road blocks is going to take us a week to get from Lusaka to Kitwe.’ The issue of funding Zambia’s roads, be it construction of new roads, maintenance or rehabilitation, is a difficult one. Although it must also be said that this could well be reduced but because of our seeming inability to carry out maintenance on time and before a road becomes impassable, we find ourselves in a cycle of continually having to rebuild roads. The principle of ‘user pays’ is also a fair. But where we seem to have gone wrong is that we are jumping to toll roads when other methods of collecting road users charges will be much more cost effective. Is a simpler method rather to increase the amount of fuel levy in each litre of fuel that is purchased and to increase vehicle licencing fees. The collection mechanisms are already in place; there is no need to construct toll booths throughout the country and no recurrent staff and other costs. All that would need to be done to make it more equitable is to work out a mechanism that farmers, fishermen, construction vehicles and the railways purchase fuel at a reduced rate since the bulk of the fuel they use is not used on public roads. This is easily dealt with by adding a colourant to the fuel for those industries and for spot checks to be done on the fuel in the tanks of vehicles using public roads. It seems very clear, that insufficient thought has been given to the implementation of tolled roads in Zambia and that the cart has been put before the horse. Or should that be ‘the trailer has been put before the horse’? 5

Somewhere Over The Rainbow No, I am not a taxi driver; nor am I a mini bus operator. But I am sure if I were, I would not be any the less confused than I am now.

During April of this year, it was announced that the colour of Public Service Vehicles; in other words, taxis and minibuses, would be changing. There would no longer be a requirement for them to be blue and instead they could be a colour of the operator’s choice but they should all bear an orange strip, ten centimetres wide, across the body. Yet three months later, in July, it was announced that, effective mid-August, buses can be painted in the operator’s choice of colour but that the colour of the ten centimetre strip will be determined by the province of origin of the bus. This has been backed by a Statutory Instrument and the strip is now being called a ribbon. There is some background to the requirement that buses are painted standard colours. Sometime during the 80’s, the Government of the day made it a requirement that all buses and taxis were painted green. This, of course, excluded the old UBZ buses which were black and yellow. Sometime during the 90’s this requirement was removed and buses and taxis could again be painted any colour which the operator chose. That was until 2001 when it was decided that buses and taxis should be painted a sky blue. Some say this was the MMD blue; others say it was because a decision maker somewhere had managed to buy thousands of litres of light blue paint at a very cheap price. But whatever the reason, our roads were soon filled with Blue Bombers. The Blue Bombers remained until early 2011 when it was announced that a Statutory Instrument was to be published once again allowing operators to paint their

vehicles in a colour of their choice. The then Minister said this was in response to operators and advertising firms who wish to utilise public service vehicles for what they called ‘effective information dissemination’. We don’t know what finally happened but as the Blue Bombers are still with us, we can only assume that the Statutory Instrument was withdrawn. And here we are today and we shall shortly be seeing multi-coloured buses careening down our roads with gay abandon - regular Rainbow Rockers The reason for the change which was given during April was that operators were spending a lot of money on painting their vehicles blue and that this was a barrier to entry into the market. The reason given during July was that the new regulation was addressing concerns about pirate taxis or cars that are being used for the conveyance of passengers without being licensed and that the aim was to contribute towards attaining an efficient road transport system. One official even announced that the new measures would go a long way in curbing crime targeted at taxi drivers. We started off by saying that we were confused. We are still confused. We don’t understand how painting public service vehicles in different colours stops pirate taxis from operating. The only thing that will stop them from operating is for licenced operators to be available and in sufficient numbers when prospective clients need the services that they provide. We are given to understand that if a taxi is needed at night, the only ones available, apart from Dial-a-Cab (at least in Lusaka) are pirate taxis. And why colour code the vehicles? Already, they have town codes painted on them - LSK for Lusaka, NDL for Ndola, KTW for Kitwe and so on.

What we would really have liked to have seen was that the new colours were being introduced for safety reasons; to make the vehicles more visible in the hope that some accidents can be avoided. This is sadly missing from all the statements that we have read although upon requesting clarification from RTSA, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ribbonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are supposed to be reflective tape or reflective paint. But as we were told â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you are painting it, make sure it is neat! This raises a further question - what is the safest colour vehicle to drive? A search on the net revealed that researchers have been conducting studies on the colours of vehicles involved in accidents and that there does seem to be a correlation between car colour and the incidence of accidents. White has for years been considered the safest car colour and research shows that there is a twelve percent higher risk of being involved in an accident in a black vehicle compared to a white vehicle. This is followed by silver or grey vehicles which tend to disappear into the tarmac, especially if the sun is behind them. Dark blue and dark green also tend to fade into the road surface. After white, the next safest colours are the bright ones such as yellow and to a lesser extent red. At least during the day; at night,

red tends to be absorbed into the darkness and is perceived as black. Also, people have poor peripheral detection of red shades. Optometrists favour lime yellow as it has high visibility both during the day and against cloudy skies. The relationship between car colour and safety is multifaceted. Background colours, weather conditions and daylight have a profound effect on how conspicuous a vehicle is. And there is also no substitute for careful driving by all drivers, whether driving a public service vehicle or not. We are sure that commuters on our minibuses also have their opinions about the colour of the buses. Without a doubt many will tell you that they would rather the money was spent on mechanical repairs or at the very least repairing the insides of the buses than painting the outside. A nice paint job on the outside but tattered and broken seats on the inside. Sources: www.aaafoundation.org www.carsbuddy.com.au

Charging Like An Elephant

Get ready for dust, sweat and gears! In October 2013, the sixth Elephant Charge will take place in the Zambian bush raising funds for wildlife conservation. This year promises to be the biggest and best yet…

