Zambezi Traveller Issue 06 by Zambezi Traveller

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Who will stand up for the trees?

Issue 06

05 Charity Put Foot provides shoes for school children

17 Research Tigerfish has evolved to be the perfect predator

32 Conservation Solar energy solutions to save our trees

33 Mozambique NEW Introducing a new section in ZT - Cahora & Tete

39 Sustainability

Part of our Zambezi forest

PHOTO: TOM VARLEY

By Alan Sparrow

o back in time one hundred years. Imagine you could take a flight over the Zambezi teak woodlands. Better still, if you could walk in the forests of what is now the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Area, what would you see way back then?

Before the arrival of the loggers in about 1911, the teak woodlands would have been a closed canopy forest on the Kalahari sand dunes. The valleys between the dunes would have been grasslands with water for wildlife all year round. Herds of buffalo and elephant would be seen moving

between the forest and vlei (dambos). The closed canopy would have kept fires down and teak seedlings would be thriving. The Barotse Floodplains would be teeming with hippo, sitatunga and lechwe. The traditional leadership of the Barotse kingdom set aside forests for special protection. If fires occurred the

Silalo Induna system of the Lozi monarchy required that all who lived with the forests helped to control the fires. Elephant would have been free to move from what is now Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and the Okavango Delta in Botswana and head north across the Zambezi River to what is now the Kafue

National Park, and find food and water. What do we see today? An elephant heading north across the river in August 2011 would find that large areas of the Zambezi teak forest have been exploited to where the mutemwa (thicket) has taken over. Continued on page 2

President Ian Khama praises community initiatives

55 Community Runners flock from all walks of life

Regulars Livingstone 3, Lusaka 15, Luangwa 16, Kariba 17, Harare 31, Cahorra & Tete 33, Okavango 37, Chobe 39, Bulawayo 46, Hwange 44, Victoria Falls 45, Letters 55

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Who will stand up for the trees? Continued from page 1

Water has dried up as uncontrolled logging has opened the canopy.

lack of a sense of ownership by local peoples has made its mark. Why look after something that has no meaning for you?

Late season wild fires and the chitemene system of slash and burn for cropping have decimated the forests. Forty years of inadequate forest management, poor fire control, charcoal burning and a

The news is not all bad. The heads of the five countries of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe will soon sign the treaty that will make the Kaza TFCA a reality. The Kaza secretariat has

opened a new office in Kasane, Botswana. The Simalaha Community Wildlife Conservancy in Zambia will link the parks and forests south of the Zambezi through to the Kafue Park. Great news for wildlife. But who will stand up for the trees? The Zambian comPHOTO: KELLY LANDEN

Buffalo at the edge of the forest

ponent of the Kaza TFCA has taken the lead. A new initiative spearheaded by the Barotse Royal Establishment, the Zambia Wildlife Authority and the Forestry Department plans a re-assessment of the Kalahari sand forests of the western province. Aerial surveys and ground inventories will determine what the status of the teak woodlands is now. The key players will consult communities, the private sector and government and design new ways of managing the forests.

The governments of the Kaza countries are open to better management of parks and forests through public sector / private sector / community (PPC) partnerships. Communities neighbouring forests should benefit directly from forests and in future help to put out fire in the forest. A business approach to forest management through partnerships and a high value/low volume approach to timber use will mean a dramatic slow-down in the rate of timber felling.

One option is to get all the teak forests of the Kaza TFCA inventoried and certified. Conservation agencies in Zimbabwe such as the Kalahari Sands Foundation, the Wild Horizons Trust and Environment Africa are working with traditional leaders and state agencies to get forest certification and PPC partnerships under way. The dream can become a reality. Given the support and the involvement of all, the forests will live again.

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Elephant toothpicks PLANT ENCOUNTERS 6

HOW TO MAKE A CORD

01 Scraping away of the fleshy plant

Sansevieria leaves

By Evelyn Roe

tanding like sentinels guarding the dappled woodland, spiky Sansevieria pearsonii plants have acquired many nick-names: gemsbok horn, mother-in-lawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tongue and elephant toothpick. Their stiff, upright leaves are lined with conspicuous ridges, which enclose long, whitish fibres. Strong cord is made locally from these fibres, which can be

Sansevieria pearsonii leaves

easily extracted from softened leaves. A common practice is to soak the leaves in the river for two weeks. After that, the fleshy plant tissue is scraped away, leaving behind a mass of hairlike string. To form a plaited rope, two or three bunches are rolled side-byside on the leg to create tension, which makes the separate strings curl up and wind around each other. The resulting cord can be used to tie up makoros (dug-out canoes), construct bird traps, and string together stonefilled cocoons to make rattles. Perhaps it could even be used as dental flossâ&#x20AC;Śfor elephants! The leaves shoot up from rhizomes that grow horizontally just under the surface of the ground.These rhizomes form a network that may extend for hundreds of metres, spreading the plant in all directions.

Sansevieria rhizome

Sansevieria flowers

In July, pinkish-grey flower buds open to reveal creamy star-like flowers, held on long stalks. On winter evenings, their heady fragrance sits in a layer of cool air, attracting moths for pollination, and enveloping passers-by in sweet scent.

practice of using the leaf sap as a remedy for earache. First, the leaf is heated over a fire, making the tough outer layer softer and more flexible.Then, the leaf is twisted above the infected ear, allowing sap to drip in and reach the ear drum.

When the flowers have been pollinated, they transform into small, green berries, which turn bright-orange when ripe. Many birds feed on these delights from late October onwards. Locally, the plant is known as musokasebe, a name composed of two parts: musoka, meaning to cook; and sebe, which is the ear. This may come from the well-known

Laboratory tests on other species of Sansevieria in Botswana have confirmed that leaf extracts are effective in combating ear infections caused by Streptococcus bacteria. Antibiotic properties are a common feature of many plants in the Livingstone area, but this one seems particularly simple to administer. Take care when packing it into your first aid box, however, as those leaves have ferociously sharp tips!

03 Final piting

02 Rolling of the fibres

04 Finishing touches

Text & photos by Evelyn Roe Evelyn Roe studied botany at the University of Edinburgh and now works as a field researcher with the North-West Naturalist Society of Zambia. She is currently conducting ethnobotanical research into the uses of wild plants in our area. Look for her book Wild Flowers of Victoria Falls in local bookshops 05 The finished product

email roe.evelyn@gmail.com

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Running and walking for fun and a better future

Full circle – a Falls fan returns

Maggie Miranda on the bridge

By Maggie Miranda

Start line – 5th Annual Livingstone fun runners preparing for the start of the 10km run

By Rachael Wood

ivingstone hosted the fifth annual Provincial 10 km Fun Run & Walk in July. The 100 strong participants this year were raising awareness of the banner ‘Racing Out HIV/Aids, Poverty and Hunger.’ Hosted by the Southern Province Sports Advisory Committee (SPSAC), this year the categories included individual, company, wheel chair, children, elderly and chief executives. Well-wishers turned out along the route from the main Post Office to the Sun International to cheer the participants. Locally based volunteer organisation, African Impact, along with their partner charity, The Happy Africa Foundation, were sponsors of the event, providing transportation and logistics on

PHOTOS: JULIA DECKER

the day, as well as contributing a nine-strong team. The team made up of staff members and volunteers finished in second place in the company category. The Happy Africa Foundation is a registered UK charity supporting community and conservation projects throughout eastern and southern Africa. In partnership with African Impact, the Foundation has built classrooms for several schools in Zambia including secure walling around an under-privileged school in Livingstone, established income generating community farms, refurbished several schools and clinics, supported micro-finance projects and supported vulnerable children through a Sponsor a Child Programme. Visit www.africanimpact.com or www.happyafricafoundation.org

en years ago we worked in Zambia so I was excited at the chance to go back, albeit as a tourist. From the plane the urban ‘Jozi’ landscape was un-inspiring, but landing in Livingstone was special. For us it was the first time flying in, as we had always taken the local bus from Lusaka, listening to Congolese rumba music and eating boiled eggs to pass time.

I got a glimpse of the‘smoke’of Victoria Falls for the first time in almost a decade. It was after the rains so the Zambezi river was very full. The roar and rumble of the Falls was exactly as I remembered it, and it’s worth every penny to stay in a hotel within earshot. It is awe

inspiring. Everyone should come here at least once in their life time. Dinner was the usual hotel spread of pizzas, curries and international cuisine. I made a beeline for the nshima, the local staple of pounded maize meal, served with soft and squidgy butternut squash. I was determined to eat with my hands, as is the local custom. I washed my hands and walked back through the hotel restaurant shaking the excess water off in anticipation. Waiters came by and smiled. The restaurant manager observed my eating and wanted to know more. We spoke of copper mining, the encouraging signs of growth in Livingstone, the former President Mwanawasa and his anti-corruption stance and moved on to talk of Gadaffi and others . On our last day we stood on the bridge which straddles the Batoka Gorge. I remembered how we had learned to let go of ideas of what should be and adapt to what was in front of us. Going to Zambia was the beginning of many journeys, open red dust roads, mountains, villages, the vast and breathtaking beauty of southern Africa. It was also the beginning of another journey for us, one which challenged so much of what we had valued before. Our time there made us view home and the West with new eyes. Now, it was good to come full circle.

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Put Foot Rally –school shoes for all By ZT Correspondent

even countries, seven checkpoints, seven parties and 7,000 kms in 17 days is the mantra of the Put Foot Rally. The Rally passed through Livingstone in June on its route round southern Africa. Comprised of some 50 crews and 150 people, the highlight of the Livingstone visit came when the entire fleet of vehicles drove ceremonially through town on their way to a ‘shoe drop’ at a local school. The rally was raising funds and awareness of the charity Bobs for Good Foundation – hence the shoe drop at Mukumusaba Basic School near the airport. Two hundred pairs of shoes, flown in by 1 Time Airlines, were delivered to the school, all the children having been measured previously to ensure they received shoes which fitted properly. The vehicles arrived at the school with great fanfare and the ZAF brass band was playing. Speeches were given by local dignatories as well as the organisers of Put Foot and the Bobs for Good Foundation. The children were organised into shoe sizes and seated while

Shoe fitting

members of the rally took off the children’s old shoes and put on the news ones; all the adults taking part in the rally were barefoot themselves for the entire proceedings. After the ceremonials, a lot of the ‘Put Footers’ stayed behind with the children for a game of football.

PHOTO: GILL STADEN

Founded by former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad and Ron Rutland, the Bobs for Good Foundation works with partners on the ground as well as private and public donors to ensure needy children walk with new pride, hope and dignity in shoes gifted by the Foundation.

The leather school-type shoes are all made in South Africa by previously disadvantaged women, ensuring the Foundation contributes to local enterprise development. Livingstone was the third checkpoint and third party for the rally. Accommodation was at The Bushfront for two nights, where a variety of activities including white water rafting, a sunset cruise, bungi jumping and tours of Victoria Falls had been organized for participants. After the ‘Shoe Giving Ceremony,’ the rally then went back to Bushfront to enjoy a sheep on a spit and braai, followed by their ‘Check Point Party’ at the Waterfront. Entertainment was from the band ‘Me and Mr Brown’ imported from Cape Town, as well as South African comedian Paul ‘Snoddie’ Snodgrass. Some revellers managed to stay awake to watch the sunrise over the Zambezi from the Waterfront deck, and the rally teams still managed to leave at a decent hour for the next destination, Chipata.

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A new logo for Zambia

Since the 1970’s Zambia has always been known as ‘Zambia, the Real Africa’. But in 2010, the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) decided that Zambia needed a change. They felt that Zambia had moved on and that the ‘Real Africa’brought up images of drought and poverty. Zambia is a country full of large rivers, stunning waterfalls, thick forests and wide grassy plains with tourism as one of its up-and-coming economic activities. The Board felt that it needed a

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logo which portrayed what Zambia is today. They ran a worldwide competition for a new logo and strapline. There were thousands of entries and it was quite a task to choose the best one. Finally an expert panel decided on the new logo and strapline. The colours are those in our national flag; the sun is for our constant sunshine and the falls and water for our waterfalls and rivers. So, look out for Zambia’s new branding on all our travel literature.

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HISTORY

Explore the history of the people of Kazungula By Dr Friday Mufuzi Keeper of History, Livingstone Museum

he Livingstone Museum is currently mounting a temporary exhibition entitled “Bantu Ba Kazungula: A Peep into the history of the People of Kazungula District.” The exhibition explores the history and way of life of the people of this district from pre-colonial to contemporary times. Kazungula District is composed of five chiefdoms, namely, Mukuni, Musokotwane, Sekute, Momba and Nyawa. The main themes of the exhibition include political organisation, economic and cultural activities, especially traditional ceremonies, of each chiefdom. Objects on display include royal emblems or their photographs and objects associated with the history and way of life of the people, such as drums, household utensils, headdresses, walking sticks, gowns and skins used during royal functions. Of particular interest is a staff that was given to Chief Sekute by the colonial government, which is currently on loan to the museum. The royal staff is highly revered in the chiefdom as a sign of the colonial government’s recognition of their chiefdom. On display also, are samples of different crops such as millet, sorghum, groundnut, maize and bulrush that have been grown by people in the area since pre-colonial times. Objects created in the past provide a direct sensory experience of surviving historical events. Thus, objects are

Miss South Africa 2011 Bokang Montjane is Miss South 2011 seen here at the Royal Livingstone. The 24 year-old beauty runs a modelling and confidence school based in Johannesburg South Africa. She has also been Miss Teen Limpopo 2004, Miss UJ 2006, Miss Earth South Africa 2007, Miss International South Africa 2009, Face of Fashion Eastgate 2010 and Miss Rivonia 2010 PHOTO: SUN INTERNATIONAL

His Royal Highness Chief Moomba Patrick Mwiinga Sililo drinking a concoction of medicine from the Kazanga pot

Royal messengers, Basilombelombe after collecting water from Victoria Falls for the Lwiindi ceremony

manifestations of man through time and space. They give an idea of life of the people who made and used them and therefore, if interpreted carefully, have the potential to present an authentic history of the people. Visit Livingstone Museum to learn more about the people of Kazungula District. Photos supplied by Livingstone Museum

The late Jamu Mutema Chipuluputa offering beer libation at Chief Chipuluputa’s shrine

Swim under the Victoria Falls!

At the beginning and end of the season (August and late December) the space below in the gorge is limited, but the experience of the surge and thundering power of tons of water tumbling over is awesome. At low water levels (September to November) the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls partly dries up, leaving more space to explore the gorge below.

By ZT Correspondent

erhaps the most awesome perspective of Victoria Falls is from the bottom of the gorge, surrounded by massive black basalt rock towering above. The cascading water seems to fall out of the sky, a breathtaking experience.

Now visitors to Victoria Falls have an opportunity to swim at the base of the falls with Bundu Adventures. There are magnificent views of the gorge and the historical bridge on the walk down to the ‘boiling pot,’ where the rafts are waiting to take clients beneath the cascades. Crossing the ‘boiling pot,’ the currents below the thundering ‘minus rapids’ take

Swimming under the falls

hold of the raft and wash it down into a little bay where adventurers disembark right underneath the rock face of the Falls.

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Crossing the rocks and boulders to get to the rock pools for a swim is a scramble, requiring physical agility and a good sense of balance.

A qualified raft guide accompanies the entire excursion; guests may go for a swim underneath the Falls before starting a rafting or river boarding trip down the river, or seeing the Falls from Livingstone Island and Devils Pool at the top.

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CHARITY

Mission accomplished for rowing team By Gill Staden

nglishman Tim Cook likes to row. He gets up early at home and is often on the river by 5am, alone, sculling his boat, Tiyende Pamodze, on the calm water of his nearby river. But during the year of his 50th birthday, he decided that he wanted to do a special row. He considered rowing across the Atlantic, but with encouragement from his children, he chose to come to Africa to row the Zambezi instead. He also wanted to do something for Zambia, and chose the charity Village Water to help with the

Zambia, to Livingstone was actually feasible. Returning to England, he prepared the boats, the team and the support group. The team was to consist of 20 rowers; the boats for three rowers each were custom-built to withstand the extreme conditions of the Zambezi River and were equipped with GPS. On 29 July 2011 the team arrived at the start of their journey at Chavuma, meeting the chief of the area who blessed the boats for the journey. The Zambezi at this point is already a wide river, but within two

They also encountered several stretches of rapids, some of which were negotiated, some of which had to be portered around. They rowed alongside crocodiles and took a wide berth of hippos. After 17 days the Row the Zambezi team arrived safe and sound in Livingstone on 14 August, after a journey of 1,000 kms. They were met at the Zambezi Boat Club to cheers of welcome, dancing and drumming, fireworks and flares.

Transporting sculls overland

provision of safe drinking water, hoping to raise £50,000. In 2010, he visited Zambia on a recce of the river to make sure that his plan to row from Chavuma, on the border with Angola where the Zambezi re-enters

PHOTO: WWW.ROWZAMBEZI.COM

days they would reach the Barotse Floodplains which can spread out for 25 kms. Changing rowers at regular intervals of around one hour, the team rowed backwards day after day, pitching camp on a spare patch of grass by the riverbank each night.

PHOTO: GILL STADEN

Rowers arriving

in Zambia and to help them along the boats will remain in the country, becoming the property of the Zambian Rowers Association. Staying in Livingstone at Maramba River Lodge for a few days after their expedition the members of the team took time to take on tourist activities like bungi jumping, whitewater rafting and visiting the Victoria Falls. “We had a huge amount of interaction with elephant at Maramba,” said Cook.

“There was a herd of 25 elephants which kept crossing the Maramba River into the campsite. The only way they could be chased off was by one of the owners of the campsite firing a pepper gun at the elephants. And these were big elephants...

Recounting stories of their adventure, it was obvious that they had had a trip of a lifetime. They had fallen in love with the Zambezi River, saying that it has its own heart and soul. The team included five Zambian rowers, among whom Antonia Van Deventer is no novice, hoping to row for Zambia during the coming Olympics. It is planned that these Zambian rowers will boost the sport

The finish line is in sight

PHOTO: GILL STADEN

“If we hadn’t had much elephant exposure up until that point on the river, we had certainly had plenty by the end of our time at the campsite. There were also a lot of baboons nearby and they made a terrifying noise at night. You would think that someone was being murdered.” After their short break near Livingstone the team returned to Lusaka before flying home to England. Cook thanked the sponsors and contributors to Village Water for donations which will go to immediate use on the ground in remote parts of Zambia.

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AWARENESS

Circle of friends with a vision

Youths lead awareness campaign By Sibu Malambo

ontact Trust Youth Association is run by young people in Livingstone, aiming to help youths reach their potential in all areas of their lives. Unfortunately, the spread of HIV is a huge barrier to young people being able to achieve, and in recent years much of CTYA’s work has been aimed at supporting young people in protecting themselves from the disease. We run educational projects, working through peer educators to dispel some of the myths about the virus and to help young people take control of their own health. Encouraging young people to know their HIV status through regular Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is an important part of our efforts to stem the epidemic. The Association runs an annual

Cecilia Chileshe flanked by her two princesses

VCT solidarity campaign around the time of National VCT Day.

spiced up the event, to the excitement of the audience.

Held annually since 2003, the ‘Miss VCT’ pageant has been a great way to educate young people about HIV in a fun and relaxed environment. The competition has also been a great way to involve more girls in CTYA’s work, and previous winners have gone on to work as peer educators, outreach facilitators and continue as ambassadors for HIV prevention.

Cecilia Chileshe was crowned MissVCT 2011. Her prizes included 1 million kwacha cash, two weeks driving lessons, a sunset boat cruise for two, dinner for two at Zigzag and a cosmetics hamper. Emily Lubinda won First Princess, Nchimunya Nyambe is Second Princess and Rachael Muzumara scooped the title of Miss Personality.

This year’s event began with a two day workshop for the finalists, to educate them about HIV issues, and included an opportunity for them to undergo VCT. The event itself was then publicised widely across Livingstone and culminated in the contest itself. Popular musicians TY2 and B’flo

The organisation will work with all ten finalists, involving them in HIV prevention projects as well as CTYA’s Girl Child Empowerment Programme. We are hopeful that the finalists will lead lives as role models among young people who are the most vulnerable to HIV and AIDS.

Exhibitors showing their crafts

Children playing at the fête

By Dianne Edwards

he ‘Circle of Friends’ is an unregistered organization of friends who live in the Livingstone area and get together on a regular basis to share fellowship. Recently we decided to do a fund-raiser for some of the more vulnerable folks in our community. This would include the elderly, families in need, and children in orphanages.

We held our first event, a fund-raising fête on the 30 July 2011 in the car park of the Livingstone Protea Hotel. We had a busy children’s entertainment area, a white elephant stall, a well supported tea, coffee and cake stand and the ever popular ‘Vetkoek and Pancakes’. We thank all the stall holders that supported us with their variety of stalls and all the people who attended the fête. Some generous donations from local business were used as a raffle, whilst others will be auctioned at another function to be held soon. Through this effort we managed to raise four million kwacha and this amount will be shared between Lubasi Children’s Home, Maramba Old People’s Home and a family in need.

Braai Masterchef 2011 By Brychan Gilbert

y the banks of the sleepy Maramba river, on a warm July afternoon, amateur chefs, culinary enthusiasts and braai legends from the community of Livingstone gathered with one aim in mind - to be crowned Livingstone’s ‘Braai Masterchef 2011!’ This ground-breaking event, held at Maramba River Lodge for and on behalf of Acacia International School, had some dazzling prizes on offer and as a result the competition was intense. Awaiting all 14 eager teams was the panel of four distinguished culinary experts, including Executive Chef Alex from the Royal Livingstone and Chef Martin from the Zambezi Sun Hotel. The eminent connoisseurs took their place at high table as tasting time approached. The ‘Slicing Hackers’ were the first to set up their stall, a technologically sophisticated sheep-on-a-spit contraption that baffled some and intimidated the rest. The ‘Mosi

Braai Master Chef judges - Brychan Gilbert, Acacia School, Alexander from the Royal Livingstone and Martin from the Zambezi Sun, Peter Jones from River Club.

Street Tongmasters’ decided that plenty of sauce was the best option, especially as the presentation hour drew near and nerves began to fray! The fare set out to tantalize the judges was diverse and the quality was high. Some teams played the national card with a gutsy boerewors or taste-bud tingling curry. The ‘A-Team’ produced an impressive range infused with local flavour. The ‘Brat Pack,’ aptly named, brought a dash of the Middle

East to the traditional sausage sandwich. Rising serenely above the throng were the ‘Maramba Elephants.’ Sharp in presentation and with tasty dishes they deservedly carried off the team accolade. Late in the day, a flavourful lamb dish from ‘The Weekly Specials’ met with uniform expressions of admiration from the eminent panel, and Head Chef Sarah Weeks duly received the coveted title of ‘Braai Masterchef 2011.’

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TRAINING

Local pilot talent on the increase

Michael Mukela, young Zambian pilot

By ZT Correspondent

n over 20 years of operation, Proflight Zambia has operated a number of different aircraft, used a range of reservations systems, employed many different people and seen a large number of pilots flying through. Over the last 24 months the company has recorded a marked increase in the number of young Zambian commercial pilots seeking employment. Due to difficult economic conditions and a high level of uncertainty in the Zambian aviation industry, few Zambian youths decided to embark on a career as a pilot, but this may now be changing.

PHOTO: PROFLIGHT

“In recent years we have had to rely on foreign pilots to support the growth of Proflight as well as the Zambian aviation industry,” said Captain Phil Lemba, Proflight operations manager. “We are pleased with the new Zambian entry and will work with them to build their careers, help build the Zambian aviation industry and grow with Proflight.” During 2010 Proflight took on a young commercial pilot Michael Mukela who had just finished his licence. Michael started as a co-pilot on the Cessna Caravan and this year he has been promoted to fly as captain on the BN2 Islander aircraft. Proflight sponsored Michael’s C208, BN2A and Multi Engine Ratings.

During early 2011 the airline received applications from five new Zambian commercial pilot licence holders; four of these had done their training in South Africa and one in Australia. Three have been given training on the J32 Jetstream aircraft by Proflight Zambia and they are currently undergoing final training on this plane. They will then fly the J32 for at least three years as co-pilots. Their colleagues will be deployed as co-pilots on the Cessna Caravan aircraft. Proflight currently employs 162 people out of whom 85% are Zambian. Two years ago only 10% of the Proflight pilot body was Zambian and currently almost 50% are Zambian.

PROFILE

Devoted to plants and their uses We took a walk along the island on narrow footpaths with dense vegetation either side, stopping to look at plants as we went along. Roe is a botanist and watches all the plants on the island, making notes constantly about their flowering, fruiting and habits. Evelyn Roe

PHOTO: GILL STADEN

By Gill Staden

velyn Roe just loves her home. The floor is a wooden deck, the walls are reeds and the roof is thatch. It stands on the banks of an island in the Zambezi River. It has comfy armchairs, a gas cooker in a small kitchen and a dining table.

When I visited, the table was being used as the desk with her laptop open, connected to a cable running through the roof; solar panels glinted in the sun on the rickety veranda.

“That is called musokezebe or ‘cook ear,’” Roe told me. “The leaves are boiled and a concoction is made to cure an ear infection.” Born and brought up in Scotland, Roe set off for Africa after studying at Edinburgh University, first to Nigeria and then to Botswana. She taught biology in school for many years until she decided that she needed a change. Her real love is plants and she wanted to know all about African plants. She needed the time and a place to work from; having visited Zambia, she decided that this had to become home.

Working with Helen Pickering, Roe helped produce‘Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area. ‘ It was a mammoth task to find, name and photograph the indigenous flowers in this region. The book is a wealth of information and an essential part of every nature lover’s library. Today, Roe’s main field is ethnobiology, the relationship between people and plants. Talking with the villagers - traditional doctors, midwives and the old people, Roe is gradually recording the names and uses of all the plants. This is a race against time as the younger people are not learning from their parents as they once did. The old people have not written any of it down, since it was passed on to them orally by their parents, as has been done for generations. Contact: roe.evelyn@gmail.com.

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SUSTAINABLITY

Mushroom project pays dividends By ZT Correspondent

resh mushrooms are being supplied to Sun International Zambia’s resorts as a ground-breaking community project gets underway in Livingstone.

In partnership with Agribusiness for Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP), Sun International initiated the project to support underprivileged women and their families in Maramba township. Mushrooms are cultivated for sale and home consumption using special modern spawn-making

The project is the realisation of a dream for families which have been surviving on less than two dollars a day, some coupled with serious HIV/ Aids related challenges. Sun International and its partner ASNAPP engaged agro experts from Stellenbosch University to train the would-be beneficiaries on how to grow high quality mushrooms using modern techniques. Mushroom production began in January 2011.

“We are very delighted that this project has started giving us food and money to look after our families and send our children to school. We want to express our sincere gratitude,” said one member of the women’s group, running the project. Apart from direct financial and material support, Sun International Zambia also provides a ready market for the mushrooms. “We are glad to see our contributions to the community translating into such tangible benefits for our partners in development,”said

Sun International Zambia general manager Joanne Selby.

The company has embarked on a number of developmental projects and partnerships with communities to create and enhance sustainable livelihood in the region. The company’s Corporate Social Investment programme focuses on the underprivileged in society, with focus on HIV/Aids, education, job and wealth creation, health and community welfare and sanitation.

PHOTO : SUN INTERNATIONAL

machines and affordable grass housing that provides the optimum environment for germination and growth.

Sun International Limited Dircetors and Partners veiwing mushrooms

A school in need of support

Events

By ZT Correspondent

Livingstone 11th September - The Victoria Falls Bridge Festival September and October - Exhibition on The Peoples Of The Kazangula District,

Livingstone Museum. 22nd – 29th October - Kayaking festival, contact Hamish + 260 (0)

971565044, email : kayak@thezambezi.com 15th – 17th November - Liuwa Plain 4 x 4 drive. Contact Safari Par

Excellence +260213324601 22nd October - Livingstone Festival, contact Livingstone Tourist

Association, James +260 (0) 978996843 email: lta@microlink. zm 1st Saturday of the Month – Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of Livingstone flea market in the Wilderness car park. Contact : Sue +260

(0)965888810 Fridays – Rotary Club meet at 13h00 Livingstone Golf Club. Contact :

Sue +260 (0)965888810

school. School authorities are looking at its expansion and enhancement with tanks and pumps to increase capacity.

akatindi Community School is one of the local schools that are catering for the educational needs of some of the most underprivileged children in Livingstone. The school has enrolled close to 500 children from nursery school level to grade seven. Most of the children are vulnerable – either orphaned or living with parents or guardians who are struggling to support them; some of the children are looking after themselves. The school has insufficient teaching and learning aids, teachers, classrooms and much more to enable it to effectively carry out its functions.

PHOTO : SUN INTERNATIONAL

Books donated by well wishers

To encourage pupils to come to school and also to improve their health and well being, the World Food Programme runs a feeding programme that entitles the children to a cup of porridge during lessons.

This sometimes is the only meal the child will get during the day and is not adequate. The school has a garden but it is insufficient to cater for both the nutritional and financial needs of the

Sun International Zambia recently identified the school as being in dire need of help and has since started helping the school to secure funds to undertake its projects, aimed at improving the infrastructure and learning environment. Recently the company donated water pasteurisation indicators to the community around the school to enable them to have a safe supply of drinking water.

BAROTSE NEWS

SOLAR HOT WATER SOLUTIONS FOR HOTELS, RESORTS AND BUSH CAMPS

Making a difference in more ways than one By Dalene Kotze www.siomacamp.com

Eco Tourism inspired tented safari camp on the banks of the Zambezi River

For Supply and Installation contact Zimbabwe +263 772 778 146 Zambia +260 977 770 251

Botswana +267 714 10981 Namibia +264 811 244 740

solarhart-africa@solahart.com.au

Close to the beautiful Ngonye Falls This beautiful camp borders the Sioma Ngwezi National Park 5000 square kilometers of beautiful wildnerness. See giraﬀe, roan, sable, elephant, lion, cheetah and wild dog, an abundance of birdlife and for the anglers a chance to catch the feisty tiger ﬁsh. Our rates are based on a ‘value for money’ principle. Also check Sioma Camp on Facebook for photo updates. Email: siomacamp@gmail.com

alf way, still another 330km to go - The Row Zambezi gang had a two day rest at Sioma Camp before setting off on their last leg of this amazing journey to raise funds – tired from an 80 km row from Senanga to Sioma Falls, the physical pressure continued, just before arriving the vehicle got stuck in the loose sandy tracks. The party of 20 caught up on their home maintenance, washing was hanging from every branch in the camp, some relaxing tiger fishing and sight seeing at the falls. For the support group it was easy going from here to the finish with the newly built roads; for the rowers a few more rapids and challenges ahead. We hope that they will come back to Barotseland and tell their friends about us. Tarred roads from Sesheke-Snenangu-Mongu – will be the key to more tourism coming to the beautiful Ngonye Falls. K1.5 trillion has been spent upgrading this road network; hopefully this will attract further investment into the Western province. New bridge coming soon. The bridge will be 10kms from the Ngonye Falls. Location Maziba bay. A vital link in the new road network. New airstrip - Two track airstrip at Maziba bay, another attraction for investors.

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

ART & CRAFT

Finding the patterns of life

Agnes finds new form in her successful career the Bemba from the northern province of Zambia.

By ZT Correspondent

reativity finds its expression in many outlets. For award-winning and internationally exhibited artist Agnes Yombwe, her latest endeavours are in the field of jewellery. “I never in my sweetest dreams planned to make jewellery. The idea came from the Sardanis when we visited them at Chaminuka Lodge. They asked me to make small items to sell to their guests - I felt a kind of happiness that I cannot explain. I took up the challenge and I have not looked back.

Agnes Buya Ng’ambi Yombwe

“I am mostly inspired by the environment - what I see around me. Even discarded things can inspire me as materials for my creations. I also draw on Zambian culture and traditions, especially of

“ The Bemba have an accepted way of doing things, which I also subscribe to. If you do this, maybe that will happen; this won`t work if you take that line of action. There is a sequence of things, events form certain patterns in our life. It is a matter of finding out more when the unexpected happens, to help us achieve balance.” Painter, sculptor, printmaker, textile artist, jeweller – to this list of creative accomplishments can be added teacher, artistic mentor and social activist. Agnes Buya

Ng’ambi Yombwe was born in Mazabuka, Zambia in 1966. She received an art teacher’s diploma from Evelyn Hone College, Lusaka, in 1989, followed by a certificate in art and design from Wimbledon School of Art, UK, in 1993. She taught art at Libala High School and Matero Boys in Zambia for seven years and in Gaborone and Francistown, Botswana for a further ten years. She is a prolific and successful experimental artist who has won some ten awards both at home and abroad, including the Ngoma Award for

the year 2000. She has held three solo exhibitions, and has also undertaken prestigious studio residencies at the Edvard Munch Institute in Oslo, Norway, in 1995 and at the McColl Centre for Visual

Arts in North Carolina, USA, in 2002. Agnes lives in Livingstone with her husband Lawrence where they are running Wayiwayi Art Studio and Gallery.

Showcase of some of Agnes’ creative necklaces and earing sets

PHOTOGRAPHY

Capturing the passion of the land By Gill Staden

PHOTO: STEPHEN ROBINSON

2011 Lunar eclipse northern Zambia – 5 hour time lapse

rofessional photographer Stephen Robinson arrived in Zambia 25 years ago to work in the construction industry, but his attention was grabbed by the stunning landscapes and wildlife of Africa. After spending his spare time working as a safari guide in South Luangwa National Park and developing his camera skills, he took up photography full time.

At first his wildlife photography concentrated on mammals but he soon came to see the little things like birds, plants, insects and fungi. He did shoots for advertising campaigns and media productions, many of which used Zambian nature as their theme. His photos won wide acclaim and he has had exhibitions in London and elsewhere. In the early days Robinson and good friend Quentin

Allen hiked through lesser-known Zambia on tracks used only by a few people. Allen painted while Robinson photographed. Between them they documented areas of Zambia which few outsiders had seen – waterfalls, oxbow lakes, floodplains with bushfires, autumnal hillscapes with skeletal trees. ‘Spirit of the Land’ is Robinson’s landscape series. The photographs are taken in panoramic format, complementing the way the eye actually takes in

any landscape, so that the onlooker actually feels part of the scene. Recently, Zambia was one of the countries to witness a full eclipse of the moon and Robinson set up his camera to document it. It is not just skill that is required to take good photographs, it requires passion for the subject. Robinson has a passion for Zambia, its people, its wildlife and its beauty and his photographs have become one of Zambia’s best marketing tools. Visit: www.spirit-of-the-land.com

Welcomes you to the home of The Victoria Falls Zambezi Shuttles is an exclusive travel & touring operator, specialising in tailor made itineraries, accommodation, ﬂights, transfers and local activities! We also specialize in packages in Southern Africa.

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Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

BIRDING WITH BOB

The Western Banded Snake Eagle

WELLNESS

10 Reasons to try Yoga

By Bob Stjernstedt

his bird is common around Livingstone, mainly along the river, but also inland. As its name implies it exclusively eats snakes. It is frequently seen sitting motionless on top of a telegraph pole. I have often seen it flying along with a snake dangling from its talons, usually quite a small snake. Unlike the Brown and the Black-breasted Snake Eagles, it does not spend a lot of time in the air – the Black-breasted is the one that hovers, looking for snakes on the ground below. The Western Banded sits quietly on its perch, sallying forth if it sees something. The prey is carried to a branch in a tree, where I’ve frequently seen it perched, tearing away at a snake with its sharp beak. The beak in snake eagles is small by raptor standards, but strongly hooked. Another

feature of snake eagles is their large heads, giving them an owl-like appearance. Their eyes are widely separated, giving them good stereoscopic vision. The Western Banded Snake Eagle, Ciracaetus cinerascens is smaller than the other snake eagles, and a bit more stocky, not a soaring bird although it does go high in the sky during its display flight. It is dark and sombre in plumage, but with a distinctive white patch at the base of the tail. The other Banded Snake Eagle, the Southern, found on the eastern seaboard, differs in having a banded black-andwhite tail rather than a single white patch. It is a noisy bird, giving a loud gamebird-like “quark” from the top of a tree, and it has an aerial display giving a series of calls “kwokwokwo kwark” which sounds almost like a farmyard. This

Yoga on Livingstone Island

The Western Banded Snake Eagle

display flight is sometimes interspersed with dramatic vertical stoops down to the canopy. The nest is difficult to see, a standard nest of sticks hidden in the middle of a densely covered tree, usually but not always on the river bank. In July we saw a specimen at Bovu Island carrying a snake to its nest to feed its young, but we could not see what was going on since the nest was hidden in the branches of a mangosteen tree, which it uses every year.

Surprisingly it was making its display call as it flew. Later we heard the young calling from different places nearby, so concluded that the young had already left the nest.

The benefits of Yoga by the Zambezi By Beverley Welch Ten ladies travelled from Mazabuka to Livingstone for a weekend of yoga instruction in July. The group stayed in Prana House and partook in two Yoga classes, they also learnt tips on healthy living and eating, the Yogic way. Prana is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘vital energy’ and all ten ladies left feeling energized and with a new understanding of the benefits of a regular yoga practice.

PHOTO: KARLIEN GELDENHUIS

01 Stress relief Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body by encouraging relaxation. It can lower blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the body’s immune system. 02 Pain relief Practicing yoga reduces pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and auto-immune diseases as well as arthritis, back and neck pain, and other chronic conditions. 03 Better breathing Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This improves lung function, triggering the body’s relaxation response. 04 Flexibility Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. 05 Increased strength Yoga uses every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength from head to toe. 06 Weight management Yoga can aid weight control. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well being and self esteem. 07 Improved circulation Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells. 08 Cardiovascular conditioning Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardio vascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

Exclusive B&B and self catering accommodation for small groups and families.

Tel: 260 213 327120 Cell: 260 979 959981 info@pranazambia.com www.pranazambia.com Livingstone | Zambia

09 Focus on the present Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware and to help create mind/body health. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory. 10 Inner peace The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place in their lives. Contact bev@pranazambia.com

Zambezi Traveller

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Travellers Friend

2011/07/29 3:10 PM

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

As mad as a hatter?

Yellow Fever Update

By ZT Correspondent

lmost 100 ladies gathered at the Livingstone Golf Club with a loaf of bread tucked under one arm and “nshima” recipe tucked under the other for a Mad Hatters Tea Party recently. They had come for a morning of fun and many mad hats to behold! Decorated tables were laid for morning tea with eats fit for

The stylish

queens and courtiers. Individual gifts were on hand with many prizes to be won for the most colourful and creative hats. The event came with a message of forgiveness from guest speaker Breggie Smook.

The eccentrics

Advertise in the Livingstone Classifieds fjackson@iwayafrica.com Frances Jackson

Accommodation

Stay at Chanters Lodge in Livingstone, great food, wonderful garden with pool,comfortable reasonably priced rooms in Lukulu Crescent, off Obote Avenue Phone: + 260 213 323412 Email : richardchanter@ gmail.com http://www.chanters-livingstone.com twitter/@livilodge

Lodge 2 kms from town with en-suite air-conditioned rooms, DSTV, room safes, telephone, tea/coffee facilities. Double rooms with mini fridge, LCD TV’S, WiFi. Continental breakfast included. Bar, restaurant, secure parking, conference facilities “Explore Livingstone” activity packages available. Minimum 2 nights special rates. Phone : + 260 213 321091/2 Located Mosi-oaTunya Road, next to Port Office Email: ngolidelodge@ gmail.com www.ngolidelodge.com Victoria Apartments – Livingstone, modern selfcontained units with two en-suite bedrooms, fully equipped kitchens, DSTV. WiFi, secure parking and garden. US116 per suite per night – conditions apply. Next to Protea Hotel Mosi-oa-Tunya Road Phone Mark + 260 (0) 973313644 Email va.reservations@gmail.com

Accommodation

The bread was a symbolic gift to the local prisons, and the recipes are to be compiled in a booklet and sold for charity. The event will be organized on an annual basis.

Auto Repair

Butchery

Walk With The Rhino on a 3 hour ‘walking safari’ in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Inclusive pick-up and drop-off, park fees, professional guide, game scout , light breakfast, halfway snacks, cold water/soft drinks. ‘ TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE ‘ with LIVINGSTONE SAFARIS Tel : + 260 213 322267 Cell : + 260 (0) 977450716 geckos@zamnet.zm mickyhapgood@ gmail.com

Bennett Engineering Professional engine assem-

Fallsmeats Ltd Top quality meat, biltong, boerwors and many other products. Livingstone town centre, Mosi-oa-Tunya Road Phone + 260 (0) 979497181

bling, vehicle maintenance and servicing. Skimming of cyclinder heads. Reborring/ skimming engine blocks. Press fit conrods. Test/set/fit injector nozzles. Fitting of cam bushes. Vehicle diagnostic. Import spares from South Africa Mosi-os-Tunya Road, opposite Spar Contact : + 260 213 321611 Cell + 260 (0) 97830936

Beauty Therapy

Technical Sprayers Services/Crop Serve We sell day-old chicks, stockfeed for broilers, fertilizers & chemicals, vegetable & maize seeds, chemical sprayers. John Hunt Way, opposite Anglican Church Phone: + 260 (0) 976553035

21 July 2011

+263 (0) 712 208 370

Activities

Agriculture

Members of the public are advised that Zambia is not presently on the list of countries from which South Africa requires a Yellow Fever certificate and travellers to and from Zambia are not required to have a valid Yellow Fever certificate. Members of the public will be informed should any changes occur in this regard.

Car Hire Thunderbirds Investments - Car hire, car rentals, taxis, tours Mosi-oa-Tunya Road, Livingstone Centre Phone + 260 213 320331 E-mail thunderbird@microlink.zm

Designing & Printing

Lusi Beauty Salon and Hairdressers Barber shop, manicure and pedicure, dreadlocks and braids, facials, cosmetics, perfumes, ear piercing. Hairdressings for all

Fallstech We specialize in artwork and printing of T-Shirts, letterheads, business cards, invoice books, designing and mounting billboards Opposite Makuni Park Livingstone Phone + 260 (0) 976403088 E-mail fallstech@yahoo.com

Airline & Bus Tickets

occasions John Hunt Way, opposite Anglican Church

Southend Travel. IATA Member Livingstone. Airline reservations and ticketing on Domestic, Regional & International flights. Free quotation Ticketing and reservations for Intercape Bus for routes to Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho Border, Mozambique. Mosi-oaTunya Road, Livingstone town centre Phone : +260 213 320241/320773/322128 Skype : southend.travel southend@zamnet.am

Books & Stationery

Florist

Bookworld Livingstone Selling a good selection

Shoppers Florist – Cut flowers, corsages, bridal bouquets, wedding decorations.vase arrangements, wreaths,ornamental gifts, table arrangements Call + 260 213 324086 Mobile + 260 (0) 977498733 John Hunt Way, behind Autoworld

Call + 260 (0) 977412291. + 260 (0) 0966321136

of children’s, professional, reference and educational books. All at affordable prices. Stationery items also available Contact us + 260 213 321414

Fuel Station Engen – Falls Park Towards Victoria Falls. 24 hour fuel. Convenience Store Phone : + 260 213 322584 ambleside@zamnet.zm

Gift Shop Reflections - Camping equipment, good selection of assorted cards and gifts for all occasions. Falls Park Shopping Centre Phone + 260 (0) 977788575

Hardware Vadoma Ltd Suppliers of building, plumbing, electrical materials, paints,carpentary and glue products. Agents for TAP supplies, glass cutting, cement etc Mosi – oa –Tunya Road Opposite Makuni Park Contact + 260 213 322521 Cell : + 260 (o) 977141874 vadoma@zamnet.zm

Internet Café Thunderbird Investments Fax facilities, internet access, photocopying, printing,scanning, CD burning. Mosi-oa-Tunya Road Phone + 260 213 320331 E-mail thunderbird@microlink.zm

VISIT

Accounting, Audit, Company Secretarial, Corporate Finance, Tax PO Box 60014, Livingstone, Zambia Corner Obote Avenue & Mosi-Oa-Tunya Rd Tel: +260 21 3 322828 Fax: +260 21 3 322929 Email: livingstone@bdo.co.zm

Restaurants

NOW ONLINE!