I first took part in the Elephant Charge 2011, as an employee of one of the Zambian conservation beneficiaries, Conservation Lower Zambezi (www. conservationlowerzambezi.org). Roped in as what can only be described as the least enthusiastic team member an Elephant Charge team has ever had, my fears were only further confirmed when I saw my boss take a hefty tumble out of our modified Mercedes G-Wagon before the first check point which I thought might be his last. However, he rose from the ashes to jump back into the car and at the check point I realised that this monstrous event had the potential to be quite good fun. With adrenalin I never knew I had coursing through my veins, I felt the fresh African dawn air on my face and clung for dear life to the back of the car. Team building under extreme circumstances, friendships are forged inside those Elephant Charge cars that couldn’t dream of more exciting beginnings as we battle to forge paths through the bush. Since that day, the rev of the 4x4 beasts’ engine uphill to the first checkpoint of the day has been far too exhilarating for me to miss a single year of this incredible event. Originally inspired by the Kenyan Rhino Charge this fun-filled, family event takes nerve! 4x4 enthusiasts are challenged to the brink, racing around a thrilling course in the Zambian bush against the clock, the GPS and not to mention the other adrenalinfuelled competitors. The most daring team will complete all of the checkpoints in the shortest distance, winch up cliffs and down ravines to claim the much prized trophy. The event demands stamina and navigational skills as well as the ultimate team tactics. Every year the site is a closely guarded secret until the eve of the Elephant Charge to avoid early reconnaissance trips! Although the competition itself can be brutal, the event is attended by chargers of all ages and families

enjoy the weekend at campsites with water, showers and even a swimming pool last year. But it’s not just for the rush that these eager “Elephant Chargers” do it. It’s for the wildlife too. Organised by a committee of dedicated volunteers and sponsored by many generous corporate donors (including CFAO Zambia - new this year), in 2012 the Elephant Charge raised over $80,000 for conservation charities in Zambia, mainly promoting environmental education in local communities. With one of the highest deforestation rates in the world and the constant threat of poaching, this event provides much needed support for vital conservation and community support work in Zambia. Come and see for yourself on 26 October 2013. Entries now open at: www.elephantcharge.org

Star Gazer The Sky in September

by Gwyn Thomas

Cygnus, Delphinus, Lacerta & Equuelus

Kitalpha

Rotanev

Sualocin

Gienah Albireo Sadr

Deneb

Alpha Lacertae

Delta Cygni

Near and adjoining Pegasus in the Northen sky from the Southern Hemisphere are the constellations of Cygnus, Delphinus, Lacerta and Equuelus.

Cygnus

The swan, is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way and it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross (in contrast to the Southern Cross). Cygnus was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. The bright stars of Cygnus are: Deneb, Alpha Cygni, the brightest star in Cygnus is the tail. It is a blue-white hued supergiant star of magnitude 1.3, about 3200 light-years away. 10

Albireo, Beta Cygni, the head, is a celebrated binary star among amateur astronomers for its contrasting hues. The primary is an orange-hued giant star of magnitude 3.1 and the secondary is a blue-green hued star of magnitude 5.1. The system is 380 light-years away and is divisible in large binoculars and all amateur telescopes. Sadr, Gamma Cygni, the breast, is a yellowtinged supergiant star of magnitude 2.2, 1500 light-years away. Delta Cygni is another bright binary star in Cygnus, 171 light-years with a period of 800 years. The primary is a blue-white hued giant star of magnitude 2.9, and the secondary is a star of magnitude 6.6. The two components are divisible in a medium-sized amateur telescope.

Gienah, Epsilon Cygni. It is an orange-hued giant star of magnitude 2.5, 72 light-years from Earth.

Delphinus The dolphin, close to the celestial equator was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains among the 88 modern constellations. Delphinus does not have any bright stars; its brightest star is of magnitude 3.8. The main asterism in Delphinus is Job’s Coffin, formed from the four brightest stars: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta Delphini. Alpha and Beta Delphini are named Sualocin and Rotanev, respectively.

Lacerta The Lizard is a small, faint constellation, it was created in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Its brightest stars form a “W” shape. Alpha Lacertae is a blue-white hued main-sequence star of magnitude 3.8, 102 light-years from Earth. It has a spectral type of A1 V and is an optical double star. Beta Lacertae is far dimmer, a yellow giant of magnitude 4.4, 170 light-years from Earth.

Equuelus ‘little horse’ , a foal as one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the second smallest of the modern constellations (after Crux), spanning only 72 square degrees. It is also very faint, having no stars brighter than the fourth magnitude.

Glossary black hole A maximally gravitationally collapsed object, from which not even light can escape. Black holes are one of the possible endpoints of stellar evolution of the most massive stars. BCE ‘Before Common Era’, secular equivalent of the BC dating convention. CE ‘Common Era’ secular equivalent of the AD dating convention.

Diary of Astronomical Phenomena

During September the 5 major planets: • Mercury will move from the constellation Leo into Virgo and it will be visible in the evening sky • Venus will move through Virgo into Libra and is visible in the early evening • Mars will be moving through Cancer into Leo is visible in the morning sky • Jupiter is moving through Gemini is visible in the early morning sky. • Saturn is moving from Virgo into Libra and is visible in the evening sky. Meteor Showers There are no major meteors showers visible during September d

Event

Regulus near the Moon

New Moon

Venus near Spica

Mercury near the Moon

Spica near the Moon

Venus near the Moon

Saturn near the Moon

First Quarter

Moon furthest south (-19.7°)

Pluto near the Moon

Moon at perigee (367387 km)

Neptune near the Moon

Venus near the Moon

Full Moon (31.9’diameter)

Pluto stationary

Uranus near the Moon

Equinox (start of spring)

Mercury near Spica

Aldebaran near the Moon

Moon furthest north (+19.6°)

Last Quarter

Moon at apogee (404308 km)

Jupiter near the Moon 11

In The Garden

We all have our old favourites amongst the plants in our gardens. Sometimes it is great to try something new and exotic, not necessarily from a foreign land but different, strange and beautiful. Foremost of all exotic plants are the orchids. Many types of orchid are now available, both terrestrial and epiphytic. The easiest to grow in our climate, apart from those native to Zambia, are the cymbidiums. The drop in temperature from daytime to night suits them but they need to be given high humidity so be prepared to give them plenty of attention if you want them to flower year after year. Cymbidiums are terrestrial orchids so need to grow in soil in a pot or hanging basket. The soil should be rich and well-drained, with added compost and river sand. Chips of pine bark are excellent and small pieces of charcoal may be added. Feed the plants about every 10 days with a little nitrogenous fertiliser in the growing season and one containing more phosphate and potassium at other times. If you want to grow more than one or two plants, it is worth building a shade house to keep them in when not in flower. Stand the pots on metal mesh shelves for easy drainage and use shade cloth (40% shade is ideal) for the walls and roof so there is maximum ventilation. Cymbidiums like to be potbound (filling the whole pot), but eventually they need to be divided. Remove them from the pot when new flower shoots appear and cut carefully with a sterile knife removing dead roots but keeping intact as many fresh roots as possible. Divide the plant into two or three pieces and plant each in a new pot. Alternatively replant the whole cymbidium in a larger pot. In this way you will eventually get one plant with twenty or more sprays of flowers in a very large pot … spectacular. Don’t forget to water the plant often enough to keep the soil perpetually moist. Surplus water should drain away in seconds. Spray several times a day in the very hot dry weather. Use rainwater when available, borehole water or dechlorinated tap water. (Stand a large bucket of tap water in the sun for two or three days to de-chlorinate it). Never remove last year’s pseudobulbs. They may look pretty dead but new flowering shoots will spring from their base. If your cymbidiums refuse to flower, try placing them where they get more light. Very dark green leaves indicate that more light is required – but never direct sun of course. Other orchids to try are the stunning paphiopedilums (slipper orchids), epiphytic vandas that grow in pieces of bark and charcoal, with no soil, and the popular phalaenopsis. The latter need less light and can be grown indoors but they do benefit from high humidity – 70% or above – so they need frequent spraying. Palms and cycads never fail to impress and are easy to grow; the huge flowers of Hawaian hybrid hibiscus and the heliconias, both the lobster claw and the parrot’s beak varieties, are examples as well as the striking strelitzia reginae (bird of paradise flower). Both stag horn ferns and bird’s nest ferns give an exotic air to a garden. If orchids are too challenging for you, try some of these or find your own choice of plant that will add that exotic touch to your well-loved garden. 13

Ramadan continued and tempers frayed in Jambiani on Zanzibar’s east coast. The village has a dozen or so small hotels and guest houses and twice that many holiday homes like ours, available for rent and owned by relatively wealthy infidel emmets and grockles; a source of some resentment in the village where many families live close to the poverty line. Of late some of the younger generation of locals who mix with the kite surfers and back packers at the north end of the beach, have got into drugs and, probably to fund their smack habits, have begun to steal from the holiday cottages and B+Bs in the wee small hours. Slashing the screened windows and jimmying the shutters to rob whatever is in arm’s (or pole and noose’s!) reach and has a quick resale value. Our guests lost a Blackberry from the bedside table near the window and our kids’ day packs were taken, filled with all their electronic toys forcing them to play on the beach and swim in the Indian Ocean, dammit! The rest of our party renting another holiday cottage 100m away had a satchel hooked out through the burglar bars with their passports, camera, cards, cash, airline tickets and car keys in it. Luckily we got everything but the camera and cash back the next day when a taxi driver found the satchel by the roadside. Nonetheless between the three families in the party we were robbed of over $2000 in cash and goods. The local police took names but their lacklustre and semi-literate approach did not bode well for a swift or positive result. The villagers know who the gang members are but as long as they only prey on tourists they don’t seem to mind. Five days after our robbery and three more break-ins at holiday cottages later, a man employed as a watchman was caught stealing about £2 from a local’s house. Long before any police arrived at the scene a right old Ramadan-adingdong developed and he was dragged by the crowd through the village to the football pitch. Here he was pelted with

stones and then rocks and finally large boulders until a couple of housewives literally upped the stakes with broomsticks having six inch nails driven through the business end. One of these through the eye was the coup de grâce that permanently put an end to the suspect’s petty theft career. We were cycling back from a beach lunch when several of the village kids overtook us on their bikes and offered to show us the grisly corpse which had been thrown into the bushes, but we were more interested in getting home for a doughnut and a nice cup of tea. The same despondent policemen collected the body and made a few half-hearted enquiries, but the villagers remained tight-lipped. The robberies of foreigners continued however unabated, despite one botched attempt which resulted in the thief being stabbed in his probing hand. When three thieves were spotted cutting the mosquito gauze at a neighbour’s a few days later his watchman raised the alarm. Frank was a little miffed by this as he had been sitting in bed with a borrowed air rifle waiting to shoot the thief in the eye as soon as he parted the curtains. Two thieves took off into the bush behind the village, and one made the mistake of sprinting off along the beach. We who had accidentally drunk half a bottle of Patron XO Espresso tequila prior to retiring missed the commotion, but the ladies woke to see the chase go past our house at 0230hrs to the cry of “Simama, mwizi!” or “Stop! Thief” and observe our own newly recruited watchman slink away to hide behind the kitchen. The mob caught up with the suspect hiding in a half built house next door to the lovely little Italian beach bistro where we regularly eat. After much shouting and a few bloodcurdling screams all grew quiet again and it was not until we regrouped at 0700hrs after yoga for the girls and a 20km cycle ride for the boys that the full story emerged. 15