Laughing Dragon Chinese Restaurant

Zambezi Traveller website at

SELF-CONTAINED LOCAL ACCOMMODATION John Hunt

www.zambezitraveller.com

FREE DOWNLOADS Latest issue and previous issues in PDF format!

Superb Sichuan Cuisine, Take-aways & restaurant. Way, behind Post OfficePhone : + 260 213 322555 The Spot A-la-carte menu including vegetarian and traditional cuisine. Specials on Tuesdays – Chinese. Wednesdays – Portuguese. Thursdays –Thai. Open Tuesdays – Sundays. Groups welcome Located Mosioa-Tunya Road, opposite 217 Shops Phone Camillar + 260 (0) 979395024 Chantal + 260 (0) 978170791

Clean comfortable affordable accommodation close to THE VICTORIA FALLS.

B&B

Livingstone Zambia www.zigzagzambia.com zigzag@microlink.zm

Tel:+260 213 324201 Cell:+260 977 766473 wblivingstone@iconnect.zm

Tel: (+260) 213 322814 Cell: (+260) 977681741

travel in Style! with Mazhandu Family Buses

Getting to your business and leisure desitination has never been this affordable with luxurious comfort and at special fares. Travel with us and enjoy our fantastic onboard customer services throughout your journey.

Daily Routes

Daily Departure Times Lusaka

Livingstone

1st Bus 06:30Hrs

1st Bus 06:00Hrs

2nd Bus 07:30Hrs

2nd Bus 07:00Hrs

3rd Bus 09:00Hrs

Monze

4th Bus 11:30Hrs

4th Bus 10:30Hrs

Ndola

5th Bus 13:30Hrs

Kitwe

6th Bus 19:30Hrs

6th Bus 20:00Hrs

Livingstone Sesheke Kazungula Choma

Travel and Booking Enquiries Mazhandu Family Bus Services Ltd +260 211 236494/94 (Office) +260 977 805064 (Hotline) +260 975 805064 (Livingstone) Email: panga@zamnet.zm www.mazhandu.com

Top award for local students T

hree students raised the banner of southern African scholarship recently when they were awarded US$1 500.00 for the best paper submitted to an international tourism conference.

The forum focused on three intertwined imperatives: 1) how best to increase indigenous tourism in Zambia and throughout Africa; 2) relationships with government departments and international organizations; and 3) how to build bridges of indigenous tourism, friendship and collaboration within Africa and other regions of the world.

The award was for the inter-disciplinary team of college students who wrote the best paper on the theme of the conference. This year, the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) conference theme was ‘Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change to Tourism Development in Africa and the Developing World.’ Students were required to be enrolled in an African university or university in another developing country. IIPT scholarships were first awarded to the individual student writing the best paper on the theme of the conference in Vancouver in 1988, when the theme was ‘Tourism – a Vital Force for Peace. Beginning with IIPT’s third African conference in Lusaka in 2005, it was recognized that today’s issues such as climate change require inter-disciplinary approaches and the scholarship should likewise be inter-disciplinary. Winners of the award were Shingisanai Bvunzawabaya, University of Zimbabwe; Tafadzwa Razemba, University of South Africa; and Abigail Chibweza, University of Zimbabwe. The students are mentored by Zambian Rose Mukogo who spoke at the conference on ‘Greening of the Tourism Sector as a Mitigatory Measure against Climate Change.’

A highlight of the IIPT conference was the re-dedication of the International Peace Park at Victoria Falls by delegates and dignitaries from Livingstone and the Toka Leya indigenous people of the area. The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering tourism initiatives which contribute to international understanding and co-operation, an improved quality of environment, the preservation of heritage, and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world. Left to Right: Rose Mukogo, Shingisai Bvunzawabaya, Tafadzwa Razemba and Louis W’amour (President of IIPT)

Source http://www.iipt.org/newsletter/2011/june.html

Zambian polocrosse team

The first-ever Traditional Leaders Forum in Africa, organized in collaboration with the Zambia Ethno Tourism and Cultural Tourism Alliance, was one of the main features of the 5th IIPT African Conference in Lusaka. His Royal Highness Senior Chief Mukuni of the Toka Leya people of Zambia was a keynote speaker.Tribal leaders are key stakeholders and stewards of development and tourism in rural areas.

Major agriculture meeting set for Livingstone By Jonathan Elliott Livingstone has been selected as the host for the September 2012 conference ofThe Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth. Founded over 50 years ago by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and 12 International Agricultural Societies, today the Society brings together more than 50 member organisations

devoted to raising standards in sustainable agriculture, forestry and fishing, improving rural economies and raising awareness of agricultural and rural concerns.

for improved food security, through increased agriculture productivity.

In addition to the opportunities to view local farms, projects and agribusinesses, ZAMAG Tours and Safaris The selection of the Zambezi are offering delegates, safaarea for the 2012 conference, ris and other attractions which has the theme ,“Feeding in Zambia and Botswana, People: Africa’s Role in Sustain- showcasing Zambia as a able World Food Production,” leader in agri-tourism in reflects the region’s potential sub-Saharan Africa.

www.zamagsafaris.com +260 977 618 194 info@zamagsafaris.com

In the photo taken at Onley Polo Grounds in Rugby, England, on horseback from left to right: Henry Beckett, Lauren Watson, Victoria Sharp, Jo Cocker, Anthony Barker (Captain), Kirsten Michelson, James Rae, Murray Evans. Front standing: Team Manager Harry Entjes, National Coach Doug Evans, Consultant Coach Ted Wilmot, Horsemaster Graham Rae.

Zambia’s national polocrosse team joined teams from seven other countries in this year’s Polocrosse World Cup, held in the UK in July. Zambia was drawn in Pool A to compete against neighbours from across the Zambezi River, Zimbabwe, the reigning World Champions Australia, and New Zealand. Also taking part were England, Ireland, South Africa and the USA.

Final results: 1 South Africa 2 Zimbabwe 3 Australia 4 USA 5 New Zealand 6 UK 7 Ireland 8 Zambia

Opening Hours Mon - Fri 12:00 - 22:00 Sunday 12:00 - 17:00 26 Chaholi Rd Rhodes Park Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 0026 0211 253639 0026 0977 856040 E-mail: gerritz@iconnect.zm www.gerritz-restaurant.com

we take you places we know and trust

Enjoy your walk – and don’t get eaten I

’d seen lion in the wild before – but from the comfort and safety of a 4x4 safari vehicle. Now, as we tracked them on foot, I was almost hoping we wouldn’t find them! Our group, including our armed Zambian Wildlife Authority scout, Matthews, and our Sanctuary Zebra Plains guide, Garth, could hear the lions calling each other. It was a surreal experience, with everything in my body telling me not to do this yet at the same time an incredible adrenalin rush as my inquisitive nature forced me to move forward. It was in this park, the South Luangwa, that walking safaris first made their debut and it is undoubtedly one of the most exciting ways

The main mess tent has a dining area, although many of the meals are served out in the open, in carefully selected vantage points. The food is amazing considering the camp has no electricity; making use of solar power with an earth oven to bake breads and other pastries , including fresh doughnuts. Walking with lions

to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the bush. On the plains, zebra, buffalo and puku congregate alongside endemic species such as Thornicroft’s giraffe, Crawshay’s zebra and Cookson’s wildebeest.

Wildlife Camp zambia

PHOTO: YOLANDI SCANES

Predators such leopard and the elusive wild dog can be seen whilst the rivers and tributaries are teeming with hippo and crocodile. Safari on foot also ensures that one can see many of the 400 species of bird found in the area.

Sanctuary Zebra Plains is perched on a sand bank at the confluence of the Luangwa and Chibembe Rivers, one of the most special places on earth! This camp is a true luxury walking safari camp

Conservation education pays dividends By Conrad T. Cooke

An affordable front row seat to South Luangwa Tel: +260 216 246026 info@wildlifezambia.com | www.wildlifecamp-zambia.com

ildlife Camp was established in 1992 by Herman Miles, on the property of the Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia’s prime 400 hectare riverfront property bordering the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Since then the camp has blossomed into one of the area’s top facilities, offering rustic and affordable accommodation and full

Su on the bridge

board packages. Today Wildlife Camp is able to pay more than $50,000 per annum towards WECSZ. WECSZ uses the proceeds from Wildlife Camp to run various conservation projects in Zambia. One successful project has been the Chongololo Club (chongololo means millipede

The camp is designed to leave the lowest possible carbon footprint and will be packed up completely, with no trace that it was ever there, between seasons. Finally we found our lions. Garth made it very clear; whatever you do, don’t run! in the local vernacular) which educates school children in wildlife and environmental conservation. Wildlife Camp has recently seen its indirect investment in the Chongololo Club pay handsome dividends when it employed Suzyo Zimba as a full-time guide. Zimba is currently the youngest practicing guide in the Luangwa Valley, having passed his Level 2 LSA exams in 2010. The 24 year-old was part of the Chongololo Club from Grade 3 to Grade 12 and is still very passionate about his Club days while attending Hillside Basic School in Chipata. He tells how WECSZ showed them videos every Wednesday on animals and conservation.

Luxury, naturally Lodges and safari camps, immersed in their natural landscapes.

Extraordinary safari camps and lodges Zambia: Sanctuary Chele Presidential Lodge, Santuary Puku Ridge Camp, Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma, Sanctuary Zambezi Kulefu Camp, Sanctuary Zebra, walking safari Camp

www.sanctuaryretreats.com / southernafrica@sanctuaryretreats.com

Botswana: Sanctuary Baines’ Camp, Sanctuary Chief’s Camp, Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero, Sanctuary Staney’s Camp

With about 400 meters between them and us, we quietly watched them lying in the tall grass. After a few minutes they stood up and carried on walking, and so did we – in the other direction!

PHOTO: YOLANDI SCANES

with just four traditional tents accommodating a maximum of six guests, allowing for an intimate exploration of the park.

By Yolandi Scanes

Chef Moffat and earth oven bread

Zimba’s school took part in the annual tree-planting competition organized and sponsored by WECSZ, and in 1999 it won the contest and a trip to Wildlife Camp. Zimba saw in real life what he had seen on video in the WECSZ office in Chipata. He was hooked, and decided that guiding, and the conservation that goes with the profession, would be the job for him. Today Zimba has a bright future ahead of him. He plans to pass his Level 1 exams next year, which will allow him to conduct walking safaris, and from there the sky is the limit for this Chongololo Club graduate.

ZAMBEZI NEWS

kariba & middle-zam PHOTO: DICK PITMAN

TRAVELLERS FRIEND » A definitive guide for destinations along the Zambezi River

Tigerfish, the perfect predator By Olaf LF Weyl

TIGERFISH FACT FILE

Did you know?

igerfish are perfectly adapted for what they do. Hunt and eat fish. They are built for speed and their streamlined bodies and large forked tail fins allow for rapid acceleration. With a mouth filled with sharp conical teeth that are designed to grasp prey, it is easy to see where they got their Latin name Hydrocynus vittatus which means striped waterdog. The teeth are kept sharp by occasional replacement from a store of teeth located in cavities below the existing ones.

That tigerfish occasionally replace their teeth with teeth located in cavities in the jaw. There is a record from Kariba of a 33-cm tigerfish with a 23-cm hatchling crocodile in its stomach.

In Lake Kariba at 60 cm or 3.5kg a tigerfish is estimated to be 7 years old. Females grow larger than males and they are extremely fecund; a 60-cm female is capable of producing up to 750 000 eggs, and a ripe female weighing 8.97 kg was estimated to have had 3 million eggs in its ovaries.

Their large eyes allow them to focus in on their prey and, like many predator fish, they react strongly to flash. In addition to good eyesight, tigerfish are also well equipped to find prey in low light conditions and in dirty water. They have a surprisingly well developed sense of smell with well developed nasal cavities located inside the skull. Their sense of ‘hearing’ is also exceptional with a well developed lateral line which consists of small pores which detect minute changes in pressure. To top it off they have a special set of bones, called the Weberian apparatus, which functions as an amplifier for pressure waves deflected off the air filled swim bladder.

Olaf LF Weyl

The result is a top predator highly evolved to hunt and find prey in both dirty flood waters and in the clear low water conditions of the Zambezi River.

While there are many ways to catch them, spinners and the new bladed jig called the “Zambezi Shaker” use vibration to call a tiger in, flash to get him closer and, if tipped with a piece of fish fillet, smell to push him over the edge.

These and other interesting facts about tigerfish are from an exciting new book by Prof Brian Marshall entitled The Fishes of Zimbabwe and their Biology. Brian Marshall’s account of the fishes of Zimbabwe is entirely new, and is a compilation of what is known of the 160 different species and their biology. This book, due to be released in September 2011 should be read by anyone interested in fish and fishing. It is available through the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, South Africa (www.saiab.ac.za) and will retail at R295.00 per copy + postage @ R 40.00 per copy in South Africa, and R50.00 per copy in Southern Africa.

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Latest news on KITFT By Mana Meadows

nterest in this year’s Kariba Invitation Tiger Fish Tournament (KITFT) is growing steadily with many first-time KITFT fishermen choosing the tournament’s 50th anniversary to see what the fuss is about. “We’ve heard from the NAUZ [National Anglers’ Union of Zimbabwe] that they have already had approximately 200 new applications so that’s at least 50 new teams at this stage,” said KITFT Secretary Allen Robinson. He emphasised that accommodation is short and should be sorted out by competitors as soon as possible.

By Tendai Mushangwe, ZTA

Scenic Kariba

has also shown a much bigger interest this year, many are ex-Zim,” said Bennett. To fish the tournament, competitors need to be a member of a NAUZ registered club. Contact your local fishing club for more information. On a sadder note Bennett said that on behalf of KITFT he would like to offer his deepest sympathies to Judith Meecham who

‘Tiger Time’has always been special to Kariba, especially for the locals. Not only is this the main event of the year, but we identify with it and take pride in it. Fisherman from all over Zimbabwe and outside the country trek to Charara to battle it out for top honours, each hoping to reel in the monster.

PHOTO: STEVE EDWARDS

recently unexpectedly lost her husband Bob. “Bob and Judith Meecham have worked for several years at Charara site and have been instrumental in helping KITFT be the success that it has been. Bob’s willingness to help was greatly appreciated by the KITFT committee. Judith will continue working at Charara and we look forward to working with her.”

The tiger tournament always brings good business. Accommodation facilities especially in Charara are taken up first, then the houseboats. Kapenta is ordered in advance and all other businesses benefit one way or the other – one notable example is the amount of beer that is consumed! And they’re off!

CC517

Tournament Director Rod Bennett said that traditionally the bulk of the entries come in the last week prior to the tournament opening so competitors should enter early, especially to avoid disappointment with the goodie bags. Bennett said that the committee had received huge interest from foreign teams (especially South Africa) wanting to participate this year. “Zambia

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Rhino poaching upsurge brings dramatic response

By Sally Wynn

he Zambezi Society recently appealed for funding to fly aircraft to dehorn and ear-notch black rhinos in the Matusadona National Park and Intensive Protection Zone. The week-long operation was part of a Zimbabwe-wide exercise to improve rhino protection and management in response to the massive increase in rhino poaching that is sweeping Southern Africa. The operation was led by AWARE Trust

Rhino ear-notching, Matusadona

veterinarians with funding from SAVE Australia, but each organisation involved was required to contribute toward costs.

Mvura and calf

This is a desperate measure, but once the word gets out that they’re all de-horned they will offer a far less attractive target for poachers

The Zambezi Society is a non-profit, nongovernmental organisation “conserving the wildlife and wild places of the Zambezi River for the benefit of wilderness, wildlife and people.” Among many donations, the Balmain Trust in the UK donated GBP 2000, continuing a ten year relationship with the Zambezi Society.

reservations@bumihills.com www.bumihills.com

Sadly, Turner passed on in December 2009. Turner and his financial partner Peter Drummond had decided not to run a schedule but rather operate out of Kariba on the basis of whole ship hire. The ship was redesigned to cater for a variety of options.

+263 (0) 772 135 664

Fishing Canoeing Game Drives Game Cruises Rhino Tracking Walking Safaris Dinosaur Fossils Tonga Cultural Village Sailing (morning, afternoon, and overnight available)

But with the operation complete, the animals still need to be closely monitored and protected, with significant costs involved.

Zambezi Society with this work for many years. “But there is never enough support to keep vehicles in good working order, monitoring and keeping anti-poaching teams properly equipped with fuel supplies ready to deploy when required,” reports the Zambezi Society. “We need all the support we can get.” Contact: pmusto@mango.zw or zambezi@mweb.co.zw. Visit: http://www.zamsoc.org.

Save the Rhino International has assisted the

Zambezi Trader - linking the lake ony Turner conceived the idea of building a vessel that would carry tourists on Lake Kariba for cruises or connecting them to different lodges. At the same time, he wanted to supply fishing villages and tourist lodges with their necessary supplies.

Zimbabwe’s iconic destination on Lake Kariba

An Island Paradise on Lake Kariba

The de-horning and ear-notching exercise was designed to do three things; firstly to provide clear data on how many rhino remain within Matusadona National Park. Some have proved very elusive over the past couple of years. Secondly to enable scouts to positively indentify each individual rhino by its unique earnotch pattern. Scout monitors carry cameras and photograph each rhino seen.

The position is marked by GPS and any other relevant information is noted. Thirdly the exercise was to remove the horns from as many of the Matusadona rhino population as possible. “This is a desperate measure, but once the word gets out that they’re all de-horned they will offer a far less attractive target for poachers,” notes a Zambezi Society report.

The ship began operating formally in July 2010 once C deck had been completed. One hundred and thirty pilots, navigators and organizers on the Zimbabwe Air Rally that year took a three hour party cruise from Fothergill Island to Spurwing Island, while the Trader also accommodated 50 of the participants for two nights. Weddings have been handled including transfers and accommodation for 100 guests in a joint arrangement with Spurwing Island for two unique events. Zambezi Trader has hosted several onboard confer-

ences of up to 44 clients combining conferencing from 10am to 4pm and early morning and evening game viewing, fishing and sundowner cruises on the tender boats. The vessel has also hosted three-day cruises for the general public over Easter, Heroes holiday and New Year’s Eve. Recently, the Angolan Ambassador hosted a farewell three day cruise for 16 international ambassadors who also used the opportunity to present the tourist development opportunities in each of their own countries.

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Fishing the 50th!

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By Mana Meadows

method for catching tiger was spinning or trawling a spinner fillet combination or just using a fillet.

ith many KITFT veterans making a special effort to return to Kariba this year to fish the tournament’s 50th, the Zambezi Traveller asked Ant Hill, captain of 1969’s winning team Kutsaga Angling Club, to share some memories from the tournament’s earlier years. Ant first fished KITFT in 1968 and on about 25 occasions since then. In 1972 he won the prize for the most fish caught (using 2kg line and very light tackle) and in the mid 70’s won the tournament in three consecutive years with the Ultra Light team.

The Kutsaga Angling Club was the angling section of the Tobacco Research Board. It consisted of Pete Munday, John Roberts, Mike Sherman - all from the T.R.B - and myself, a farm manager next door to Kutsaga. We decided to be very different and use small sardine type fish called Microlestes lateralis as our bait. We spent months going out to the Hunyani river near the Skyline Motel to catch these fish with a net. We packed them very carefully in plastic bags, like sardines in a tin, so that we could thaw them easily when needed. We spent a lot of time making wire traces that would be suitable for this bait.

“In 1969 we were all very keen and worked extremely hard on a plan that we hoped would win the tournament for us. In those days there were no kapenta in Lake Kariba and the recognised

A few trips to Kariba were done to test our plan and we

1969’s winning KITFT team, representing Kutsaga Angling Club (now Nkwazi Fishing Club): From L to R: Tony (Ant) Hill, Team captain; the late Mike Sherman; Ralph Coombes (boat captain); Pete (Pedro) Munday. Not present in the photo was team member John Roberts and boat captain Michael Joyce.

knew we were on the right track. Almost every tree we tied up to and dropping a small fish to the bottom, produced a bite from a tiger. Our plan bore fruit on the first day of the tournament when we landed 49 tiger (before the day of the 20 fish limit) This put us so far ahead nobody else came close. The

largest fish was one of 6kgs caught by Peter Munday. Needless to say our plan became common knowledge and other teams became more competitive.” Since the 70’s, Ant has only fished sporadically as time and opportunity have allowed. He is fishing this year’s tournament because

it is special, “being the 50th anniversary of a tournament that has always been close to my heart”. He says that the tournament has changed a lot over the years, becoming more professional with teams receiving large sponsorship and expected to do well for their sponsors. “I don’t disapprove of this and find

the tournament is still very friendly and most enjoyable, fishing being in my blood.” Ant will fish for Nkwazi Angling Club this year which is what Kutsaga Angling Club became. “We may not win the tournament but we will fish hard and have a good time,” says Ant.