Wikitravel.org’s Swahili phrasebook suggests that shouting “Simama, Mwizi … could likely result in violent death for the thief at the hands of self appointed vigilantes.” No shit Sherlock! In this case the thief was subjected to an initial beating with fists and feet, followed by the customary stoning with increasingly larger geological samples, until someone arrived with a particularly well honed panga, at which point things took a turn for the more gruesome as the thief was hamstrung to immobilise him and then had the soles of his feet cut off. The couldn’tcare-less cops arrived and took him away and we heard that after interrogating him for some time he was taken to the hospital, but was DOA. However, in an update three days later we were told that in fact the robber had not died but merely been unconscious due to “shortness of blood” and the police informed my friend that he was recovering and would “... soon be well enough for torturing”. They were confident that he would surrender the names of his accomplices. So was I. The waiters at our favourite ristorante got some good mileage out of showing diners the bloodstain and pieces of brain and matter over the wall whilst they waited for their crab alfredo and for a few days peace seemed to return to the village. Before we left, all our guests gone, we took a walk and tried out the Bahari Restaurant, a Neopolitan-Rastafari pizzeria on the high tide mark at the southern end of the beach. The proprietor, a pretty young Italian girl told us of her struggle to set up the business and gain a foothold in the community and we congratulated her on a super little spot, her excellent food and good service. The very next day saw a pall of smoke blossom above

the coconut thatched roofs of the village and I cycled down to investigate, arriving at the same time as the circa 1970’s fire engine and splendid firemen in proper Richard Scarry style shiny metal helmets. I saw to my great sadness the very restaurant we had sat at, burnt to the ground with little surviving the blaze other than the pizza oven sitting guiltily to the side of the skeletal remains of the beach umbrellas with a “Who me!?” expression on its face. We flew home to Zambia via Nairobi and with a few minutes to spare I trotted down to Duty Free to replenish the Patron stocks. Sadly all the retailers were being moved to a new part of Jomo Kenyatta Airport and builders were gutting all the shelving and fittings leaving, I noted, dozens of bare electrical wires hanging from the ceiling. When the airport hit the world news a few days later in a major fireball I was not surprised and would have begun to take things egocentrically as some sort of personal Islamic curse against me if not for the incident of the two unfortunate English girls having acid thrown in their faces which occurred a couple of days later. They must have done something awful (apart from working as volunteer teachers for an Anglican organisation) to provoke the friendly, passing Jihadists’ vitriolic defence of their own religious principles. How fortunate that the poor, slighted fellows happened to be carrying a bottle of acid, as you do when going peacefully about your business, and could respond to the rude insult of the infidel harlots’ altruistic presence. At least I now know that the Zanzibari hatred of tourists is generic and that the crime-tsunami and suspiciously arson-like incidents had not been aimed solely at me.

Recalled to the Colours, Again

It had taken from 1996 to about 2000 for the privatisation of the mines to be settled. In that time many hopes had been dashed. The Kafue Consortium, the best hope for the industry (and the nation), had foundered on the rocks of unreasonable demands and, it was rumoured, on the Consortiumsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old fashioned refusal to hand out baksheesh! Dismemberment then proceeded. Little Chibuluma was the first to be carved out of ZCCM; then Chambishi got split between the Chinese and Avmin. The former took over

the mine and the Concentrator, the latter the Roaster, the Tank Houses and the Cobalt plant. Mopani took over Mufulira and Nkana Mines with its Concentrator and Cobalt plant. Luanshya went to Banani in a right old dodgy deal. That company managed to suck the credit out of everyone they could, lots of people went bust, all eventually collapsed when Zesco finally switched the lights out and the mine flooded. The Banani boys disappeared, leaving an unpaid work force and a huge pile of bills behind them. The remainder, namely little Nampundwe Mine just outside Lusaka, the Smelter in Kitwe, the Nchanga Mine and Open Pits and Konkola Mine all went to Anglo American, apart from a lump of Konkola close to the Congolese border which was taken on by Avmin. It was all a very strange and somewhat difficult time. The entire industry had been quite efficiently interwoven as one huge group, it was an awful shame that the chaps at the top, always under political pressure, did not really know how to run it. Pressure meant the Pope came to visit Zambia (guess who paid), bus companies set up

and Game Lodges in the Luangwa Valley and on Lake Tanganyika revived, along with a tarred airstrip to service the latter. Even the commuter railway built in Lusaka was carried out and paid for by ZCCM. All these monies should have been properly spent on maintenance and replacement equipment, to say nothing of more exploration to keep the level of ore reserves up to enhance the future of the Industry. We got it all wrong. When times are hard you get rid of the company jet; we did not, we bought a new one! Now all was different and the services that were supplied by one part of the group were no longer available to another. As such the produce of the Nkana Concentrator no longer went next door to the Kitwe Smelter, it had to be trucked to the smelter at Mufulira. In the same light, ore from Chibuluma had to be trucked down to a new concentrator built at the new mine called Chibuluma South rather than going down the railway line to Nkana. Life got difficult for the new parts of the Industry. Now, as a result of a fairly intense boardroom scuffle, Anglo American returned to their old properties at Konkola and Nchanga to discover that all was a pretty horrendous mess. Mr. Tim Wadeson was the chief proponent of the move so the board said, “You wanted it, You’ve got it” and made him the boss man, which he rapidly discovered was akin to receiving the proverbial poisoned chalice! All was run down through a lack of maintenance and, quite honestly, at Konkola, a work force that just went through the motions; they lacked enthusiasm, skills and discipline. Part of the problem was that a piece of Konkola, 3 Shaft, had been shut for a while and when it restarted it was staffed up from other redundant mines such as Chambishi where all had been used to sitting on their fundaments, doing as little as possible. Anglo had to box a little bit clever. They could hardly swamp the mines with a bunch of hard bitten South African shift bosses with sjamboks to turn the place around. Instead they put in a couple of expat bosses to see if they could inspire the existing supervisory staff to get a grip. They also brought in a bunch of people to head up various projects 19

designed to bring the mines back up to scratch. Typical of those who arrived at Konkola was one Brian Bytheway. Many moons ago he had been the Mine Captain in charge of the shafts at Nchanga. He had then moved on and up, eventually retiring, full of honour and glory, from his post as a Manager of a mine in South Africa. He settled down in Port Alfred where he could fish, play golf and take long walks through the beautiful scenery. He discovered quite quickly that these occupations did not hold the fascination or allure once held before his retirement and he was delighted when Bwana Tim rang him up and invited him to come to the 3150 level of Konkola to see if he could get the mining of that haulage going. He was on a plane before you could believe it to join the assorted group of old timers assembling â&#x20AC;&#x153;up northâ&#x20AC;? at a derelict office in the projects yard in Konkola. Well, it had been a derelict office but I suddenly found myself employed by Anglo to supervise the refurbishment of the tracks in a bunch of haulages as well as surface track right across their new properties. The first task was to sort out an office for everybody. The removal of half a ton of paper, files, dead rats and dust; the application of elbow grease and paint; the scrounging of old office furniture from elsewhere and all was ready so that I could then get on with the first task, which was to see how bad all the haulages were and what could be done about them.

in which a veritable torrent of water flowed, Konkola being the wettest mine in the world (just as well, if Konkola did not pump all that water out into the Kafue there would be very little to drink in Chingola, Mufulira or Kitwe!) In places these drainage tunnels had been partially blocked or even filled with sand, the result being that the water diverted itself round the blockage by getting back into the haulage in the areas affected. As the drainage tunnels were also part of the main return air system, the breaches back into the haulage also caused ventilation short cuts thereby depriving the areas further in from a full supply of fresh air. To get rid of those blockages was not easy, you try digging ground out by hand (loaders drown) when you are waist deep in water! The inspections commenced. At first glance the tracks did not look too bad for alignment but then, on getting down on ones capacious belly in the mud, the dips and bumps could be seen to be bad. The graduates wondered what I was doing and, on being told that I was praying, nodded to each other somberly. Obviously Divine Assistance was required

At Konkola there were four major haulages at No 1 Shaft; the 2200, 2650, 2900 and 3150 and one at No 3 Shaft, the 1850. The figures relate to the depth in feet below surface. Each of these haulages were approximately 5 kilometres long and had various spurs going off them to where loading boxes held the broken ground from the extraction areas above. It was deemed necessary for this old fool to be escorted by clever young Zambian graduate engineers as it was feared that I might get lost. I have to say that even I could not fail. Haulages go gently uphill from the shaft and main tip areas and ventilation air goes with it. Water goes back down so it is not too difficult to get lost. Beside each haulage ran a drainage tunnel, the same size as the haulage (4m by 4m) but about a metre or so below the level of the haulage, 21

for this job. It took them about a week before they realised that I might be doing something else but none of them wanted to share the experience, mud being nasty, messy stuff! Closer inspection revealed that many of the wooden sleepers were past their sell by date having been gently rotting away in the gunge for years, fittings were loose, fish plates, bolts and nuts were loose or missing so that the ends of the rails where they were joined together were battered or even broken. Oh dear, lots of work here to be done due to an entire lack of maintenance. Where are the maintenance gangs? Reallocated to other work that should be done by others but their work rate was so bad that they had to be reinforced. Where are the replacement sleepers and rail required? Aah, but Bwana, we have not been idle, we have organised all the replacement sleepers required and rail is arriving this week. Great; let us go and see. To surface to find piles of sleepers, cut from unsuitable wood, all of them not treated, most of them rotting already on surface! The rail that arrived had been sold to the mine and accepted by the mine store (whose chaps knew no better) as first class rail. It was

in fact scrap, sold to the mine by a total con man who had the temerity to have his lawyer write a threatening letter to the company. I was hauled up in front of a big boss to whom I promised that I would sort it out, found the lawyer who had written the letter, a charming young lady, took her to the pile of rail and educated her. She was shown the red paint on the ends of the rail (denoting that it was scrap) that had been imperfectly covered up, shown also that it was Zambia Rail scrap, not imported material as claimed and then advised her to choose her clients more carefully! No more was heard, but, knowing the state of the stores accounting procedures I could never find out if we ever paid for the rail. I feared the worst but got it used as bin liners elsewhere. A report was prepared, advising the total replacement of sleepers by dinky concrete ones (proper Zambezi Teak sleepers being as rare as rocking horse ordure and four times the cost), the complete clean out of the haulages to solid (lots of copper in that mud), the use of fresh ballast, the cropping of the rails (as most of the rails were good

apart from the broken ends) and joining the rails together by welding them. Contractors were required to do the job as mine labour had neither the skills nor, quite frankly, the inclination, to do the work. A fleet of side tippers had to be assembled to get the ballast down underground, the little crusher round the back of No 1 Shaft had to be repaired and the Grinaker concrete sleeper factory in Kafue had to be organised to manufacture the sleepers required, which they did splendidly. The contractor chosen, Flint Construction, arrived on site and battle commenced. First came the principle of “Occupation”. The merry miners were in the habit of running production trains in day shift. This was deemed necessary to ensure that production targets were met. Of course, these targets were never met because there was not enough ground in the boxes at the start of afternoon shift because everyone started late. Now a furious shift boss found that men were working on the tracks and tried to drive his train through the lot. This problem was solved by removing a rail and telling said furious shift boss to come back at the end of shift when we had finished! The problem of getting materials down the shaft in the middle of the night involved several visits in said middle of the night to ensure that agreed procedures were not ignored and all slowly got moving. Work was virtually finished when another board room battle occurred. Several of the old guard had retired or died and were replaced by “Young Turks”. With the fall in the price of Copper, the continued inability of the mines to get production up, coupled with the ongoing huge capital expenditure with little to show for it, the plug was pulled and Anglo American walked away and went to South America instead. I was asked to remain behind to finish supervising the rest of the project as an independent “consultant” and had to watch, in horror, as all the old ways resurfaced, with rail labour pulled off elsewhere and a straight refusal to do any maintenance at all, to say nothing of driving diesel loaders up and down the tracks so all rapidly returned to the bad old ways. What a waste of money, but then, I suppose, it all makes work for a working man to do. 23