ANTI POACHING UPDATES

PHOTO: NICHOLAS MILNE

Buffalo make the Bumi airstrip their home

Buffalo on the airstrip at Bumi

By Nicholas Milne

herd of roughly 60 buffalo have made the airstrip their home, acting as an impromptu welcoming party for arriving guests! The anti-poaching scouts came across the herd early this week and reported that an adolescent cow had somehow lost her right horn and as a result had a large gaping wound in her head where the horn had once been. Quite how this happened is a mystery but she seems to be recovering well and we will keep an eye on her. The lake level has dropped substantially and as a result many of the animals have returned to the floodplains.

The Bumi Hills Anti Poaching Unit has been invited to be part of the 50th annual Kariba International Tiger Fishing Tournament in October. BHAPU will have representatives based at a stand near the weigh-bay at the NAUZ Charara site from 24 October for the duration of the tournament. They will also assist with marshalling duties out on the lake during the tournament to ensure that all anglers abide by the rules. BHAPU, along with the other conservation initiatives around the lake play a huge part in preserving fish stocks in Lake Kariba and hopefully these efforts will be recognised by the anglers at KITFT 2011!

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Why don’t they do something? Anti-poaching gets results I By Olaf L.F. Weyl

first felt the heart-stopping tigerfish strike when, as a boy, I was fishing the Kabompo River many years ago. Since then I have chased these fish along the length of the Zambezi River and its tributaries. In the not-so-distant past, tigerfish were mainly caught by anglers and were a by-catch in the odd gill net set for bream along the river banks. Nets set to intercept spawning runs in the Gache Gache and Sanyati were isolated incidents that had tongues wagging for months afterwards. Now, however, things have changed. Better roads mean better access to the river by commercial entrepreneurs. Stories of refrigerated trucks moving tigerfish from the Zambezi to Harare, Lusaka, the Copperbelt and even the DRC are rife. Lodge owners on the lower Zambezi are complaining about large-scale netting operations where the Zambezi enters Cahora Bassa. On the upper Zambezi, fishermen have learnt how to drift gill nets down the main channel. Stories of trucks filled with dried tigerfish are becoming worryingly common and the fishing is getting worse. Why don’t they do something? is the mantra of many an angler on the river. Interventions and enforcement of regulations are complicated by the nature of the river itself.

Rising in Angola, it flows through and along Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Jurisdictional issues and political boundaries complicate enforcement. Never mind the political nightmare that faces enforcing agencies when trying to curb artisanal fisheries in support of recreational angling.

Getting organized

Individuals seldom carry much political weight and although letters of complaint may help to let off steam, they seldom get the desired response. If angling organizations, lodge owners and employees in the recreational angling sector get together and form a multi-national

Stories of refrigerated trucks moving tigerfish from the Zambezi to Harare, Lusaka, the Copperbelt and even the DRC are rife. Lodge owners on the lower Zambezi are complaining about large-scale netting operations where the Zambezi enters Cahora Bassa. So do we resign ourselves to the notion that our children or grandchildren will not get the experience of catching Africa’s striped waterdog? I think not! Most anglers already limit their kill with catch-andrelease angling becoming the norm rather than the exception. While catch-and-release angling is a crucial component in reducing angler impact on the resource, managing the fishery on an international scale will require organization, economic valuation and involvement.

Situated in the eastern basin of Lake Kariba on the banks of the Gache Gache River.

association, and use this association to lobby for support, there is a chance that concerns will be heard. Internationally such alliances have worked. In the USA, for example, the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, an organization with 500,000 members, actively lobbies at a political level on behalf of anglers. Economic value

The economic value of angling is an important political bargaining tool. In South Africa, the South African Deep Sea Anglers Association recently funded an economic assessment of sport-fishing in the country. The result was less surprising to anglers than it was to politicians: angling contributes billions to the national economy. As a result of this report, angling and anglers are taken more seriously when decisions on fisheries are made. I wonder what the economic impact of tiger fishing is? How much

does the Tiger Tournament contribute to the economy of Kariba? How many people are employed by the angling-tourism sector and in associated industries such as boat building and tackle retail? Adding this up would allow for the calculation of the tax benefits from these formal industries to each of the riparian countries. Armed with such information on economic impact and employment, a Zambezi wide organization would have the ammunition with which to argue their position when illegal gill netters impact on yet another spawning run.

Getting involved I recently read an article on how a lodge in Gache Gache was assisting National Parks in enforcing regulations. Such actions by individuals are particularly noteworthy not only because these people invest considerable time and money in to looking after our fish but also because their actions often result in threats to their personal safety from angered poachers. Such individuals deserve the support not only of the angling community but also of the industry that depends on anglers. I look forward to the day when partnerships between anglers and government institutions become the norm in fisheries management on the Zambezi. It is high time to replace “Why don’t they do something?” with “Why don’t we do something?” Olaf Weyl is the senior aquatic biologist for the South African Institute for Aquatic biodiversity.

Gache Gache Anti Poaching Unit: (l – r) Oliver Kanyati, Eddie Penduka, Lazarus Makumbirofa, Pension Mapiye, Lawrence Gabira, Tapson Chibayamagora (UNIT LEADER)

By Bernie Styles

ache Gache Wilderness Area, Kariba, reports in its July newsletter that 100 arrests have taken place since May, while armed gangs of poachers have been tracked. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, and Gache Gache Anti Poaching Unit, also recorded a bushbuck and jackal snared, and one poisoned elephant carcass was found near the Nyaodza river.

Arrests result in fines and severe warnings. In addition, 30 snares were lifted and more than 1800 kg of fresh fish confiscated and sent to National Parks Kariba. Two kapenta rigs were found and arrested and their catch confiscated. “I am encouraged by the dedication and passion of this community anti poaching team, and amazed at how fast the wildlife and fish have come back into this area over a short period of time,” said Ray Townsend, director of Gache Gache Lodge. Contact: bernie@chapungusafaris.co.zw

FACTFILE

May – July 2011 100 arrests 30 boats impounded 1800 kg fish impounded Uncounted nylon nets burnt

Comfortable Chalets with panoramic views. Tiger Fishing, Game viewing by boat or vehicle, guided walks, canoeing, sun downer cruises. Gache Gache is known for its abundant wildlife and is a birding paradise. Rates include all activities, full board and laundry. Cash bar. The lodge is accessible by boat, road and air. Please enquire and we will gladly arrange all your travel or transfer requirements to suit your individual needs. Contact Details

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Impounded boat, with nylon nets.

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Canoe trip veterans get busy on land we have also seen quite a few animals with snares attached to them. KAWF have a dart gun and we have been able to help some snared animals.

SKSOS youngsters in front of Baobab Tree

ince we have been back from our canoe trip (Zambezi Traveller 5), we have been out almost every weekend doing something for our big project – Save Kariba. Most weekends we

camped out in the Charara Recreational Area, fixing the roads so that they are fit for game drives. We have found a beautiful spot, with a perfect view of the Charara River, where we are currently working on building a hide and picnic area. There is the most

magnificent baobab tree nearby and we have now built a new road all the way in, so that visitors are able to see the tree, which is like no other we have seen before and is definitely worth visiting.

different grades; Green Route – suitable for all cars, Blue Route – high clearance vehicles, and Red Route – 4 x 4 vehicles only. We aim to further categorise them into approximate driving time; one hour drive, two hour drive etc. Once we have

We have mapped out our new road system and plan to mark roads with three

Kariba Half-Marathon By Mana Meadows

n the nippy Kariba dawn of 7th August, many of the 301 competitors gathering for the start of their races (Fun Runs and Half Marathons) were desperately hoping that the shadowy elephantine shape last seen idling on the tar at the early section of the race would have moved by the time they reached the vicinity.

Abundant roadside gameviewing is just one of the characteristic highlights of this race. Add to this a Kariba dam wall sunrise and picturebook scenery and the Kariba Half Marathon’s growing popularity each year is sure-fire. For serious runners, the half marathon is also one of the toughest out there - guaranteed to make you dig deep.

Winners of the Kariba Half Marathon: (L to R): Nkosiyazi Sibanda, Chiyedza Chokore and Kelvin Pangiso. Pangiso and Sibanda tied first.

hen the event officially started in 2006 there were 26 half marathon runners. This year 190 half marathon runners entered, 49 more than last year. The race has been graced by the legend Bruce Fordyce and reigning Comrades Marathon Champion Stephen Muzhingi. There were 211 “Fun

Run” (or 10 km) entries this year (up from 145 last year).

2011 saw the fastest race in the event so far and it was also the first time there has ever been a joint victory - with Kelvin Pangiso and Nkosiyazi Sibanda winning the mens’ race with a winning time of 1.07.04.

PHOTO: MANA MEADOWS

Pangiso represented Zimbabwe Prison service where he works as a prison officer. This was his first Kariba halfmarathon which he did as preparation training for the All Africa Games in Mozambique in early September. Pangiso said the race was fine though his time was poor. He said this may have been due to the course. “The course is tough with the up and down of hills. Some runners are strong at down-hills, some are strong at up-hills so there’s no breathing space. I managed to survive because I was strong at both.” Pangiso said that he was trying to push Sibanda because he is preparing for the Berlin marathon. “I was trying to push him harder so maybe he can compete with better results there”. Nkosiyazi Sibanda (Harare Athletics Club) said that his race went well although he struggled from 15kms to 18kms and found “the hills tough”. This is his second half marathon this year. Last year he was fifth in the Kariba Half marathon. Woman’s winner Chiyedza Chokore (1.21.58) said that she was happy because this year she’d improved her time by one minute compared to

raised enough funds, we hope to have the maps printed into a little booklet that will be available for sale. We have also been doing snare sweeps throughout the town and surrounds and so far have collected more than 100 snares. Unfortunately,

With everything that everyone is doing on the anti poaching front, it is clearly working as we have now had sightings of buffalo, bushbuck, grysbok, impala, kudu, leopard, lion, sable and warthog.

PHOTO: STEVEN EDWARDS, MUSANGO

By the children of Lions Learning Centre, Kariba

Buff with snare around neck and front leg

In June, we tracked and located a snared buffalo, which was then darted and we helped remove the snare, clean the wound and monitor the buffalo whilst it was sedated.

The opening of the first flood gate of the season

last year’s Kariba half marathon. “The first uphill from the border was difficult. That was the worst for me, after that it was easier. I like the Kariba marathon because it makes my training hard which is good for my next race.” From here Chokore will do the Vic Falls marathon which she is hoping to win. Event organiser Kiara Hammond said that it was one of the most “electric and enjoyable races” that she could remember. She said that the overall success of the event was attributed to the fact that the race falls over a long weekend in a tourist destination. In addition the town boasts

numerous attractions. Hammond said that the weekend is not only about racing but is also a time for friends and family to come together, especially encouraged by the Fun Runs and newly introduced Baby Runs (for under 8’s). “There is something for everyone at the Kariba Half Marathon and its one of the reasons why I feel that this race has a bright future, probably the brightest on the Zimbabwean race calendar and possibly the regional race calendar in the near future,” says Hammond.

2011 -2012 SCHEDULE

Linking Kariba and Victoria Falls

Kariba Ferries September

Kariba - Mlibizi

Mlibizi - Kariba

Kariba - Mlibizi

Mlibizi - Kariba

February

Kariba - Mlibizi

No Sailing

Mlibizi - Kariba

March 2012

Kariba - Mlibizi

Mlibizi - Kariba

October

Tel: ZIM +263 4 614 162-7 Tel: RSA + 27 21 556 6965 Email: karibaferries@zol.co.zw Skype: kariba.ferries 2011 SAILING DATES HAVE BEEN POSTED SEE WEBSITE www.karibaferries.com

January 2012

Kariba - Mlibizi

Sit back relax and let us do the driving

December

Kariba - Mlibizi

Mlibizi - Kariba

November No Sailing

January 2012 2

Kariba - Mlibizi

Mlibizi - Kariba

Kariba - Mlibizi

April 2012 5

Kariba - Mlibizi

Mlibizi - Kariba

Confirm all dates well in advance before making any bookings.

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Head off the beaten track

Local fisherman on the Lake with the Gwembe Valley on the horizon

potatoes, pumpkin, sugarcane and other tantalizing produce. The carrots are the sweetest I have ever tasted. A signboard ‘Welcome to Sinazongwe – home of the Kariba bream,’ greets us as we descend the valley towards the lake below. PHOTO: GOOGLE EARTH

By Chennay Jordaan urning off the bustling main Livingstone – Lusaka road at Batoka, the flat grassy plateau quickly gives way to hilly terrain dotted with massive ant mounds, larger hills looming on the horizon.

aback by the beauty of the Gwembe Valley; the steep sides of the hills are speckled with vermiculite glinting in the sun’s rays like bits of gold, a clear stream bubbling over the rocks below, and the occasional glimpse of Lake Kariba far beyond.

Suddenly those hills are upon us, the road cut into the hillsides and winding tightly around them. I am taken

Stopping at a local market, Tonga women in bright ethnic fabrics hold up enormous cabbages, sweet

Sinazongwe saw the introduction of the Lake Tanganyika sardine or kapenta in 1967 and 1968, and by the late 1970s the fishing industry was booming over the whole lake. Kapenta fishing is Sinazongwe’s second largest industry after coal mining; Maamba Colliery being the largest of its kind in Zambia. The fishing industry is the largest employer; every year the Lake sees more and more fishing

PHOTO: MAREK PATZER

Crocodile stealing the lions’ lunch

rigs bobbing on her waters, resulting in declining catches in recent years. Zongwe Farming, a large commercial crocodile farm, is also located in the district of Sinazongwe, in the village of Siansowa. With over two thousand breeding adult crocodiles, a tour of this farm is a must for anyone in the area, and nothing short of exhilarating when it comes to feeding the big ones. The Kariba Bush Club, a lodge in the area, offers daily tours of the crocodile farm. Kariba Bush Club also offers multi-day houseboat trips, game viewing cruises, island excursions and fishing on the lake. A visit to Sinazongwe is certainly a detour worth taking for anyone who enjoys the thrill of adventure in Africa.

By Steve Edwards

PHOTO: STEVE EDWARDS, MUSANGO

We had an interesting sighting recently at Musango, lions killed a buffalo on the water’s edge near the camp. We watched them eating all morning – then in the afternoon the crocs became interested and eventually took the whole carcass into the water away from the lions.

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Kariba folk work for a clean resort

By ZT Correspondent

ariba residents have teamed up to start a community driven clean up campaign. Raising awareness that there is a need to control litter in their own patch of paradise if they want a thriving tourist industry is a key part of the campaign. A local stakeholders workshop held recently at the Cutty Sark Hotel highlighted environmental problems faced by the town and explored ways of confronting them. Residents and local businesses are working to educate by example by volunteering time and staff to clear litter from their own homes and business areas.

Zambezi Traveller

Stakeholders are taking responsibility for keeping designated areas around the town litter free while local businesses and houseboat owners are being asked to donate bin bags. These are being distributed to volunteers to fill and are collected on a regular basis by municipal authorities. The long-term aim is to protect the town and environment by putting in place systems to stop litter through education and regular clean ups, as well as working towards establishing recycling programmes to deal with litter. Organisers have reported an enthusiastic response. A group of six-year-old children went out on their own initiative and collected a bin bag full

Hersov Tours The clean up team

TRANSFERS Harare - Kariba (Zimbabwe) Livingstone - Lusaka (Zambia)

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Boating

Warthogs Bush Camp, Kariba - Clean and

Zambuka, Tantalika & Karibeer Houseboats - Spacious, great family pontoon double decked house boats with first class crew. Contact - Steve & Glynis Nobbs 0 +263 61 3333 Mobile - +263 772 249040 E-mail - zambukaboat@gmail.com

Comfy Budget Accommodation Bar on the lakeshore serving meals all day every day from Criselle’s @ Warthogs. Splash Pool, Kid’s Play Area, WiFi Connection, DStv Registered Tour Operators, for Houseboats, www.warthogs.co.zw 0712 201 733 / 0775 068 406 Tamarind Lodges - Comfortable, Budget Self CaterTel - +263 61 2697 or +263 772 880868 GPS Reading S 16°31’28.6° E 028°49’19.5° Pagungwa Lodge, Breezes Road, Kariba. Private house with swimming pool & 4 bedrooms en-suite, fully serviced. Contact us for Rates etc. Garth - +263 772 877 083 Fiona - +263 773 194 088 E-mail - fionab@cas.co.zw

Boating Parramore Electrical - for all your auto electrical, Outboard Motor work & DSTV Installations. Breezes Marina, Kariba. Contact: Doms Parramore +263 773 997 650 Kevin Stephens - +263 775 076 795 Workshop No - +263 61 2403 E-mail - paramundy@googlemail.com

Food Supplies

ing Lodges in Kariba E-mail - tamarind@zol.co.zw

RJ Marine Services - Outboard Motor Service & Repairs by trained personnel. Stand 762 Chawara Kariba Contact: Rob - +263 61 2356 / +263 772 355 561 Chessa - 46’Monohull Steel boat for sale, share option or swop for 18-21’fishing boat. Moored at Marineland, Kariba Contact: Garth - +263 772 877 083

On the Powerlines Road, a common dumping site has been cleared and homemade ‘No Dumping’ signs have appeared. The result? A visible difference in the appearance of Kariba!

Advertise in the Kariba & Lower Zambezi Classifieds sonya@zol.co.zw +263 772 874 352 Sonya McMaster

Mcline Canvas - For all your manufacture & repairs of all boating, safari & outdoor living accessories. Contact: McLine - + 263 772 709 470 or +263 61 2627 Stand 740 Chawara, Kariba

Canoe Safaris, Tailor Mades relax@warthogs.co.zw

of garbage. A local foreman, together with his neighbours, cleaned up one street and then challenged the next street to do the same. As a result there is now one person responsible for the cleanliness of each road in the area.

Crispy Fresh - visit our one stop shop! Suppliers of all dairy, beef, pork, poultry, fresh fruit, vegetables & dry goods. All you will need for your holiday to Kariba. E-Mail - crispy@utande.co.zw Tel: +263 61 2880/3024/2592 or +263 773 921 687 Blue Waters @ Andora Harbour, Kariba. We offer beers & soft drinks on a sale on return basis plus ice & fishing bait. Contact: bluewaters@iwayafrica.com Tel: +263 61 2971 / 2972

Harbours

Tours & Safaris

Chawara Harbour - T/A C&D Supplies. Suppliers of all drinks, ice, bait, fuel & oil and the best biltong, dry wors & chilli bites in Zimbabwe. Contact - Colin or Debbie Cell - +263 774 143 064 Phone - +263 61 3278 E-Mail - debsmac70@yahoo.co.uk

Pesha Safaris - Zimbabwe - houseboats, canoe safaris, Vic Falls, Botswana - Chobe, Delta, tented safaris. Zambia - Luangwa bush camps, exclusive lodges. Contact us for all your holiday packages and personalised safari itineraries. Cutty Sark Hotel, Kariba E-mail - pesha@mweb.co.zw Phone - +263 61-3121/2247/3181 Mobile – +263 772 763 916/8

James Mackenzie Walking Safaris - We offer canoeing in lower Zambezi. Kariba - Chirundu and Chirundu - Mana Pools. Walking safaris in Matusandona, sunset cruises on Lake Kariba. Contact: +263 712 770 338; 772 916 991 +263 61 3771 E-mail - jamusimack@yahoo.com

Hardware Endura Rubba Paints - For all your requirements of Dulux Paints, Lubricants, Thinners, Resin, Fibreglass, Filters, Eezipool Products, V belts & accessories Contact: Nikki - 0774 060 717 Tiri - 0775 965 547 Land Line - 061 2325

Restuarants Criselle’s @ Warthogs - Delicious meals available at Warthogs Bushcamp, Powerline road, Kariba Contact Criselle - +263 772 358 432 or +261 61 2701

Mopani Cruises - for all your incentive travel on houseboats & catering, lodges, transfers & day trip bookings Cutty Sark Hotel, Kariba E-mail - mopani@zol.co.zw or mopanicruises@gmail.com Phone - 00 263 613195 Cell - 00 263 772 856 319 Sheer Magic Houseboat - Kariba Zimbabwe for a fantastic pontoon houseboat experience! Contact: Sonya McMaster +263 772 874 352 E-mail - sonya@zol.co.zw

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zambezi kariba & middle-zam

Zambezi Traveller

Schnitzel’s story

Travellers Friend

KARIBA ANIMAL WELFARE

Buffalo update

PHOTO: KAW

Buffalo at the feeding tyres

he plight of the stranded buffalo on Antelope Island in Kariba, Zimbabwe has had enormous support from people both inside and outside Zimbabwe. PHOTO: CLZ

‘Schnitzel,’ the buffalo calf.

By Sara Davies

n February this year Conservation Lower Zambezi gained a new member of staff; she had four legs and looked suspiciously bovine. In fact she was a buffalo calf only a month or so old! The water level of the Zambezi River rose significantly this year with the opening of the Kariba dam floodgates. Last year CLZ had to feed a whole herd until the water levels descended again, so this year a more proactive tactic of relocation was employed before the herd became too weak. Whilst most of the animals were moved on to safer, drier pastures, later it was discovered that a small calf had been left behind and Zambian Wildlife Authority personnel brought her to CLZ. Christened ‘Schnitzel,’ CLZ have now looked after the buffalo calf for six months. She has been tended by various volunteers, drinking milk and eating livestock pellets and happily grazing the lawns.

She has become a regular member of staff of CLZ, policing the dormitories when local school groups visit the activity centre to learn about the local wildlife – she is a great live demonstration!

of three rounds of tests over three months to ensure that Schnitzel doesn’t have foot and mouth disease, as well as monitoring her condition and administering multivitamin shots.

in order to improve the genetic diversity of their small buffalo herd. African Parks run a breeding programme for buffalo on the plains in the hope that they will be reintroduced into the wild.