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Facial masks are not a recent invention to beautify our skin; they have been used by women for centuries. In fact it seems that, among all the beauty products, facial masks were the first ones to be invented. It is said that the beautiful Cleopatra used to apply egg white on her face, probably before jumping into her famous milk bath! Wearing a face mask is like feeding your face super food! Used weekly, masks nourish and detoxify your skin. What I love about them is that they are so easy to make at home: you can literally open your fridge and cupboard (or have a look at your orchard and veggie garden) and quickly whip up something that will do for your skin!

Golden rules to follow before applying a face mask: 1. Pull back hair, pin it up, tie it, make sure it is out of the way. 2. Clean you face before applying the mask; use a cleanser, warm water and a soft cotton cloth/towel. 3. Always apply with fingertips. Apply it over the forehead, cheeks, nose, chin and neck but leave the sensitive eye area. 4. While wearing the mask try to relax, make it your special 15 to 30 minutes of “me time”; try not to talk, and lie down. If you have a busy house, like most of us, the best time to apply a mask is when you are

soaking in the bathtub (and keep that door closed!). There are in general two different types of masks: the detoxifying ones and the nourishing ones. The first, normally, are clay based (to draw out all the toxins, good for oily and problem skin but also for normal skins after a hot sweaty day) and the others are “oily ingredients based” (that includes fruits). The clay based ones are very simple: decide what type of clay is best for your skin type (for example more delicate skin will go with a pink or simply white clay (kaolin), very oily skin would prefer a green clay or bentonite), put one or two tablespoons in a small bowl and slowly add warm water to form a paste. To boost the mask properties you may prefer to use a herbal infusion/ flower water instead of water and/or add a few drops of essential oils to the paste, both extras according to skin type. You can also add mashed fruit, milled dried flowers, fresh flowers, a tablespoon of your favourite oil and so on. The “non clay ones” are also very easy (and you don’t even have to find the clay). There are so many, below are just a few but use your imagination! All the face masks here have to be used fresh. By Paola from Essential Skincare www.essential-zambia.com

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Oatmeal And Yoghurt (all skin types) Add 1 tbsp full fat yoghurt to 1 tbsp oatmeal (ground oats) and mix. Pour a few drops of honey (Zambian please!) on a hot spoon (to make the honey a bit more runny) and stir it into the mixture.

Avocado, Banana And Olive Oil (dry skin) Mash a ripe avo and a ripe banana, add a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (or any other edible oil), mix well. Done. You can also use papaya, strawberries, apricots or any other fleshy fruit. Yummy!

Egg White (problem skin)

Whip one egg white, add 1 tsp of runny honey and 1 or 2 tsp oats to make a thick paste. This cleanses and helps remove blackheads. Try also whipped egg white with some liquidised cucumber and 1 drop of rosemary essential oil.

Carrot (mature skin)

Peel and liquidise a carrot, drink the juice, mix the pulp with 1 tbsp of your favourite oil and add a few drops of jasmine or rose essential oil. You can also add some oatmeal to make it thicker and even more hydrating.

Tomato (oily skin)

Slice a tomato thinly, lie down and apply the slices all over your face (cover the nose as well). After 15 minutes rinse well and do not apply moisturiser until the next day as the now open pores will become clogged.

Now go and make your own ... donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to use fruits, veggies and flowers, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun! 26

Perfidious Albion

Zambian citizens are well used to the fact that visas are required for them to travel to almost every country off the African continent and even some countries on the continent. This is a fact that they take in their stride even though, in most cases, their counterparts in those foreign lands can arrive at one of our entry points and for a small (comparatively) fee they are issued with an entry visa there and then. Until recently, obtaining a visa for a visit to our former Colonial master and fellow member of the Commonwealth was relatively easy – gather all your documents proving that you have enough funds to sustain yourself and that you have a ticket out of there. With a few other embellishments, two visits to the British High Commission in Lusaka where you had to part with some hard earned money and you were good to go. The procedure was never what could be called efficient, but it wasn’t too bad given the matter at hand.

This has changed. Now you start off in the comfort of your chair at your desk in front of your computer. If you are lucky and your internet connection is working and fast, you complete the online application form. As I am not intending to head off to Mud Island, I gave up when they wanted the numbers of the passports I have held in the last ten years. But it had already taken me seven minutes and I was only getting to the part when they ask my mother’s and father’s names and dates of birth. The full procedure is to complete the entire form online after which you print it. I fail to understand why this is necessary because undoubtedly the information you have typed is saved in digital format in a database to be retrieved in milliseconds when it is reuired. Once you have finished completing the form, you then make an appointment online for a visit to the High Commission in Lusaka. For the appointment, you must take your application form and two good sized logs. Sorry, not logs just the supporting documentation that is required – 35 pages in all! I find it quite ironic that DFID is providing funding to the tune of US$ 30 million to help Zambian reach our environmental Millenium Development Goals whilst at the same time requiring wads of paper in support of a visa application. When all the paperwork is done, your passport is then sent off to Pretoria for the visa to be issued. This takes fifteen working days. At the end of it all, you may have a visa which will enable you to travel. And we almost forgot – for this privilege, you pay K640, about US$ 120. Yet stand and listen to any Brits visiting Zambia – how disgraceful it is that they have to pay US$50 for a visa when they arrive in Zambia. Imagine!! Fifty Dollars and it is issued on the spot!! How absolutely dreadful!! Why do the Brits insist on giving themselves more “procedures” and why do they keep introducing new protocols when they’re clearly having trouble with basic common sense? This time they have really excelled themselves!! 27

Tale of the Cape Buffalo Which Saved My Life.

“See you at the gate to the Crew-room, Gatwick on April 15, that’s when we next fly back to Zambia.” said my friend the Dan Air Captain. Being a Commercial Pilot I often ‘hitched a lift’ from airlines calling into Lusaka, and this was such an occasion.

I was on my annual ski-holiday in Austrian Zurs-am-Arleberg, and several ski-lehrer had invited me to a cocktail party they were throwing to welcome the Porsche Rally team to the resort. Ski-lehrers regarded me, an African guide, as one of themselves! I turned up with my current German girlfriend although I was limping. That afternoon I had been skiing the Hexenboden black run, a tricky fast run for experienced skiers, when suddenly my skis flashed from under me and I fell, skidding to a stop. “What the hell happened?” I asked my ski companion. “You crossed your skis!“ she laughed. I had spent the last few months carefully building up my leg muscles from ankle to thighs with rigorous exercises. Thus we went to the party, me limping badly. After a couple of drinks, I found myself flat on the floor. Thinking I had already had too much to

drink, the ski-lehrers, gathered round to help me up, “It’s my ankle” I spluttered, “I think I’ve twisted my ankle on the Hexenoden.” The resort doctor, Seppi Murr, came up. He felt my leg from ankle to knee, and then exclaimed, “ankle be damned! you’ve broken your Achilles tendon.” And so it was, he guided my hand underneath my knee, and I could feel the broken Achilles bunched up behind my knee. “Come to my surgery first thing tomorrow morning, meantime don’t walk unassisted” he said. The next morning in the surgery the doctor injected me with local anaesthetic, and opened up the rear of the ankle from the heel to near the back of the knee with a scalpel. He fussed around pulling down the Achilles so that it matched the other part around the heel, “Mein Gott!” he exclaimed, “You damaged this tendon before, about ten or twelve years ago, it’s been about sixty percent ruptured” I thought back, “About that time I was tossed by a Cape buffalo and landed rather heavily on that ankle.” “Mein Gott!” he muttered “What lives you African whites lead!”

I remembered the occasion well. I had been working for the Kenya Game Department to gain my official Professional Hunter/Guide licence which involved ‘culling’ elephant and buffalo in areas where they were getting too plentiful and the government wished to protect the local inhabitants. The Nanyuki/ Nyeri game warden was Jackie Barrah and he carefully watched me whilst I hunted and brought down several elephant and buffaloes a week. One day I encountered a large herd of buffalo and the herd bull took exception to my scent which was blowing towards him. He nosed to the front of the herd and eventually saw me and my trackers. He charged. An African buffalo, unlike a Spanish fighting bull, always charges head up. I took a careful front on shot but as his bulk was galloping up and down my shot probably went a little low and although a killing shot it was not immediately effective. I quickly reloaded, aimed and shot a little higher. The next second he was on me and his curved horns swept down to toss me. I jumped as high as I could, but his horn pierced my thigh behind and just above my knee. I went flying through the air and landed rather heavily beyond the buffalo which collapsed and gave what I recognized as a dying moan before he rolled over, dead. My trackers gathered round and helped dress my bleeding wound with a bandage hurriedly brought from our distant car. Some months later my limp disappeared and I put my painful ankle down to a sprain or twist, until I learned the truth now, some twelve years later. Back in the hospital I didn’t realise how badly I had been injured until April 15 came and went. “Damn I’ve lost my lift back to Zambia” I exclaimed. But I was due to rethink my feelings on Austrian television, viewed from my hospital bed when I saw an account of a Boeing 707 crash at Lusaka. I recognised the tail number. I had, thanks to the buffalo, avoided being one of the eight crew who were killed instantly when a small unnoticed crack in the tail plane of the Boeing became a large one, and on short finals to Lusaka’s main runway, the whole tail fell off. 29

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Sunday 1 - Saturday 7 September: Susi & Chuma Mountain Bike Challenge. In the footsteps of David Livingstone. Venue: Kasanka National Park. 7 day cycle challenge, 60km - 90km per day. Limit: 10 participants. Cost: K 4,750 per person includes park fees, meals, accommodation, refreshment stops. Valid medical insurance including evacuation facility required. INFO: andrear@african-parks.org or wasa@kasanka. com Wednesday 4 - Sunday 8 September: Itezhi-Tezhi Fishing Challenge. A Fun, Fishy, Fundraising event to support the protection

of Lake Itezhi-tezhi in the Kafue National Park. INFO: 0978 736-025, rachael@ gamerangersinternational.org Saturday 7 September: The Lusaka Book Club is reading ‘The Scent of Rain and Lightning’ by Nancy Pickard. Next is ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ by Lola Shoneyin. INFO: 0979 454-765 Saturday 7 September: The Highland Games 2013’. Venue: Baobab College. Time: 9am. A good team building opportunity for family, friends and corporate teams. Food, snacks and full cash bar. Spectators welcome.