Dr Ian Parsons from Mazabuka has been in charge of the gruelling programme

With a clean bill of health, her next adventure is relocation to Liuwa Plains

Visit www.conservationlowerzambezi.net;

to the Zambia Wildlife Authority, CLZ also runs an environmental education programme for the local community. For those of us used to international travel it is astounding that children living less than 50km from the Park may never have seen a hippo or a crocodile, or even an elephant unless it is raiding their crops!

to Asia, for jewellery or ivory carvings. Lack of resources of the Zambian Wildlife Authority and a community struggling with life below the poverty line are the challenges that CLZ strive to address.

ased just outside the Lower Zambezi

National Park, Conservation Lower Zambezi was established in 1995 to protect the environment of the Lower Zambezi as an asset for the people of Zambia. As well as providing logistical support

Poaching remains a prominent menace and already in 2011 ten elephant carcasses have been found in the Park. The main threat is often from commercial poachers who sell the ivory in Lusaka, often

They are slowly starting to fill out from the skinny ribbed buffalo they were when the feeding programme was started towards the end of May. This feeding programme will have to continue till the end of the year after the rains have come and new grass growth is available to sustain them. In the meantime we shall continue the plea for assistance in any way for their food requirements to keep them living in the manner they have become accustomed to.

email clz@iwayafrica.com.

If you would like to find out more about us, CLZ welcome guests to our education centre when visiting the Lower Zambezi. Please also see our website www.conservationlowerzambezi.net Become a friend of “CLZ” on Facebook.

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Zambezi Traveller

KNOW YOUR TREES

Some trees of the mid-Zambezi Valley By Meg Coates Palgrave

the fruit is very small it does have the shape of a tiny pod).

hat is the name of the big tree with compound leaves in the mid-Zambezi Valley? There are several possible answers to that question and when I first visited Mana Pools, in my ignorance, I battled to see the difference between the nyala-berry tree, Xanthocercis zambeziacus and the Tamarind tree, Tamarindus indica. Differences in the jizz, the shape, the bark, were pointed out to me over and over again. While those differences are usually distinctive, the definitive answer lies in the leaves. Both trees have once-pinnate leaves, leaves that are cut up like a feather, which in very unscientific terms, has a thing (rachis) in the middle and bits (leaflets) on each side.The difference is that the leaf of the tamarind tree ends in a pair of leaflets (paripinnate) and that of the nyala-berry ends in a single leaflet (imparipinnate) and the leaflets usually have a little notch in the end. The Tamarind tree is indigenous to Africa, of that there is no doubt, and the Zambezi Valley is more or

Another member of the pea family with fleshy fruits, about 8 x 6cm, is the Wild Mango, Cordyla africana which also occurs in the midZambezi Valley and could also be described as a big tree with imparipinnate leaves. The distinctive feature of these leaves is that when held up to the light translucent streaks and dots can be seen.

Tamarindus indica, leaf

less the southern limit of its distribution. The tree was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 obviously from specimens sent to him from India, hence the specific name indica.

with many different common names throughout Asia and tropical Africa where it is

The seed of this tree starts germinating while the fruit is still on the tree. After it falls to the ground, if it is picked up and carried away it will continue germinating, but if the fruit is left under the tree the seedling won’t develop any further.

It is interesting to speculate as to whether these trees reached India and southeast Asia as a result of being introduced by early Arab traders or if its presence there is as result of the break up Gondwanaland. Tamarindus is a genus with a single species but

Tamarindus indica, pods

widely cultivated as an ornamental, in gardens and for cash crops.

Tamarindus indica, flowers & leaves

On the other hand the Nyala-berry has a very limited distribution, being confined to Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. This evergreen tree is a member of the pea family Fabacae and as such one would expect it to have pods like most of the rest of the family, but instead the fruit is fleshy (although when

These trees lose their leaves and the bright orange or yellow flowers open before or with the new leaves.They have no petals but consist of a mass of stamens held upright and filled with nectar, providing a wonderful feast, particularly for the sunbirds. Also a big tree with imparipinnate leaves is Kirkia accuminata. Kirkia, which I refuse to call ‘white seringa’ as they do in South Africa, because it is supposed to

Kirkia acuminata, flowers

resemble the alien, often an invader, Melia azadarac, commonly known as the Syringa or Persian Lilac. The leaflets have serrated margins separating them from the other trees with imparipinnate leaflets. The genus Kirkia was named in honour of my botanical hero, Dr. John Kirk, who was part of David Livingstone’s second expedition. As both the medical doctor and official botanist he spent five years, 1858-1863, exploring the Zambezi Valley. What a wonderful, undisturbed place it must have been in those days and also how wild and exciting. How he dried and pressed his specimens I have no idea. But collect and dry them he obviously did. The type specimen for both the Nyala-tree and Kirkia are Kirk specimens. In 1860 one of the members of the expedition returned to England and took with him four cases of Kirk’s plants. In 1883 the Kew authorities received a note from Portsmouth Dockyard saying ‘four cases had been deposited there in 1870 and please would they come and remove them’! What happened to them between 1860 and 1870 no one seems to have any idea.

As well as collecting plant specimens Kirk did drawings and made extensive notes. Unfortunately while going through the Kebrabassa Rapids, as they were called in those days, his canoe overturned and he lost seven of his ten notebooks and so he never published an account of the journey. R. Copeland did publish ‘Kirk on the Zambezi’ in 1928 and mention of him is made in various books about Livingstone. He was a remarkable man who managed not to fight with Livingstone, no mean feat. And a very beautiful tree bears his name. All Photos By Meg Coates Palgrave

Kirkia acuminata

zambezi kariba & middle-zam

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

A new lodge for Mana Pools?

a voluntary tourism Code of Conduct with the objective of the well-being of the National Park and World Heritage Site.

Fishing at Mana Mouth

Mana lodge development-map

By The Zambezi Society

ontroversy surrounds the proposed development of a new 24-30 bed lodge on the south bank of the Zambezi River in the Mana Pools National Park and World Heritage Site. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is underway for the proposed ‘Nyamepi Lodge’ which is to be sited three kms downstream of the Parks HQ at Nyamepi, on the Mana River where it meets the Zambezi. This is currently Nkupe Camp, a National Parks exclusive campsite for public use.

It also overlooks Mana River mouth, a popular recreational spot for day trippers, fishermen and bird-watchers. A number of concerns about this development have already been raised. These can be summarised as follows:This development contradicts the recently completed Mana Pools Management Plan which encourages “lowimpact” tourism development away from the Zambezi River to preserve the wilderness character of the Park and to reduce pressure on the narrow, ecologically-sensitive alluvial floodplain which gives Mana

Pools its special appeal. The proposal will cover some five hectares of Zambezi River shoreline - a large ecological footprint which can hardly be low impact. A permanent development at this site between the Mana and Chiruwe Rivers would block natural wildlife corridors between the interior of the Park and the Zambezi River. It would also permanently disturb a well-known breeding colony of bee-eaters which nest in the riverbanks at Mana mouth.

Nkupe Camp would have to be closed to the public and conflicts with visitor use are likely to arise as the lodge will directly overlook the popular Mana mouth recreational site at close distance. The Mana Pools Management Plan makes specific reference to avoiding Exclusivity Zones around lodge developments.

Mana Pools is part of a Trans-Frontier Conservation Area and this site is directly opposite Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park where lodge developments are restricted. It is likely to be clearly visible from Zambia across the Zambezi River. Zambian stakeholders will have to be consulted.

Road access to this site is impossible during the rains. Unless major road and bridge construction were to take place, causing considerable disturbance to the ecology of the area, this lodge would only be useable during the dry season.

It appears that this site has been allocated without a tender process. The developer, Dove and Hawk Safaris, has no known tourism track record in Zimbabwe or the region and is not a member of the Mana Pools Tour Operators Association which has

This development was not presented during the formulation of the Mana Pools Management Plan. Despite assurances to the Plan’s funder The African Wildlife Foundation, that the Plan would be approved, it has never been signed and no reason has been given for this. This fact, together with the apparent lack of a tender process, raises suspicions of insider-dealing and corruption. Given that Mana Pools is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of global importance, this could cause an international response which would be an embarrassment to Zimbabwe and the region. An alternative site for this development could be found inland, away from the Zambezi River, or the developers could assist the Parks and Wildlife Authority to redesign and upgrade the existing Parks lodges to bring them to international standards. Visit Facebook at KEEP MANA POOLS WILD

Only 2½ hours from Lusaka on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River

The perfect place for an affordable relaxing / fishing weekend. Pools and magnificent bar setting Boat hire, sunset cruises, game viewing cruises and game drives to LZNP Best camping ground on the Lower Zambezi with pool and air-conditioned bar

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zambezi kariba & middle-zam

Travellers Friend

Zambezi Traveller

Beware the spirits of the valley us with fresh ice packs. By this time I was considered critical.

By John Cockburn

Llandudno, Wales, June 2011

A team in Salisbury was preparing to receive me – but had discovered that there was not even one dose of serum in the whole country. Part of the team was a doctor who had his own small aeroplane and he had started to call all the major hospitals in neighbouring countries.

bout 70 years ago, when the Zambezi still rhythmically ebbed and flowed across its ever-changing banks on its relentless meander to the northern escarpment, my family would make the trek to the banks of the river for the month of August. We encamped at what was then ‘Tremlett’s Camp’ in a near-perfect setting in an Acacia albida (apple ring) grove, relatively safe from the pestilent tsetse fly who ruled the nearby mopane woodland. Mornings were spent shooting, whilst the afternoons were taken up fishing. The evenings were enchanting and those who love the river will know the feeling of one’s eyes transfixed on the glowing embers of a campfire, whilst hippo grunted and splashed not 50 yards away. From time to time, the far off deep roar of a lion reminded us all that although we may be hunters by day, by night we were amongst the hunted. I was about ten years old at the time and on alternate days,

John Cockburn 1940

either my brother or I would head out with the trackers and ‘gun boys’ to shoot for the pot or perhaps a buffalo from time to time. After a lengthy tracking session, one particular hot and dusty day, we stopped up against a large anthill for a well earned rest, a brew and some respite from the ever present tsetses. I did a bit of exploring, as ten year olds do, and

happened upon an old axe head and pot up against the hill. I proudly lifted it up and carried it over to the local trackers and said I was taking it back to camp. Immediately they saw this, they started mumbling amongst themselves. An ominous gloom descended over the party as we made our way back.

On arrival at the camp I proudly showed my father who was by then in discussion with the clearly troubled trackers. My dad hurriedly dispatched us back to replace the items in exactly the same spot on the anthill – but it was clear to all, that the damage had been done.The Batonga burial spirit had been disturbed and great misfortune lay ahead.

At last, the small provincial hospital in Vila Perri in Mozambique said that they had one serum dose available. This wonderful doctor, to whom I (and my children) are eternally indebted, scrambled his single engine plane on a dust runway and flew low and with no filed flight plan to Mozambique. A car was waiting on the runway at Villa Perri and the doctor had hardly landed before he was airborne again. Within hours of receiving the serum, my temperature started dropping. I remained in hospital for four weeks, slowing regaining my strength. I believe that I was the first European to survive sleeping sickness in the country.

There were many advantages of the annual flooding, not least that the receding waters left sturdy acacia albida saplings, capable of surviving and replenishing those magnificent specimens whose roots the river patiently disentangled on the bank, before pulling them down into itself to provide refuge for bream and baby crocodiles from the fast current. The elephants also took their toll on the trees, but at least the flooding provided a ready nursery of replacements. Now of course, with the river dammed, those remarkable trees which mark a quintessential aspect of middle Zambezi, are doomed to disappear forever – or will they? Another benefit of the seasonal flooding was that no permanent recreational structures were feasible along the banks of the beautiful middle Zambezi, safeguarding the rate of development and keeping the wilderness wild and natural. A recent visit to the river by my son related how at one spot, the wild silence of the river is now permeated by the sounds of heavy earthmoving

The mood in camp in the following days was subdued. I had received a number of tsetse bites, one of which on my arm had developed into a rather large sore, painful and swollen. About a week after the incident I developed a nasty fever, all the symptoms of malaria.

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The next day my temperature rose alarmingly and my mum and dad decided we needed to head home immediately, leaving the staff to break camp, pack the large truck and follow the next day. This was 1940, and it took some time before we rose onto the escarpment and headed on our way to Salisbury. My condition worsened and we pulled into the clinic in Sinoia. The doctor examined me and said I must be taken to the nearest hospital without delay – this was Bindura. There they carried out tests and concluded that I had malaria and should start treatment immediately. The treatment (believe it or not) was to pile on blankets and hot water bottles to induce sweat and break the fever. This had no effect and my temperature rose to critical levels. The tests came back the following day showing that I had trypanosomiasis – or ‘sleeping sickness,’ caused by that one in a million bite from an infected tsetse fly.There was no ambulance in Bindura and my condition was worsening. I was placed on the backseat of a friend’s car with mum beside me covering me with ice packs. We made Salisbury in record time, with just one stop at the Mazoe Hotel, where the owner had been primed to meet

Note by John Cockburn

As I lay in bed making slow progress, I read the papers daily. One of the stories followed the progress of a mysterious ‘Child B.’ I remember asking my parents how ‘Child B’ was getting on, oblivious that I was he! Two other interesting facts come out of this incident. Firstly, the disturbed ancestral spirit was not satisfied with the punishment dealt me; our large truck packed full of our entire camping and hunting equipment rolled coming onto the escarpment, bursting into flames and destroying everything - except one black feather duster. I often wondered about the significance of that. The other fact was that since surviving sleeping sickness, I never again contracted malaria – which up till then I would get every year. The Batonga people then inhabited the valley, both above and below the site of the current dam wall. They dealt with the seasonal rising of the river with their raised huts and existed on the plentiful fish and fertile soils of the alluvial floodplain.

equipment on the north bank (and inevitable shrill beeping of a reversing caterpillar trucks, complete with flashing lights) as dust and unwelcome loud voices of foremen and workers drift across the river to Mucheni to ruin the solitude of Mana. Soon we will be treated to the site and sounds of a multi storey three star hotel, with its inevitable discerning guest list and activities – or will we? The Batonga tribe of the Zambezi Valley put the blame for the flooding squarely on their river god Nyaminyami, a Tonga spirit believed to be half snake and half fish. Legend has it that Nyaminyami’s wife had gone downstream of the Kariva, now known as the Kariba, gorge to answer the prayers of her people and bless them. When it was time for her to return to her husband, she could not cross because of the Dam Wall and this angered Nyaminyami. He consequently ordered the river to rise and destroy the white man’s bridge. We must not underestimate the power of Nyaminyami and the Batonga ancestral spirits.

Spike, luxury seeking warthog bedroom after the old one had been destroyed in a catastrophic fire.

Luxury for warthogs

By Pam Lindsay

n my first evening at a certain safari lodge, while relaxing in front of the fire in the bar/lounge, in walked a fully grown warthog! He walked over to the bar and without a word the barman handed him a pillow. He took the pillow, put it next to the fire, lay down, with head on said pillow, went to sleep.

Apparently Spike the warthog spends cold winter nights here and in the morning he’s off into the bush again. If the barman is not in attendance he will select a cushion off one of the couches! The game lodge where Spike is resident is Pamuzinda Safari Lodge where I was thrilled to attend the recent promotional launch and official opening of Spike’s new

The four star Pamuzinda Safari Lodge and its more relaxed sister lodge Chengeta are slightly over an hours’ drive from Harare on the Bulawayo road. The usual clichés spring to mind to describe this wonderfully Zimbabwean bush experience, where guests are offered a variety of activities from gentle rides on well trained horses to slightly more rugged game drives in safari vehicles.

addition of a private garden room. The restaurant decks provide the perfect viewing platform over the lodge’s waterways where more aquatically minded guests may take advantage of the canoes and paddle boat drifting to the cry of the African fish eagle. The official opening of the tastefully and luxuriously

Hon. Minister Walter Mzembi and his wife, Barbara

comfortable, recently rebuilt restaurant, bar and lounge area was presided over by the Hon.

PHOTO: PAM LINDSAY

Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and his lovely wife Barbara.

We were introduced to the resident elephant family, including their latest arrival, baby Mambo, Geoffrey the giraffe and the local lion pride. Impala and zebra grazed lazily on the runway. Recently refurbished individual lodges have a unique

A tree-mendous task for Harare

Harare 7 Phillips Avenue, Belgravia, HARARE | Telephones: 700976/ 701764 | Cell: 0772 126 119/0712 347 880 | Fax: 700921 Bulawayo 5thFloor, ZIMDEF House, cnr. 9th/Fort Streets, Bulawayo | Telephone: 09-61465

By Chiyedza Chitepo

arare, once known as ‘The City of Flowering Trees,’ is today less aesthetically pleasing than it once was. Many trees are old and dying, or have been removed altogether.

The Harare Inner City Partnership joined Environment Africa, the City of Harare and several private stakeholders in launching the Harare Greening Project in 2010, with the aim of planting two million trees by the year 2015, to place Harare on the path to improved urban greening and forestry. Trees are a critical component of the urban landscape. Not only do they help to reduce air and noise pollution, but they also provide shade, store carbon dioxide, provide an important habitat for birds and animals, and enhance human well-being by offering restorative and recreational opportunities

to urban dwellers. Without trees and green spaces, urban settings would be dull, concrete environments. Last year holes were dug and young trees planted in the central business district, but few have survived. Municipalities are faced with a multitude of constraints when providing basic service delivery, which makes it difficult to place environmental issues such as urban greening higher up on their development agendas. There is a shortage of skilled personnel which leads to inappropriate species selection and planting, and inadequate maintenance. Where beautiful indigenous trees could be thriving one finds ageing exotics such as Jacaranda, Flamboyant and Eucalypts. There is an urgent need for collaboration on the part of local municipal departments, private stakeholders and civilians alike where environ-

Pamuzinda is a unique safari lodge situated on the banks of the Seruwi river at the heart www.pamuzindasafarilodge.com of a 5500 acre game park.

mental issues are concerned. With future generations in mind, we need to realise how the mistakes we make now will impact our own lives and those of our children’s children. The first step toward success is a positive attitude. Contact the Harare Greening Project on email: ptoriro@yahoo.co.uk

Are

YOU

Covered? Bed & Breakfast

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· Pays what is reasonable and customary · Air and road evacuations both in Zimbabwe and regionally

Chengeta Lodge offers warm hospitality and various activities to keep everyone entertained. Perfect for the family.

· The most comprehensive medical cover available in Zimbabwe · Up to US$1 000 000 medical cover per annum · Freedom to choose where treatment takes place—locally or in South-Africa · Monthly premiums with no loading · 2nd, 3rd and 4th child are FREE · Email: multimed@healthzim.com

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Tel: +263 (0) 772 573 022 +263 (0) 772 568 832 Email: admire@chengeta.com

Whether you are looking for a rejuvenating weekend getaway or an unique venue for your special event, we look forward to taking care of everything for you.

· Treatment in Private Institutions for all Schemes · Road and Air evacuations within Zimbabwe · Prompt payment of Claims · Personalised friendly service · Email: nmas@healthzim.com · Only available for Companies

Enjoy the majestic Lake Kariba on either of our luxurious houseboats, Karabezi or Liberty Bell.

Just one hour from Harare

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Solar energy saving our trees The year of Africa’s children

EXHIBITIONS

Aug - Nov Ndebele Proverbs From Bulawayo 9th Sept to 2nd Oct 2011 Cuban Exhibition 6th Aug - 2nd Oct 2011 PHOTO: PAM LINDSAY

Visitors to the gallery Solar powered tobacco curing system

By ZT Correspondent Visitors to the Vondex Solar pavilion at the recent Harare show would have seen an innovative new tobacco curing system brought to Southern Africa by Scott von Memerty, MD for Vondex Solar. This system was his brain child and was specially designed

RESTAURANT Sam Levys Village Borrowdale

PHOTO: MICHELLE VON MEMMERTY

to cater for the small scale farmer. Mr von Memerty an ex tobacco farmer familiar with curing systems is concerned about the impact small scale flu cured tobacco farming is having on the regions’ indigenous woodlands. Together with his overseas trading partners he has come up with this environmentally friendly Solar powered solution to not only cure the crop efficiently but in the off season it will run home lights, music/TV systems. These multifaceted benefits provide a holistic product that improves farming practices, personal lifestyle and protects the woodlands.

Cell. 077 2 247 990 Telephone. 04 883158 Email. leonardo@ecoweb.co.zw Open Monday to Saturday Lunch and Dinner Closed on All Public Holidays

Mr Cruiser

THE TOYOTA 4X4 SPECIALISTS

Genuine

PARTS

ZT reporter asked Mr von Memerty what the market response to this has been , “We are very excited about the response to this product, there is a real interest and sales are being made, however these small scale farmers need a working micro finance system to make better farming practices easier for them to take on-board. If the banks and tobacco companies that are trading with the farmers back this curing system, results will be immediate both for the farmers and the woodlands”.

WHATS ON AUGUST - NOVEMBER 2011

Motown A musical about the story of Motown Records which was the first black owner record company in the USA that produced soul music to a cross over public.

63 HARARE DRIVE MARLBOROUGH - HARARE

mrcruiser@zol.co.zw Tel: 263 4 309098, 309211 309307, 309453, 2930383 Cell:+263 773 049 444

hat better way to spend a lazy Sunday than with wine, sun and song? Throw in a warm breeze, a little bit of culture and a healthy measure of good art to complete the winning recipe. In a leafy, suburban garden in Harare, the amazing artistic endeavors from over 50 of Zimbabwe’s finest commercial artists were displayed, admired by many, and bought by the lucky few. The Veranda Gallery’s Twentieth Art Exhibition was held to the dulcet strains of the Detema Jazz Band, the clink

of glasses and the admiring oohs and aahs of the hundreds of visitors who support this annual charitable event. One quarter of all sales made on the day are donated by the artists and the organizers to the Emerald Hill Childrens’ Home and Emerald Hill School for the Deaf. Children were definitely the focus of the day with the launch of the Gallery’s 2012 calendar featuring pictures painted by Zimbabwean children, many of them from the Children’s Home. May they all be blessed and 2012 be the year of Africa’s children!