Entrance: K400 per team of 8, minimum 2 females. INFO: gm@procharter-zambia. com , jernedgolson@yahoo.co.uk , duncan. rhind@yahoo.com , keira@proflight-zambia. com Sunday 8 September: International Literacy Day Tuesday 10 September: World Suicide Prevention Day Thursday 12 September: United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation Saturday 14 September: Informational Seminar on Menopause. Venue: Bump Birth & Beyond, 4145 Nkanchibaya Road, Rhodes Park. Time: 9am to 1pm. Doctor and specialist will discuss the symptoms and how to deal with the lifestyle changes. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail.com Saturday 14 September: 9th Annual Production Sale Bonsmara Cattle. Time: 11.30am. Venue: Kalomo. For a sales

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catalogue contact Graham or Kitty Mulders. INFO: 0977 796-722, 0977 796-744, alexswill@zamtel.zm. Sunday 15 September: International Day of Democracy Sunday 15 September: Dog Show Celebrating LAWS 20 Year Anniversary, Grand Launch of LAWS Second Chance calendar. Venue: The Kennel Club, Show Grounds. Time: 9.30am. Entrance: Adults; K50 | Children 6-12; K20 | Children <6; free | Dogs: K10 - includes entry to all classes. Dogs must be on a leash and have a valid rabies certificate. INFO: www.facebook. com/LusakaAnimalWelfareSocietyLAWS Sunday 15 September: The Gathering Ireland / Zambia. Venue: Roma House. The Wild Geese Society is organising a day of Irish celebration with music, sport, intellectual challenges, children’s games, food and more. Entry: K25 per person or K50 per family. INFO: 0977 455-209

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Monday 16 September: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer Friday 20 September: An International Musical Extravaganza, celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema. Venue: Taj Pamodzi Hotel. Time: 7 pm. Organised by Explo Initiatives. INFO: 0978 162-622, 0968 162622 Saturday 21 September: International Day of Peace Saturday 21 September: Baby Item Car Boot Sale + Baby Products Mini Expo. Venue: Bump Birth & Beyond, 4145 Nkanchibaya Road, Rhodes Park.Time: 8am to 12pm. Stands: K50. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail.com

Saturday 28 September: World Heart Day Saturday 28 September: The Elephantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ball. Join us for our spectacular annual Dinner Dance with special guest David Shepherd CBE. INFO: 0978 736-025, rachael@ gamerangersinternational.org Tuesday 1 October: International Day of Older Persons Wednesday 2 October: International Day of Non-Violence

Sunday 22 September: The 5th Zambezi International Rowing Regatta, Venue: Livingstone Boat Club, Livingstone. Time: 9.30 am - 3 pm. Oxford and Cambridge University alumni rowing eights, plus boats from South African universities will battle it out on the Zambezi River. INFO: peterjones@theriverclubzambia.com Monday 23 September - Saturday 28 September: Art 4 Wildlife Competition & Exhibition. Calling all artists. INFO: 0978 736-025, rachael@gamerangersinternational. org Friday 27 September: World Tourism Day Saturday 28 September: World Rabies Day 35

Friday 4 October - Thursday 10 October: World Space Week Saturday 5 October: World Teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day Monday 7 October: World Habitat Day Saturday 12 October: Mountain Bike Challenge: Kansanshi. Venue: Kansanshi Game Park. 35 km individual or relay races. INFO: 0966 994-802, meiringburger@fgml. com Monday 28 October - Saturday 2 November: Zambezi River Festival. Venue: Livingstone. A week of exciting Kayak races, competitions, parties and prizes on one of the greatest rivers in the world. Join in the fun. INFO: www.thezambezi.com or events@livingstoone2013.com Thursday 14 - Saturday 16 November: 3 Day Canoe Safari. The David Livingstone Bicentennial Celebration. Venue:

Livingstone. Safari starts 85km upstream from Victoria Falls at Mambova Rapids. INFO: events@livingstone2013.com Saturday 16 November: The David Livingstone Bicentenary Celebration Grand Finale. Venue: Livingstone. Memorial on Livingstone Island. Something special to round off the Celebrations. INFO: events@ livingstone2013.com Updates and Additions: Bump, Birth & Beyond Special Events. Time: Fridays. Venue: 4145 Nkanchibaya Road, Rhodes Park. September: English High Tea, Kiddies lunch specials, Indian Tea, Movie night. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@ gmail.com Daily Children’s Playgroup. Venue: Bump Birth & Beyond, 4145 Nkanchibaya Road, Rhodes Park. Daily Educational activities and children’s playgroups, music classes, arts & crafts, ballet and more! Ages: 0 to 6. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail. com, kidsclub.lusaka@gmail.com Lusaka Scrabblers. Time: Sundays, 2 pm. Do you love Scrabble? Pit your wits against other word fiends and vocab vultures. Join us for weekly meetings, make new friends and participate in national tournaments. INFO: 0967 787-228 View the rest of the What’s Happening at: www.lowdownzambia.com/whats-happening Conditions - The articles and information contained in this newsletter are copyrighted to The Lowdown. They may be used in other publications or reproduced on condition that credit is given to the source. Photographs may not be used without written permission of the photographer. While reasonable precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of advice and information given to readers, The Lowdown, its advertisers and printers cannot accept responsibility for any damages or inconvenience that may arise therefrom. Any material sent to us will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and will be subject to The Lowdown’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of The Lowdown. All advertising sales are subject to space availability and the discretion of The Lowdown. 37

Property Prowl

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In the next edition:

Camp Zed National Cadres GMzero Swamp People

October

Employment Sought: Guard, Caretaker, Gardener. Contact 0978 619-961. Employment Sought: Professional qualified Cost Accountant of India and Residence Permit Holder. Twenty five years of experience in accounts, tax, etc. Please contact on 0955 451-186, 0978 260-586

For Sale: Toshiba Laptop with Vista business, 2GB ram, Webcam, Wireless, Bluetooth, 320GB Memory and includes bag. K2000. Call: Shital on 0967 443-825. Puppies Wanted: Looking for Boerbul, Mastiff, Rottweiler type puppies. Wanted primarily for security but will also be in a dog loving home. Contact: 0966 860-553

Employment Sought: Young lady seeks employment as a Sales Assistant, House Keeper or Chef. Phone: 0977 984-535 or 0964 877-022.

Swimming Instructor Sought: To teach an adult in own home pool. Contact 0967 433-825

Employment Sought: Young Zambian seeks employment as a Purchasing Assistant or Driver. Phone: 0969 479-764.

Wanted: Second-hand 12v DC solar freezer. Honest Price. Contact: 0965 821-290 or 0966 747-990