Allied Arts Art From Schools 2ndOct -19th Oct 2011 John Kotze Solo 18th Nov - 8th Jan 2012 Letter to God By M. Mazarire Solo 28th Oct - 13th Jan 2012 NGZVAS Students’ Exhibition 2nd Dec - 13th Jan 2012

REPS THEATRE Sept 1 – 17

MR CRUISER

By Pam Lindsay

Vision of Kariba Construction 14thOct -13th Nov 2011

Oct 19 – 22

Fraser Mackay Ever popular musical show Oct 29

Young performers Showing their abilities in all genres. Nov 10 -19

Stars of Tomorrow

Oct 3 – 15

Young ballet dancers from all the ballet schools.

1000 Clowns

Nov 30 – Dec 22

A benchmark of Broadway comedy - The story of Murray the writer of cheap comedy gags and his nephew Nick, his brother Arnold and two uptight social workers

Pantomime – Robinson Crusoe A Reps annual production for the delight of the whole family.

So much more than just a butchery! Travellling? Going Fishing? Email us your orders Bond Street Cnr The Chase, Mount Pleasant Shops Tel: 336373/9 Billy: 0772 116451 / 0712 214027 | Email: bilsan@zol.co.zw Biff: 0772 265696 | Email: biff@yoafrica.com

Shop No. 53 Borrowdale Village

Tel: 263 4 885660 | Fax: 263 4 883214 | Email: masterangler@zol.co.zw

www.savonprime.com

Tap into the abundant energy of the sun through Vondex Solar Products

Design | Installation | Technical Support We are agents for a wide range of Solar water geysers Solar lighting and solar power and charging systems; Solar submersible pumps and Solar refrigeration. Offering full technical support for our quality products.

67 Harare Exhibition Park, Harare, Zimbabwe Cell: +263 73 456 1207 | +263 775611519 Email: vondex@savonprime.com

With our manufacturers many years of experience in the renewable energy industry, can design and install any sized Solar projects from tuck shops and gardens to housing, schools, hospitals, tourism resorts, etc.

ZAMBEZI NEWS

cahora bassa & tete TRAVELLERS FRIEND » A definitive guide for destinations along the Zambezi River

Introducing Mozambique’s inland sea By Tash Morgan

hether it is an energetic day of sport, angling for Africa’s fiercest fighting fish, the tiger, or watching a vast array of bird and wildlife, or even if it’s simple rest and relaxation in an unspoilt environment, the glittering waters of Cahora Bassa offer it all. This is Africa’s fourth largest man-made lake, situated near Songo, 150 kms from Tete city, in Tete Province, Mozambique. History buffs and engineers will find a tour of the dam wall fascinating, but the sheer magnitude of the project will amaze every visitor. The dam wall was constructed in the aptly named Kebrabasse Gorge, which means ‘where the work cannot go on.’ Although the gorge was the ideal point on the Zambezi for constructing a dam, it was also remote and difficult to access. As a result of political and physical issues, the project took a number of years to come into operation; it was officially opened in 1974. Visitors should note that written permission is required to visit the dam wall – obtained from the Hidroeléctrica de Cabora Bassa (HCB) office in Tete – before travelling to Songo, where guided tours of the power station and dam are available. Alternatively, ask your lodge or tour guide to assist you in gaining access to the area.

PHOTO : GIGI GUIMBEAU

Cahora Bassa dam wall

The dam and hydroelectric project is an astonishing engineering achievement, continuing to serve the local communities downstream by reducing flooding, but best of all it has gifted us with Mozambique’s glittering jewel – Cahora Bassa lake. Fishing is one of the primary attractions for visitors to the lake. At 270km long, the lake is roughly the same size as Kariba. However, while

Kariba has many lodges and a great deal of fishing pressure, Cahora Bassa remains virtually unfished. Having been protected first by a civil war, and now by its remoteness, its reputation for yielding trophy tiger fish is world renowned. Tiger of up to 14 kgs and vundu of 40 kgs are not uncommon, so be sure to bring your camera. Like the tiger, the majority of other fish species in

the lake are rough-scaled and extremely hard fighting. January through to March are rated as the top fishing months, but be warned, from November to February temperatures sometimes peak over 40 degrees Celsius. Nothing that an ice cold beer won’t cure! Aside from the fish, Cahora Bassa has a myriad of bird and wildlife to offer, making it a nature-lover’s haven. View fauna and flora from the shore,

or from a boat or kayak. For your safety, being accompanied by an experienced guide is highly recommended. Besides the large number of hippopotamus and crocodile lurking in the lake’s waters, timid kudu and other buck can be spotted snatching a nervous drink before ducking back into the bush. Elephant, lion, buffalo, monkeys, and the mighty fish eagle, frequent the area.

The combination of wildlife and magnificent scenery make this a year-round photographer’s paradise. Superb accommodation is available along the edges of the lake. Enjoying a sundowner in the cool shade of any of these lodges while gazing across the lake’s sunset-tinted surface, is bound to refresh body and soul. Please be aware that malaria is prevalent in the area, and it is strongly advised that you take the necessary precautions.

Enquiries/Reservations to: Tel: +258 25 222 333 Fax: +258 25 222 318 Cell: (English) +258 82 306 6042 Cell: (Port) +258 82 873 6196 Email:casindiralodge@gmail.com

Comfortable tranquility by the lakeside Twin rooms with own veranda, overlooking the lake. Full board rates and cash bar Fishing trips, crocodile farm and good bird life Two speedboats for fishing and 6 berth houseboat Combination lodge and houseboat trips possible Daily direct flights JHB-Tete return Road transfers from Tete to the lodge

zambezi cahora bassa&tete

Travellers Friend

The rebirth of Tete Mozambique’s war years left much of Tete abandoned, forgotten and in ruin. Since then, the city has been regenerated by the tobacco and mining industries. Mozambique Leaf Tobacco opened its tobacco processing factory in Tete in 2005, and it is still the only one of its kind in the country. MLT, today with a workforce of over 5,000, was producing 24,000 tonnes of tobacco when the factory opened, this year they hope to reach 65,000 tonnes.

Blasting at one of the mines near Tete

PHOTO: GIGI GUIMBEAU

By Tash Morgan

ravellers to Tete City in the past often described it as hot, dusty, smelly, depressing and generally unpleasant. When I first moved to Tete, a local store keeper enthusiastically welcomed me to “the capital of hell.” Today, Tete is seeing positive changes on a daily basis, deserving the description of a giant rising from the ashes. By the 1500s, the village of Nhung had been a trading centre for centuries. In 1531 it was selected as a natural base from which the Portuguese could explore the African interior for ivory, slaves, and gold. Legend has it that the Portuguese named the place after the local name for the masses of river reed growing along the Zambezi’s banks, ‘mitete’ or ‘mtete.’ The settlement of Tete was officially established on 9 May 1761. The town’s extraordinary economic development peaked in the mid-eighteenth century, when it was the most important and biggest commercial centre on the Zambezi River. It was elevated to the status of ‘City’ on 21 March 1959, which continues to be celebrated as the city’s birth date.

In terms of mining, Mozambique is the new world centre of coking coal. Brazilian mining giant Vale recently began production at its US$1,7 billion mine at Moatize, a few kilometres east of Tete. The mine is expected to yield 11 million tonnes of coal per year, and it is only one of several in the area. Flourite and rare earth minerals have also been discovered at Mount Muambe crater, south east of the city. Globe Metals and Mining are licensed for exploration there and are confident of the project’s potential. With such a significant increase in industry, new infrastructure development was inevitable. Much of Tete’s upgrade has been funded by big business. Local government has been at the forefront of these improvements and is doing its best to support growth in all sectors. Roads have been resurfaced, power-lines extended, houses, schools and clinics built, and telecoms improved. Attracted by the tobacco and mining boom, hundreds of migrant workers have flooded to Tete from all over the world, and their arrival has also meant an increase in the services that they require. The city has seen new retail, accommodation, vehicle hire, communication, tourism, and food services. In very little time, Tete has been reborn. From a filthy crossing point, it has grown into a bustling metropolis. It is no longer a stop-over, but a destination.

Historic mission is well worth a visit By Tash Morgan

esting languidly upon a dusty hill, the impressive edifice watches knowingly over the Zambezi rushing by below. Bearing witness to years of abandonment and neglect, its walls are stained a dusty grey and the glass of its eerie windows was shattered long ago.

Yet, from within, comes the joyous singing of a Sunday morning church service. This is the Mission of Saint José de Boroma, one of the oldest remaining man-made structures in the Tete region. Founded in the mid 1880’s by Jesuit missionaries, this magnificent historical monument was once well known for its carpentry train-

ing centre, highly respected school and majestic church. If you visit on a Sunday, or are lucky enough to find the caretaker present to let you inside, you will be privileged to witness the colourful fresco paintings that remain preserved within the chapel. Having been deserted for many years, new life is slowly being breathed back in to the mission. Regular services are held in the church, Boroma high school conducts its classes within the mission buildings, and you will find refreshments for sale in the village on the banks of the river below. It is also possible to camp nearby. Boroma village is only 25 kms northwest of Tete. However, there is no tarred road between Tete and Boroma so

The Mission of Saint José de Boroma

it is likely to take you roughly an hour to get there. Attempting the route in a sedan is not recommended, and in the rainy season four wheel drive is a must. With some patience, more adventurous travellers will find pickup trucks leaving for Boroma from the market on the edge of Tete. For a

PHOTO: GIGI GUIMBEAU

minimal fee you can catch a ride, but don’t expect a comfortable one. Regardless of how you choose to get there, the evidence of the former glory of the Mission of Saint José de Boroma makes it well worth the effort.

Zambezi Traveller

Revival of local languages

PHOTO: JENI BISTER

Nyungwe group at the Descobra Sua Lingua workshop in Tete where they worked on grammar notes in 3 Tete languages.

By Jeni Bister and Tash Morgan

he ability to write is not only fundamental to human activity, but also to personal identity and the survival of a language. Being able to write in a mother tongue provides much more than a means of communication; it provides a deep-rooted connection to culture and heritage. The sense of pride that follows written language reinforces a multitude of positive socio-cultural practices that, together, promote stronger, happier communities. SIL Mozambique is proving that these goals are achievable. SIL is a Language Development Partner working in eight languages in Mozambique. In the Tete Province, their work is mainly with the Nyungwe language which is spoken by about 350,000 people along the Zambezi River in the districts of Cahora Bassa, Changara, Tete Cidade and Moatize. The Mozambican government has worked to standardize alphabets for Mozambican languages and SIL promotes the use of these orthographies.

To ensure sustainability, SIL concentrates on working with local partner initiatives. Their current partners include churches interested in the Nyungwe Bible translation project. The organisation also promotes adult literacy in Nyungwe, but with little available to read, interest is low. All of these efforts have increased the need for materials produced in national languages. Literacy promotion does not make sense without literature development, so SIL also encourages local writers, facilitating writers’ workshops in order to help Mozambican story-tellers and authors who are literate in Portuguese to begin to write in their own languages. SIL is also interested in training the trainers to run writers’ workshops, and are appealing for Nyungwe writers and material that needs translation into Nyungwe (or other local languages like Nyanja/ Chewa, Sena, Tawara, and Nsenga). Contact jeni_bister@sil.org; www.lidemo.net.

Zambezi Traveller

zambezi cahora bassa&tete

Travellers Friend

Major Zambezi bridge restored to former glory

By Tash Morgan

To the delight of all who rely on it, the Samora Machel Bridge was reopened on 30 January 2011. Its re-opening has been a great relief to Tete residents with the queues of heavy vehicles having entirely disappeared.

he Samora Machel Bridge which crosses the Zambezi River at Tete has immeasurable importance to the whole of southern and central Africa. A major landmark and transport link, the 762m bridge is crossed by an average of 800 heavy goods vehicles and 700 light passenger vehicles daily. Cargo is transported for the coal mines in Moatize, the Tete tobacco production units, and for neighbouring countries including Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The bridge was originally completed in 1973, its construction involving 20,000 workers over a period of 18 months. In the years to follow, architect Edgar Cardoso’s masterpiece suffered from a lack of maintenance and abuse by Portuguese colonialists, whose huge trucks, transporting construction materials to the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric project, ignored the bridge’s 50 tonne limit. By the 2000s the bridge could no longer accept more than one lane of traffic and one heavy vehicle at a time. By 2008 several of the cables supporting the bridge had fallen.

Samora Machel Bridge

and had to be extended by a further five months.

Construction site of new bridge at Benga

The contract for the refurbishment of the bridge was awarded to Portuguese construction company Teixeira

PHOTOS: WYNAND WELTHAGEN

Duarte, and work began in March 2009. Initially due to last 18 months, the project was dogged by successive delays

As well as problems in terms of local traffic, the delay in the work also affected freight transport throughout southern Africa. Every day, queues of heavy goods vehicles stretching further than four kilometres, on both sides of the river, waited to cross.

Funny Photo’s “Beware of the Dog” Tete city,

PHOTOS: TASH MORGAN

There was a lot of work that needed to be done. In order to ensure its safety, the bridge’s supporting cables had to be replaced. It was also resurfaced, repainted and provided with new lighting. The total cost of the restoration was US$23 million.

The government now aims to divert heavy traffic to a second bridge over the Zambezi at Benga, six kilometres downstream from the Samora Machel Bridge. Work on the new bridge has already begun, and should take three to four years to complete. It will be approximately two kilometres long, and will link Tete City directly to the town of Moatize. When it is finished, all heavy vehicles will use it, and the current bridge will be limited to use by light vehicles and pedestrians. The cost of the project is estimated at over US$97 million. Tete residents are proud of the Samora Machel Bridge as a national landmark. Whether you are travelling to, or through, Tete you are bound to cross it. So, do yourself a favour and take the time to enjoy its magnificence, as well as the fantastic vantage point for views of the river that it provides.

Estrada Nacional 7, Bairro Matundo,Tete, MOZAMBIQUE Cell: +258 82 509 3330 : +258 82 514 1653 Cell: + 258 84 389 0093 email : donald@moztrade.com : jialingmoz@zol.co.zw ...styling Tel : + 258 252 20445 : Fax + 258 252 20267

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photo by Wynand Welthagen. Do you have a funny photo, taken in the lower Zambezi area, that you’d like to share with us? If so, please email it, together with a description of the photo, where it was taken, the photographer’s name, and your contact number, to: zamtravmoz@gmail.com.

*But only while stocks Last

Mozambique Trading Company Limitada Estrada Nacional 7, Bairro Matundo, Tete Tel: +258 252 20268 Cell: +258 82 509 3330 email: donald@moztrade.com RIGHT BEHIND MAJOR DRILLING!

AMC (SAMCHEM) DRILLING FLUIDS CLM Transport Lda specialises in the transport of containerised and dry bulk cargoes throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. We pride ourselves in building strong relationships and being your business partner rather than your supplier. Brendan: + 258 82 509 3930 | Thom: + 258 82 305 7711 Email: info@clmtransport.com

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zambezi cahora bassa&tete

Travellers Friend

Zambezi Traveller

Helping Tete’s youth to help themselves W

ith its burgeoning economy, Tete, represents great opportunity for many Mozambican youths. Unfortunately, few resources exist to equip young people with the skills they need to engage the local industry boom, which is why Chengetai Makoni, a passionate visionary and community leader, partnered with nine colleagues last November to create the Rede Juvenil Africana or African Youth Network (ReJAf ), a nonprofit organisation. ReJAf designed its first initiative, a province-wide high school quiz competition, to promote scholarship

and introduce ReJAf ’s mission to the larger community. The organisation held preliminary events at each of Tete Province’s four public high schools to select each institution’s top three finalists, who then progressed to compete in an inter-school competition.

The final event took place on 23 June, at Studio 333 in Tete City. Over 300 people attended the competition, including several local business and government leaders. While the team from Songo was unable to participate due to transportation issues, the other three groups competed head-to-head in three rounds, answering questions related to history, geography, sports, arts, culture and health.

ReJAf High School Quiz winners, representing Escola Secundaria de Tete, receive their prizes.

The team from Escola Secundária de Tete, comprised of Amar Azevedo, Edson Sardinha and Idji Chaleca, took first place in the compe-

PHOTOS: CHENGETAI MAKONI

tition, amidst loud cheers from their peers. They won a new desktop computer, printer and UPS for their school, and each student also received a cell

phone and a school bag filled with school supplies. Escola Secundária Emilia Dausse ’s team, which included Matilde Júlio, Mavuto Mussaope and Rodwell Mussaope, took second place honours, winning school bags filled with supplies. Escola Herois Moçambicanos , represented by Cicera José, Eduardo Andissene and Nogjueira Mussalambane, received school bags. All participants also received event t-shirts and caps. ReJAf would like to thank their many generous sponsors, without whom the event’s success would not have been possible. Those included the

PHOTO: BIGGY MEQUE

By Jon Viducich

Winners and their prizes

primary sponsor, Mozambique Leaf Tobacco, and the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Lily Culinária, Novo Modelo, Lei Greenspan,Tash Morgan, and Mr Nathan Mhofu. For more information about ReJAf and to find out how you can support future projects, please visit www. rejaf.org.

A pioneering business for Tete NEWS

By Tash Morgan

when the opportunity came along to try his hand at steel sheds he established Avalon Limitada in 2003.The company’s first project was a shed for MLT, and after that demand never ceased. At the beginning of 2011, with their children now away at high school, Brendan and Jenni moved up to Tete where the majority of their clientele have been for the past five years.

“I like the speed at which we work. Sheds and fences go up fast, and have a big impact. There’s an empty plot one day, and a couple of weeks later it has been fenced in with a warehouse that’s ready for use.” Jenni Bekker speaks with passion about the business set up by her husband Brendan and herself Avalon Limitada manufactures and constructs steel sheds and shelters, all types of fencing, guttering, and plastic tanks. The Bekkers understand the local environment of Tete, and commit to getting things done well and on time, but it took a lot of hard graft to get to where they are today.

Jenni and staff at the Avalon head quarters

In 2001, having left Zimbabwe and lived in the UK for a few months, the Bekkers visited Mozambique to attend a wedding. They fell in love with the country and

PHOTO: TASH MORGAN

decided to stay, setting up home in Chimoio and enrolling their children at the local junior school. Brendan had previously been involved in fencing, so

Avalon has undertaken projects of all sizes, in all areas of Mozambique, and under all kind of conditions. General Manager, Godfrey Antonio Joao, remembers erecting 17 sheds on Vamizi island off the Mozambican / Tanzanian coast. The closest off-loading point for vehicles on the mainland was 80 kms

from the island. Everything required for the construction was transported from there to the island by non-motorised dhow. Brendan is currently supervising the construction of Avalon’s largest structure yet, a 50m x 108m prefabricated shed in Beira. Jenni feels that the key to Avalon’s success is commitment to Mozambique. The couple have learnt to speak Portuguese. They only use local facilities and try to be fully integrated. Avalon’s permanent staff contingent of 150 is almost entirely Mozambican. The couple’s current focus is learning more about employee safety standards and improving these.

Mozambique and South Africa to issue single entry visasMozambique and South Africa are to start issuing a single visa. Mozambique’s Tourism Minister Fernando Sumbana said that the measure would make things easier for people who plan to visit both countries. The Mozambican Tourism Ministry plans to fence off an area of 8,000 hectares to establish a sanctuary in the far south of the Maputo Special Reserve (REM), as part of the measures underway to replace wild species made extinct in the area due to poaching and habitat change, Mozambican newspaper Notícias reported Monday.

Contact: brendon@avalonmoz.com

South African Minister of Tourism calls for increased Mozambique airlift Transfrontier Conser vation Areas (TFCA), airlift and visa issues were all under discussions when SA Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, visited Mozambique to meet with Fernando Subana Junior, Mozambique’s Minister of Tourism, to discuss mutual interests between the two countries.

Quality Steel Sheds, Fencing, Car Ports and Plastic Tanks info@avalonmoz.com | 825655750 | 252 23168, Tete

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Firestone and Bridgestone tyres Tyre Fitment Wheel Balancing Puncture repairs Right behind Major Drilling

On horseback in a water wilderness with thick riverine forests. Motswiri has exclusive use of 120,000 acres of pristine African bush in the Selinda Reserve. As we flew over the mosaic of waterways and lagoons it was obvious that the floods were higher than the same time last year.

Galloping through the water

PHOTO: RAW

By Daphne Lindsay, ZAMAG

ome women have a fetish for shoes; however, to my husband’s horror, my fetish has always been horses.My purchasing of horses has been somewhat curtailed in recent years,so I have developed another passion taking horse safaris. For the past few years I have led horse safari groups to either

Botswana or Kenya. This June, nine of us headed off to the newly opened Motswiri Camp owned by RAW Botswana. We were seven keen riders and two ladies who decided they would only be riding in a makoro partaking of gin and tonic!

watercourse that links the Okavango and the KwandoLinyanti River drainage systems. In recent decades this has seldom filled, let alone flowed. However, in 2006 water entered the spillway from both ends and it has filled annually since.

Motswiri camp stands on the banks of the Selinda Spillway which is an ancient

This beautiful and remote area combines the open flood plains of the Okavango Delta

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Each morning at the break of dawn we were greeted by a cheerful voice as tea and coffee were brought to our tents. As the sun rose and the sky was lit with an array of pastel colours, the mist rose off the water in front of our tents. I scrambled to get ready and join the rest huddled around the camp fire. After a light breakfast of toast and cereal we started out on our morning ride with Johnno Beddoes, our experienced guide. Wading the horses through the water was enjoyable, with the odd shriek when our horses started to submerge. Our adren-

aline-seeking group also loved a gallop through the water.

there weren’t many lion in the area, although we heard them in the distance. Afternoon activities were optional, offering horse riding, makoro canoe trips, boat cruises or walks. We had a brilliant time during our stay at Motswiri; wine flowed and much laughter was had by all. For anyone looking to combine riding with other activities, comfortable accommodation and great guides, I recommend Motswiri.

Elephant were heard frequently and it was a delight to see them swim across the river. We saw roan, sable and zebra. Leopard and hyena spore were prevalent and close to camp and most evenings we heard hyena cackling and whooping. After last year when I was chased on horseback by a lioness in another part of the Delta, I was relieved to know

Motswiri Camp

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P.O. Box HA103HAK, Maun, Botswana. Tel: +267 6860 244 Fax: +267 6860 244 Email: kate@rawbotswana.co.bw

SEE AND FEEL, THE ESSENCE OF AN ANCIENT CULTURE

Thamalakane River Lodge is placed on the banks of the Thamalakane River, just 19kms from Maun, and en route to the famous Moremi Game Reserve.

Activities Moremi Day Trip, Lake Ngami Bird Watching, Mekoro Trip, Maun

Contacts | Tel: +267 6800217 / +267 72506184 Email: reservations@thamalakane.com / thamalakanelodge@ngami.net www.thamalakane.com

an experience you will seldom encounter on the African continent. Tel +264 66 259093 Cell: +264 813101730 Fax +264 66 259094 Fax to email: 088610233 Email: bookings@nundaonline.com www.nundaonline.com

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Tel: +267 686 0981 or +267 686 1634 Cell: +267 7132 6085 kkreservations@ngami.net www.menoakwena.com

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Planning a new wildlife corridor The final product recommended three potential corridors that were ranked and described as to their strengths and weaknesses. Currently there is little documented evidence that all of the herbivore species move between Kgalagadi and Central Kalahari; aerial counts simply give numbers but do not indicate where the populations came from. Available collar data did not show any individual moving between the park and reserve. However, an important finding of the spatial analysis report was that key dry season areas with adequate water and vegetative cover – especially located in the seasonal pans – are located outside the park and reserve, suggesting the need for herbivores to move from either protected area into these currently unprotected areas, even if they do not travel all the way between the major protected areas themselves.

Springbok in Western Kalahari

By Thoralf Meyer and Kelley Meyer

ildlife corridors provide safe transit for wildlife moving between protected areas, which is critical to maintain viable breeding populations. Conservation International recently concluded a multi-year study on the potential for establishing the Western Kalahari Conservation Corridor linking the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Central Kalahari Game Reserve. A Maun-based team of researchers led by Services for GeoInformation conducted the spatial analysis and mapping phase of the project. Rather than focusing on a single species for study, the project used a more holistic and ecological approach. While most corridor designs are focused on top predators, this project mainly concentrated on ungulates. This allowed for comparison with available government aerial wildlife counts of herbivores. For corridors to be effective, they must be designed with the consideration of factors that work for and against herbivore habitats. Positive factors include the appropriate vegetation, presence of water especially in the dry season, proximity to protected areas, and areas sizeable enough to support large migratory populations. Negative factors include proximity to human transportation routes, cattle posts, and competing land uses. Company-held GIS (geographic information system) layers were complemented with processing satellite imagery and GPS (global positioning system) work throughout many of the areas. Ongoing work assessing vegetation along Botswana’s Megatransect (see issue V of Zambezi Traveller) provided additional information. The negative and positive factors were integrated into a suitability map that was then assessed for connectivity: were the most suitable areas linked or fragmented? Better linkages mean easier movement for animals, and are thus more suitable for protecting terrestrial wildlife movement.

Thus the potential corridor would not only link Kgalagadi and Central Kalahari but provide critical dry season habitat for populations of both protected areas. Another key finding of the project is the steady decline of springbok over recent years, anecdotally also noted by many long-term mobile safari operators. Perhaps most importantly, given recent attention to potential conflicts between wildlife and cattle ranching, spatially the prime wildlife and livestock areas had very little overlap under the current national land use plan. However, further expansion of ranching into these key wildlife areas could cause both conflicts with and decreases in wildlife populations, eventually harming Botswana’s tourism industry and economy.

Playing the Delta blues By Sharon Kockott

n a bitterly cold 14 July, 2011, my cell phone buzzed with the following message:

‘The public is informed of the rising water levels in their area and are cautioned not to undertake any risky trespassing through the river.’ Another message followed immediately stating that this public notice came from the National Disaster Management Unit. What an excellent way to warn the population of imminent danger. The rising flood was the subject of keen discussion here at the gateway to the Okavango Delta. It is apparently the biggest flood since 1955. That year, they tell me, a truck arrived in Maun laden

with goods from Francistown. The driver spent a day unloading and prepared to drive back to Francistown the following day. During the night, either the floodwaters arrived or it started raining (I can’t find the answer but will pursue it) and consequently the truck was stuck as, in those days, there was only a rudimentary bridge. The flood was followed by the rains (or the other way round) but the upshot was that the bridge remained impassable for one year and one day. I can only imagine what the wife of the driver had to say when he arrived home in Francistown. I live along the Boro River and getting to and from town is interesting. I had sent all my friends detailed directions of which sandy track to take but this has changed completely three times. It started with the International School being flooded. The school is

PHOTO: SHARON KOCKOTT

Maun International School

still running. They put in a trench, levees and have built up the road for 100 metres and put in a bridge, but I fear they have sustained a lot of damage. Our access is down to the school road or the old Chinese Rice Project road. The Rice Project road is well built up through a low lying area but no culverts were put in so it is more of a low dam wall. As soon as the water got to the Rice Road, it started backing up towards the houses. In desperation the community cut an opening through the Rice Road and put in a large drain to get the water moving to the other side of the road.

The flood is not a torrent of foaming white water taking all before it; it is just a calm but massive, relentless inundation. Everyday it comes up a few millimetres but, taken over the whole Delta, this is a monumental amount of water. The birds are beside themselves with joy and there is an explosion of fish fry. The liquid notes of the tree frogs are a constant accompaniment to the fish eagles and the mourning doves. If you have a 4X4 trip planned any time soon, be sure to include Lake Ngami in your itinerary. Come and visit - the Delta is magnificent.

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Visit SKL camps and experience the camping Botswana has to offer. SKL have prime location camping sites - with a little extra service! From daily rubbish collection, to full ablution facilities, we make camping that little bit easier. Each of our four main camp areas is within a major game reserve:

Camp Savuti Khwai North Gate Linyati Kumaga

Chobe National Park Moremi Chobe National Park Makgadikgadi/Nxai pan National Park

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14 camp sites 10 camp sites 5 camp sites 5 campsites

Get off to a flying start Based in Maun, the gateway to the Okavango, Mack Air is an Air Charter company operating a fleet of 15 aircraft including 12 seater Cessna Caravan, 6 seater Gippsland Airvan and 4 seater Cessna 206 type aircraft, as well as a EC 130 6 seater Helicopter. Mack Air specializes in lodge transfers, scenic flights and private air charters across Nothern Botswana and surrounding countries.

Each site has its own water pipe and braai area; and each camp has an ablution block with solar lights, hot and cold showers, and flushing toilets. SKL also offer executive tents for those that want to experience these areas in a little more comfort!

Tel: +267 686 5365/6 Fax: +267 686 5367 reservations@sklcamps.com / sklcamps@botsnet.bw www.sklcamps.com

PEACEFUL RIVERSIDE LUXURY WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH Nxamaseri Island Lodge is one of the oldest camps in the Okavango Delta. Activities Fly-fishing, Mokoro trips, Birding, Tsodilo Hills, Night boat trips

Tel: +267 687 8015 | Cell: (+267) 72113764 | Fax: +267 687 8016 Email: info@nxamaseri.com www.nxamaseri.com

Mack Air is one of the largest independent air charter companies has been operating out of Maun for the past 17 years offering a reliable and efficient mode of air transport between the various lodges and camps with an emphasis on safety and personal service. Mack Air has offices in the Natlee centre located right opposite the Maun Airport. Tel: +267 686 0675 | Fax: +267 686 0036 Email:reservations@mackair.co.bw www.mackair.co.bw

PHOTO: AFRICA ALBIDA TOURISM

President praises community initiatives

From left : The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (Botswana) , Hon. O. Mokaila, The President of Botswana H.E. Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama and CEO Board Chairperson Mr Thomas Sinbula officially opening Ngoma Safari Lodge.

By ZT correspondent hobe Enclave Community Trust was the first community based organisation of its kind to be registered with the Botswana government under the newly established Community Based Natural Resources Management Project in the early 1990s. The trust was formed to realise benefits from tourism for local communities and to receive sustainable proceeds from natural resources, while also protecting them for future generations. CECT is situated in the Chobe Enclave, close to the Namibian border, serving the five villages of Parakarungu, Satau, Kachikau, Kavimba and Mabele. Each village has an appointed council of ten members which then nominate the Board of Trustees. The current chairperson is Thomas Sinvula. Other trusts with similar objectives have been formed and after nearly two decades there is some cynicism about what can be achieved. CECT has a proven track

In March 2010 a memorandum of agreement was signed between Ngoma Management Company and CECT, with the assistance of the Botswana Tourism Organisation, to begin construction of the up-market Ngoma Safari Lodge. Ngoma Management is part of Africa Albida Tourism which has other operations in Zimbabwe.

PHOTO: AFRICA ALBIDA TOURISM

View from Ngoma Safari Lodge

CECT already benefits from a land lease fee and will receive a bed levy from the lodge, while the majority of the lodge employees are from the local community. Ngoma Safari Lodge was officially opened on 28 July 2011 by the President of Botswana, Ian Khama.

‘It is one thing to create and run a successful lodge, but to do this and make a positive impact on the community whilst doing so is something that few have been able to achieve.’

“This project is proof that with the right resolve, commitment, vision and business discipline, our communities and citizens can indeed graduate to ownership of top-end tourism projects,” said the President. “The official opening of Ngoma Safari Lodge is testament of the tangible outputs of our belief in what can be further achieved, not only growing our national tourism sector towards much needed economic diversification, but also demonstrating how we can resolve dynamics often seen as too complex in strategising ownership between citizens and foreign investors.”

PHOTO: AFRICA ALBIDA TOURISM

record and has used income from various hunting and photographic joint ventures to develop small businesses such as grinding mills, shared tractors services, phone shops, grocery shops, hardware stores, a campsite, a cultural village and a brick moulding business.

The President H.E. Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama greeting Ngoma management from left, Mr Glenn Stutchbury, Mr Ross Kennedy and Mr Matt Smith.

Matt Smith, Ngoma Management director, commented “I have been involved with CECT for nearly 14 years they make for great partners.” Ross Kennedy, chief executive of Africa Albida Tourism, added “To have the President of Botswana recognise our efforts in this

way is truly special. It is one thing to create and run a successful lodge, but to do this and make a positive impact on the community whilst doing so is something that few have been able to achieve. We are proud to be involved in such a great initiative.”

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

PART 6

History of Chobe National Park By Judy Hepburn “The Chobe Game Reserve, now the Chobe National Park, suffered severe birthing pains spanning three decades, before finally being established in 1960.” So writes Dr Alec Campbell, one of the foremost experts on the development of Botswana’s national parks and game reserves. The years prior to 1960 saw numerous official visits by Bechuanaland government representatives, fulfilling their obligations to the residents of the remote area of Ngamiland, in an effort to develop the potential of both the people and the land, while maintaining the law. In 1930, an Englishman by the name of Sir Charles Rey assumed the position of Resident Commissioner of the then Bechuanaland Protectorate. He and Nina his wife, constant companion on all his travels, had set sail

from Southampton on 20 September 1929. Their ship docked in Cape Town two and half weeks later, where they boarded a train to the ‘mighty city’ of Mafeking. It was just over a year before he was to visit the banks of the Chobe River for the first time. He describes their first sortie along the banks of the river in his book Monarch of All I Survey; “We rolled out early and had a lovely drive; the path wound up and down and in and out amongst the trees along the banks of the Chobe. It was really very jolly and the scenery was perfectly lovely. We were making for Kachikau police post about sixty miles from Kasane.” On his return to Victoria Falls after he had attended Kgotla meetings in both Kachikau and Maun, Rey remarked that he had enjoyed “a grand time and been through lovely country finer than anything I’ve seen in the world except Abyssinia.”

His idea was to “protect the wonderful game from extinction and attract visitors. Charles Rey

The banks of the Chobe had left a lasting impression on Rey, and although he had a great deal to contend with in developing Bechuanaland Protectorate, he was sure that Kasane and the river would be a valuable asset in his grand scheme. However, Rey’s position as Resident Commissioner entailed a continual struggle to

convince the Colonial Office to leave him and his representatives to their task of bringing peace and prosperity to the land. In November 1931, when scheduling one of his official trips to the region, he already had tourism in mind. His idea was to “protect the wonderful game from extinction and attract visitors.

If we can put up a good hotel at Kasane and protect the game, the visitors will come on to Ngamiland, spend money, and open up and develop the territory.” Eighty years down the line, almost every inch of the banks of the Chobe River east of the Park boundary, boasts a tourist related enterprise.

Ngoma to the west has seen two beautiful lodges and two campsites established in the past decade and a half. A third lodge was opened this year. In his wildest dreams, Rey could never have imagined how much pleasure and interest the national park he worked so hard to establish would create for future generations.

Chobe acts against poachers By Peter Comley

Situated in the Heart of Kasane we offer the following; » Chobe Full Day Trips – Options available » Victoria Falls Day Trips – Options available » Game Cruises | Game Drives | Fishing Trips

asane residents have responded to the threat of an increase in organised poaching by introducing an Enviro911 reaction service.

Time is for spending; spend it wisely with Chobezi Hylton Ross Touring Safari, and it will be time well spent.

Defence Force and the Wildlife Anti Poaching Unit to react immediately to any Enviro911 report. Primarily set up as a response to commercial

Mario’s Meat Market

Transfers to and from Vic Falls, Zambia and Namibia We can tailor make your safari to suit your specific needs be it a Game drive or Boat cruise. Our reservations team operates 24 hours a day to conveniently book your safari or just that simple enquiry you may have. All our guides are professional at what they do and they will leave a lasting impression of your visit to Botswana.

Modelled on the successful pilot operation in Maun, the service has the full backing of the government which has instructed the Botswana

PRIME CUTS Beef, chicken, lamb, pork and game meat

poaching, this service will react to all reports of incidents from concerned members of the public. “Any suspicious behaviour, no matter how insignificant you may feel it is, should be reported,” said a spokesman. “A vehicle cruising too slowly down a road, people running into the bush, footprints in unlikely places, could all be vital clues.”

Wors, Mince, Biltong, Dry Wors and MUCH more Call us on +267 6250992, 6251667 Fax +267 6251297 Emergency 24 hour Mobile +267 76201918 E mail: info@chobezi.com / operations@chobezi.com / chobezi@yahoo.com

Kazungula-Kasane Road, behind Buy’N Build Kazungula WE TAKE ORDERS Ph/Fax: +267 625 1222 avantu@botsnet.bw

A big five safari destination! Kasane – Chobe – Botswana

Lodge and Camping Accommodation:A variety of options from family and twin rooms with ensuites in our lodges and camping. All amenities including a bar, restaurant and swimming pool. Activities:Chobe National Park game drives and boat cruises are available daily. Chobe Day trips from Victoria Falls or Livingstone include breakfast and a lunch cruise – an all day activity. Mobile safaris:Explore Chobe, Savuti, Moremi, Okavango, Nxai Pan, Makgadikgadi and Deception Valley. Choose from budget, semi participation, semi-luxury or tailor made safaris.

Telephone: +267 6250 995 / Fax: +267 6250 314 Email: thebe@chobenet.com / reservations@theberiversafaris.com

www.theberiversafaris.com

Toro Safari Lodge

Initial reports should be made by telephone on +267 712 24828.

Botswana - Chobe - Kasane Area

“Come and enjoy your break on the banks of the Chobe River where 2 rivers and 4 African countries meet” Accommodation Executive rooms, River Chalets, Standard Chalets, Private Ablutions, Campsites Activities 3 hr game drive, sunset boat cruise into Chobe National Park and sunset boat cruise to where the four countries meet. Transfers to Victoria Falls. Tiger Fishing. Relax in our Restaurant & Bar PO Box 511, Kasane, Botswana Tel +(267) 6252694 Fax +(267)6252695 torolodge@botsnet.bw www.torolodge.co.bw

“The service does not want to get clogged by dealing with National Park misdemeanours, so please report off-road driving and the like directly to the Park authorities,” said the spokesman. Weekly meetings are held between representatives of Enviro911 and various government departments and feedback is provided by via email. To receive this report please contact Grant Nel - phiri.safaris@gmail.com.

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

The common ground of elephants and humans By Kelly Landen

hroughout time, elephants have had a curious effect on people, creating a sense of reverence and respect. Of course, their massive size and immense strength is enough to demand it. But elephants and humans have much in common, including their intelligence. An elephant’s life span of upwards of 65 years in the wild matches that of humans and has a parallel rate of development, reaching sexual maturity in the early teen years. Both people and elephants have complex social lives and family structure. Both love, protect, and nurture family members and educate the young with the skills and knowledge they need to survive. Like humans, elephants are not born with natural survival instincts and need to be taught these by their mothers and other female guardians. Lessons include how and where to feed, to use

tools, what to be aware of and to understand their place in their social structure. Elephants live within tightknit family units, or breeding herds, that may form part of larger kinship groups. The matriarch is usually the oldest and largest, while her immediate family herd is comprised of daughters, nieces, sisters and the young male counterparts. Juvenile males will begin spending less and less time with their immediate family as they enter their teen years. They eventually leave their family herd to bond with other males living among a loose group of friends, or bachelor herds, that may travel for years together, break, regroup and occasionally visit their own family from time to time. Within both types of elephant groups there is a hierarchy and they show respect to their elders. They can be devastated by the death of one of their members.

Elephants can reason and display emotions, including joy, playfulness, grief and mourning. In addition, elephants are able to learn new facts and behaviours. They mimic sounds that they hear, can selfmedicate, play with a sense of humour, perform artistic activities, use tools and display compassion and altruistic behaviours. They have been known to come to the aid of other species in distress, including humans. Elephants even display self-recognition and recognise themselves in a mirror, which is extremely rare in the animal kingdom. Scientifically, this can be explained by the fact that the elephant’s brain is similar to that of humans in terms of structure and complexity. It is specially designed to accom-

Elephant family mourning,

plish life-long learning. It has as many neurons and synapses as a human’s; the volume of their cerebral cortex (used for cognitive processing) exceeds that of any primate species. The hippocampus (linked to emotion and memory) is proportionally larger than that of humans or other known intelligent species, and is highly convoluted, which is associated with complex intelligence. This possibly explains why elephants suffer from psy-

PHOTO : KELLY LANDEN

chological flashbacks and the equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Conser vation issues concerning elephants are multifaceted and complex. I believe if more people were to understand elephants as

beings, they might appreciate elephants’ similarities to their own lives. Which would, I hope, create respect and consideration for efforts to help both species share land and resources. If you encounter an elephant along the roadside, show respect for its space and appreciate the moment together. If you aren’t paying attention and don’t choose your behaviour carefully, he will. And remember this, truly, an elephant never forgets!

a count of 3,415. We were interested to see that many birds seem to have moved from their usual nesting and roosting places within the park to the rapids down river near Mowana Lodge and the Seboba Community Trust. The rapids have not been included in counts in the past due to the difficulty in accessing them for much of the year. Since, the entire length of the rapids cannot be accessed, we have decided to begin doing counts there from the same points year after year, to see if birds are perhaps remaining constant in number but changing their habitat use between the park and the rapids.

The little egret and the great egret are common and beautiful inhabitants of the Chobe River. The little egret was the 7th most sighted on the count with 372 individuals seen, and the great egret was 14th most sighted with 91.

For me, as someone who has spent many hours, many days for many years monitoring and documenting elephants, the physiological facts only confirm what I believe can easily be observed.

Birdlife Botswana Conducts Water Bird Count in CNP

PHOTO: BONNIE FAIRBANKS

These keen birders use their field guides and each other to identify a rare bird. From left to right: Craig Foaden, SpokesNtshwabi, Mayezi Nkwazi, and Peter Laver.

n July, the Kasane branch of Birdlife Botswana participated in the annual water bird count in Chobe National Park to assess changes in water bird populations. Birdlife branches throughout Botswana participate in these counts at major water sources, so the nationwide health of our water bird populations can be tracked. Since the Chobe River is an essential habitat for many water birds, and water birds can be an indicator for problems in the river, this bird count can raise a red flag for changes in the river that not only affect birds but humans too. To do this count,

we split into 4 teams of 3-6 people, with each team driving along a section of the water front in the park between the old park gate to Ngoma, counting every water bird seen. We also noted any human activities such as fishing nets in the water, which will help us to determine if human activities are changing the way water birds use the river. We had a very diverse group of 19 volunteers, from tourism operators to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, as well as interested individuals from the community.

We counted a total of 10,976 birds this season. This year’s most sighted bird was the white-faced duck, with

PHOTO: BONNIE FAIRBANKS

By Bonnie Fairbanks

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Changing childrens’ view of wildlife

PHOTOS: CARACAL

Getting involved in the clean up

By Peter Comley

ildlife education’s vital importance among children in Chobe has been recognised by Kasane’s most diverse ecological organisation CARACAL. Their Environmental Education Programme has fresh new

impetus under the leadership of Isabel Moore. Moore is a Bachelor of Science graduate from Virginia Tech University in the United States. Her goal is to instil in youngsters from Kasane and Kazungula primary schools an appreciation of their wondrous wildlife inheritance.

Chobe is famed as one of the premier wildlife destinations on this planet, to which international visitors flock and then return to distant lands with tales of awe from its unparalleled wildlife experience. Yet Isabel in her meetings with young children has recognised

PHOTOS: CARACAL

Clean-Up day in Kazungula

that children from the local communities have a distorted perception of wildlife. “Often children inherit fear of wildlife from their forebears, whether in the form of massive and threatening mammals, birds cloaked by superstition,

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Automotive

Bureau De Change

House Boat

Senyati Safari Camp. Nine SC thatched campsites with power and own ablutions. Three SC chalets, each sleep up to 4. Bar overlooking waterhole. Located 8km from Kazungula on Nata Road. Phone +267 718 81306 or +267 718 26709. Www.senyatisafaricamp.co.bw Email: senyatisafaricamp@gmail.com

Auto World. Spare parts and accessories for all local and imported vehicles. Opposite new bus rank, Kasane. Phone +267 625 2777, Fax +267 625 2666.

cape2cairo@botsnet.bw & cape2cairo.jo@botsnet.bw . Look forward to hearing from you.

Houseboat Moored At Mlibizi. Double deck, 42ft long x 16ft wide, steel pontoons with aluminum floor. 2 x 45 hp Mariner outboards, (old but runners), gas stove, cutlery & crockery, pots & pans, mattresses for 10 people and bedding. 10 Chairs & cushions. 40lt overhead wate

Bureau De Change Cape 2 Cairo Bureau de Change: Have changed there email addresses!You can now reach them on the following:

Beauty Therapist wanted. Valid passport. Accredited qualification. Minimum 3 years experience. Contactable references. Contact +267 71559522

curriculum that will throw

Moore’s goal over the next six months is to develop a

long-term need to shelter it for

Safari CLothing African Safari Clothing. T shirts, shirts, trousers, m

pupils so that they come to embrace their birthright as a privilege, and recognise the future generations.

VISIT

ets, fleece, sleeveless fleeces, sarongs, caps, jewellery, soft toys and Botswana fridge magnets and much more. Edglo Shop, opp Kasane Primary Hospital, Kasane.

boat. Offers, must sell. Phone Marion/Theo 0713065198.

Ph: +267 716 17677

Tour Operators

DREAMS SAFARIS We offer....... Game drives * Boat cruises Fishing * Walking safaris Night drives * Bicycle riding Mobile safaris Contact: +267 625 0332 Cell +267 7184 6965 or +267 7317 4300 Email: dreams@botsnet.bw misto_bw@yahoo.com.uk

www.dreamssafaris.com

Umpengu Tours Camping overnight in Chobe National Park Mobile Safaris – Chobe, Ihaha, Savuti, Moremi etc Boat Cruises and game drives Chobe Day Trip Victoria Falls – visit the magnificent Victoria Falls Transfers available

Plot 10 Kazungula, Botswana Ph: +267 717 8801 or +267 715 16924

Shop 14/15, Hunters Africa (New Arcade - Spar Complex) Fax/Tel: + 267 625 2483 Cell: + 267 721 16479 Shop 1E Kazungula Junction (Next to Engen) Tel: +267 625 2485 / +267 625 2193

ronment to primary school

shorts, Hi-tech boots and shoes. Wolverine boots. Jack-

tank. Toilet & shower (cold water), including small row

P O Box 40, Kasane, Botswana Tel: +267 625 0384 Fax: +267 625 0223 Email: chobe@mega.bw

a different spin on the envi-

+263 712 217 178

Accommodation

Beauty Therapist

slithering reptiles or biting insects. I have witnessed young children, egged on by elders, stoning a harmless brown house snake outside a supermarket. We need to change that mindset.”

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African Safari Jewellery Kasane Christian Bookshop - New stock Bibles, books, CD/DVD’s, flowers, wreaths, gifts and more. Moved to front of Audi Centre

Elephant hair bracelets handcrafted in gold and silver by Peter Hepburn Available in Kasane, Botswana at the Audi Centre (next to coffee shop, opposite Chobe Marina Lodge)

Phone: +267 6250 254 Fax: +267 6250 810 Email: cbhsaf@botsnet.bw or judy@chobenet.bw

Bulawayo on your way to the Zambezi

Serendipity – Discovering the Matobo

PHOTO: RICHARD PEEK

By Bookey Peek majesty of one of the least visited true wildernesses of this multi-layered continent.

o you’ve seen a lion kill in Hwange National Park, and you’ve been at Nyamandlovu Pan at sunset watching herd after herd of elephant come down to drink. They are experiences that will remain with you forever. But don’t think for a minute that now you have truly felt the essence of Africa, because for that you need to be on foot, maybe even alone, drinking in the sounds, the smells, the sheer

The Matobo Hills are less than an hour’s drive out of Bulawayo. And from the moment you leave the main road and make your way into the labyrinth of those immense granite kopjes, sculpted naturally into fantastic forms and shapes, you have entered another world – a world that weaves a powerful enchantment over all who know it.

BOOK REVIEW

‘For all there’s its wild be auty, the Ma a wo always th un e tobo Hil in m y ded leopard chance on ls is e a frien And th se re nd ip ito , but these might ste dly pla p en alo ng ca us w an de are unlikely on a puff ce. Of cour in the me a ri ng se, world adde occurr hone w as : He is ences, r or meet w el l totally one to whom y badger street unreas Trouble , touted as w or th an y and the joy gang, on m ab the mo and Da le. a grea th st fea in or ris k. nger t grin e Mafia Bo He hates are th rle ss, th pe on his e very ss animal e exec ace and In th is face. stu qu ut Tr iet ff ion th ouble? of ird bo er wa — lau nc Bring iting at he’s a on life. ok he it on. ea nd de s hi mself in the Ston I’m re the scaffol man in e ad ly ady.’ d with Once sc or to the wor Hi lls se rie ag pi on s ld of s, Ba to pygm ai n, the st dg w da y ca nn or ies ra i t h h is fa ngerous sn er gr ows nge w m i ly up urse, ibals ak and es, ide in But lau and th . Of co et e torr ly, from w a n x io us angr y bees dly place or me when ghte r and at itchcra id roma en joy adder te a ft d telsndisa ancfri ncing e. a puff s, and the perilou smal l badg ar s ar e ne Hilild of the toan on bo w sk . ve r fa s wor er lea ness step e Mared-mi rrence m in or ri al t er th , ba ld. ve cu r gh , ck ap oc s ty y home ed elyad im Richar aut in an one bear an unlikto d Zicem ba less an life. .l w or th wild d ma ke ch an e ar fe ar its el live in and Book bw st of w s the s hi these e, no ey Pe ‘For all w taslea as the mo very stuff man ng ek ar e’s alway pard, bust w ay Bookey a w ild life ri st eed in e ut e both d leo sa nctu ther ’s w an de todghi are th — he’s a on with ers, toow the len words ar y am n,nger undeprofesip ito us y ba fold an a wo ongsse and Da d quiet re nd siome na a hone e scaf anot he s are won d Richard’s ca l sa famriTrouble s peace an ing at th m y t the ng derfu r irres gu ide cord alo Mato bo who lly ev in reth hate ist ible er wait s wut ady.’ of : al d en and ocAn one to Hi lls of He ex at iv read. ec hoion on. I’m re able. s up e, wo heason marld l re sees ss, Zim the ba bwe. gr ow y bees ing it in the takillyngunBe er fro Br Bo dg ? m fia yo to behi nd Ma s, Ba akes, angr a nc e. ouble He is , the ndfath se rie cee. Tr sn Wild one of ‘...a ch at te nd his et gang WeooHi lls ss, erous the be ar ac te stre t grin on e Ston ldd of da ng i n a n x io us d w ilder ne ad. stth r ea lov w in gr an ‘A ma to ho ed in ly a book e wor rvellou cked fa m i hcra ft the An w ill beth come into th i t h h is from w itc the red-ba me s book imal th is coird t w ith . It is In Ki ngdo hi mself on s w e w idely, anci ng of t leas liv ing comp pi m’ es no no ch or t e, ell ing w on ng LE n, sc laun id rom in sight ith African ly abou m ba bw to his ow iesELra ad ly EstDU orRR tnd thede L e torr in into lif t in Zi w smaiile n,s the als and th e in Zim ild lif e, abu ag r apar es his w ay an ve r fa ba bw Ontceimporta ak ca nndibtea ho e today gmy nt ly, it rsarthsatar e ne me and m es w id to py.’ te ho is gu s d e. GA RE an also a ve sa fa ri Zi m ba bw ughterTH PA dger lea of nd sional PE NG UIN But la smal l baTT ER SON profes tobo Hi lls from behi d ISB No n-F Nw oo he8-n a world. ict ion e both 97 e Ma he sees ild W 0-14 s ek ar ongst th al l th e W ey Pe am of perilou 302-56Bo nd y 1-ok 0 ar Be yo cord d and life sa nctu ard’s re ak ing ar m ch ch e, Ri d Ri evocat iv a w ild e in ds an 9 7 lly 8 0 1 liv ey’s wor derfu 4 Bo ok2 3 0 e won read. 5ns 6 1ar RR EL L come 0 esistible the le irr LEE DU ill be r ho w ngdom’ ‘Di at thov te r w s sc Ki anot he

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Go slowly, look under that rocky overhang, or behind that tangle of trees, and you may well find one of the thousands of Stone Age paintings that have made the Matobo famous throughout the world. Here there is something for everyone – you may want to do no more than spread out a picnic on top of a kopje, watching the changing moods of these timeless hills that stretch far and beyond until they melt into the sky. Or go hiking for hours and never see another human being. Over 200 species of birds occur in the Matobo, and it’s reputed to host the most concentrated population of large eagles in the world, for conditions here are ideal. Miles of rugged terrain offer not only suitable nest sites, but shelter and food for the ubiquitous dassie (hyrax),which make up more than 98% of the diet of the Black Eagle, aristocrat

e ar e lif y, sh a countr y hi stor d feel tu ra l ing na fa m ilies an sc inat ion . and EL L at me fa ds RR rm so en fri er ns fo LEE DU ‘Di scov s w ith roes of tra t book .’ me nt th ee ing mo in the d bit te rs w de fin g an chantin An en

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PHOTO: RICHARD PEEK

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Available Now

From all leading bookshops Also available online from Amazon and Kalahari, and published by Penguin (SA). Will be released in the UK in early September this year, published by Max Press (and will have a different cover).

amongst the raptors. This is home, too, to the elusive leopard – so seldom seen – whose tracks you may well discover along a dusty road and whose rasping cough echoes through the stillness of the night. And the klipsringer, a compact little antelope, who can scamper up the sheerest rock on tiptoe. You may choose to hike, to cycle or to climb but for me, the greatest joy is simply to wander. Go slowly, look under that rocky overhang, or behind that tangle of trees, and you may well find one of the thousands of Stone Age paintings that have made the Matobo famous throughout the world.

may be the first to person to see them for hundreds of years. Or even longer.

Excavations of some of the larger caves have unearthed fragments of painted rock dating back at least 12,000 years, and yet here are images so clear and fresh that you wouldn’t be surprised to see the artist’s fire still smouldering at your feet. Although we will never know for certain, the paintings appear to be a blend of mysticism and reality. In one shallow overhang on Stone Hills, we have found people who may be in a trance – weird figures sprouting tails and horns, with lines of potency streaming from the tops of their heads that may depict the spirit leaving the body.

It’s essential to visit some of the best known sites like Nswatugi or Inanke, but you might well come across other small sites on an afternoon’s stroll. And who knows? You

PHOTO: RICHARD PEEK

Matobo Hills

The Karanga people of ancient times worshipped Mlimo, the sky god, in these caves and even today, local people sacrifice black bulls at traditional rain dances held in the rocky shrine of Njelele. But it was the Bushmen, the aboriginal inhabitants of Southern Africa, who truly learned the secrets of the hills. They hunted with bows and arrowheads dipped in poison; they gathered the annual harvest of fruit and marula nuts; slept in caves around a blazing fire on bitter winter nights and then, incredibly, managed to enhance the natural beauty of the kopjes with painted images that are as powerfully evocative as the rocks themselves.

The place is alive with history. Today the ancient hills are silent, but not long ago they echoed with the rumble of wagon wheels and the sound of gunfire. Stories and legends run through the kopjes like a river, but still, it remains a place of profound tranquillity. Somehow, these ageless hills seem to be at the centre of the earth as it ought to be – wild and yet comforting; a place where at last, you feel you belong.

Bookey Peek

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Pumping legs for water By Gill Staden

t the end of July, offroad bike enthusiasts met at Hwange Main Camp to ride through the park. The event was organised by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe (WEZ) to raise the much-needed funds for the provision of water to the animals in the park. Hwange National Park has no perennial rivers; it relies on waterholes at pans which are pumped with water by windmill and diesel pumps. It is a huge cost to keep the pumps operating and in good order. Without them the animals would die. There were 80 participants in the ride, so for that weekend Main Camp was

full to overflowing with people and bikes, tents and tables, cooking pots and barbeques. Early on the first morning of the ride the cyclists congregated by the gate to the park. Many had woolly hats and leggings on – it was a bit chilly. The

Miombo reopens after refurb By ZT Correspondent

he new Miombo Safari C a m p – fo r m e r l y Miombo Lodge – reopens at the end of September with four eco-friendly treehouses and renovated entertainment areas offering spacious accommodation.

Nestling under towering msasa and mukwa trees, Miombo has a special ambience, and the refurb will continue Miombo’s tradition as a value for money family destination. M iombo also offers cheaper accommodation in rustic chalets and a fully equipped camp site.

PHOTOS: GILL STADEN

Bikers resting during the journey

Miombo’s own yearround waterhole provides re g u l a r s i g h t i n g s o f elephant, buffalo, kudu, bushbuck and warthog among others. Situated in the Dete area bordering Hwange National Park, Miombo is 15 minutes drive from the Main Camp entrance to the Park. The safari camp offers game drives into the National Park and in Miombo’s own area. Trips to Dete village with its craft centre, known for its beadwork, are recommended, as is a visit to the Painted Dog Conservation Centre, 15 minutes drive away.

vehicles and armed game scouts arrived too along with many supporters. This, of course, is no normal off-road bike ride. The park is home to lion, hyena, elephant – all potential dangers - so extreme care had to be taken of all the riders. It was not a race either. It was a fun ride where all the participants kept together,

chatting as they went, waiting for stragglers now and again. The route for the first day was from Main Camp to Ngweshla, a distance of 56 kilometres. The first reminder of the dangers was a half-eaten kudu on the road just 2 kilometres from the gate - it was thought that it was a hyena kill. At a pan about half way along the route, just off the road,

some lions were guarding an elephant kill. The road was badly corrugated in places; there was thick sand to negotiate in others. So this was not a ride for the maybe-fit. After several hours of hard riding the cyclists arrived at Ngweshla Picnic Site; a herd of roan drinking at the waterhole nearby. Tired, the cyclists rode into the picnic

site with smiles; the beautiful roan a reminder of why they had participated in the event. Helpers had already set up the barbeque at the picnic site and were busy cooking more than a hundred sausages. A sausage burger was a welcome meal after a long hard ride, plus litres of water to rehydrate. All the bikes and riders were transported back to Main Camp with a spot of game-viewing on the way. In the evening, back at Main Camp, Colin Gillies, Chairman of WEZ, listed some of the fund-raising achievements of the cyclists. The top fund-raisers were two people who had reached over US$1,400 each. But there was still another day of riding ahead for the cyclists so, for most, it was an early night. A massive ‘well done’ to all the organisers and participants.

A piece of Africa’s paradise By Paul Claes, Hilde Allemeersch, Belgium

ine years after my last visit, I returned to Sikumi to find that this place of natural beauty has survived. Hwange National Park and surroundings has quietly become Africa’s best-kept secret, its most hidden treasure. Marleen and Brian, the lodge managers, and their staff spare no effort to make their visitors feel at home. Highlights of our stay included an impala kill by a pack of four wild dogs at the Sikumi

waterhole after we returned from the moonlight game drive. Unforgettable was the herd of about 500 buffalo passing by and making a stop at Sikumi and seeing lion every game drive. Most impressive were the numerous groups of elephant which included the famous Presidential Herd. I have visited a number of camps and lodges around Zimbabwe, Sikumi Tree Lodge certainly ranks among my favourite. I hope to be back soon. Editor’s note: the complete review is published on www.tripadvisor.com

Enjoying the view

PHOTO: MARLEEN SABETA, SIKUMI TREE LODGE

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The new Miombo Safari Camp (formerly Miombo Lodge) reopens at the end of September with our new eco friendly treehouses and revamped and renovated entertaiment areas. Enjoy the old ambience but with a totally new experience! Our all year round waterhole gives you the chance to see elephants and buffalo amongst other game close up. Contact us for our specials for residents and visiting family and friends!

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US$250 All inclusive

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Ministers meet to plan tourism’s future FallsFest is back! By ZT Correspondent

Victoria Falls

PHOTO: TOM VARLEY

By Rose Mukogo

ll regional tourism roads have lately been leading to Victoria Falls, Livingstone and Chobe, known to planners as the ‘Four Corners’ of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The SADC Ministers responsible for tourism and the 46th RETOSA, the Regional Tourism Organisation for Southern Africa board met in Livingstone, Zambia, in June. RETOSA is charged with promoting and marketing SADC as a single region with multiple destinations. It is an arm of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), comprised of public and private sector tourism representatives. The meeting was convened to discuss a range of issues including Seychelles’ application to join the organization. “This is the time for Africa to stand with Africa and to promote platforms which nurture common growth,” said Alain St.Ange, chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board. The ministers responsible for tourism in the SADC member states met to discuss and adopt the recommendations from the RETOSA board relating to policies and implementation programmes which promote regional tourism development. The star of the Victoria Falls continues to shine as the ministers of Zambia and Zimbabwe proposed a bid for Victoria Falls

and Livingstone to co-host the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly meeting in 2013. This would be second meeting of its kind to be hosted by the Africa region (excluding 1995 in Cairo, Egypt, which falls under the Middle East in UNWTO regional geographical groupings). Membership of the organisation covers 161 countries and territories and more than 390 affiliate members. UNWTO plays a catalytic role in promoting technology transfers and international co-operation, stimulating and developing public-private sector partnerships and in encouraging the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. Member countries, tourist destinations and businesses aim to maximize the positive economic, social and cultural effects of tourism and fully reap its benefits, while minimizing its negative social and environmental impacts. Concurrently with these regional policy discussions, Green Tourism Services was contracted by RETOSA to carry out consultations with public and private sector players in identifying bottlenecks to free trade in tourism services across the SADC region.The tourism hotspot of the ‘Four Corners’ is a test case for regional integration and the generation of more tourism traffic to the region.

Ticket sales for FallsFest 2011 opened in July, with predictions of a bigger, better - and louder – New Year celebration. This year the line up of South African bands and Zimbabwean artists includes Locnville, Crashcarburn, The First Descent, Ghapi, Clint & Co, Evicted, Ryan Koriya, DJ Macson and DJ Francis. This year will be the third FallsFest. In 2009, some 1, 500 people saw in the New Year with the band Watershed, while in 2010 the Parlotones brought in 8, 000 people for two nights of festival. “This year we have opted for an even bigger sound system and great lights display,” said Sarah Brown, event co-ordinator. “The primary aim of Fallsfest is to bring the people to Victoria Falls. We try to encourage local artists and promote new bands while at the same time attracting

attendance with top bands that everyone wants to see. It’s not only about the concert, the fun and the party, it’s about putting Victoria Falls back on the map, and having a great time doing it.” FallsFest has been given an allocation for rooms from all the hotels in Victoria Falls, providing a one-stop shop for revellers. There will also be plenty of camping space available either close to the party or on a quieter stretch of riverbank further away. A multitude of adrenaline pumping activities are available which can also be pre-booked. Contact: fallsfest@yoafrica.com, or visit: www.fallsfest.co.zw.

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Victoria Falls Rotary update

donations were fundraised by the school children.

By Anne Taggart President

Rotary and the organizers of the Victoria Falls marathon are working together to raise

PHOTO: ROTARY VICTORIA FALLS

Children from the Rose of Charity Orphange

funds to support the Rose of Charity orphanage. 42 orphans have had their out-

standing school fees paid for, with the help of the Rotary Club of Lancaster in England.

On 12th November 2011 Victoria Falls Rotarians will be holding another golfing

Thanks to CAZ, we will be distributing sunscreens that have been collected to various schools and swimming clubs in Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls Rotarians would like welcome any interested persons to attend their Thursday luncheon meetings, which are held between 1 and 2pm at Ilala Lodge.

It’s snake season

The Mosi O Tunya High School Interact club together with Rotarians, held a luncheon for the old folk at the Chinotimba Old People’s home. The Interactors also sang for the ‘oldies’. On the 24th June, 2011 the Interactors handed over ‘goodies’ to the hospital. The

PHOTO : PINIEL SIBANDA

nstallation of a generator switch at the Victoria Falls hospital has recently been completed. Funds to cover this were raised through a community golfing and fun day, held at the Elephant Hills golf club last year. 40 by 3 seater desks and chairs were donated to Chamabondo school on 14th July, 20 through a matching grant from the Rotary club of San Jose. U.S.A. Another consignment of desks is in the pipeline.

On 30th July the board members of the Interact club, attended a leadership seminar in Bulawayo at the Dominican Convent.

63 children, have had their third term school fees paid, through “Children in the Wilderness”, in conjunction with The Rotary Club of Victoria Falls.

fun day and everyone is invited to participate and raise some more funds for the needy in our community.

Appreciating the Valley – every step of the way By Susan Cottrell

efore dawn on Sunday 12 June we assembled, shivering in the chilly dark, at the grid on the Gorges Road. We set out, striding into the sunrise, over golden corrugations; our group had just three from last year’s original epic. This time we had a truly interna-

tional team with visitors from Kualar Lumpur, Durban, Triangle, and Kasane. Two hours later we breakfasted beside a river bed before a further two hour stretch till we collapsed in some shade for a splendid lunch. This became the measure of our days; hard walking interspersed with amazing food. Our first supper was nothing less than Mandalay prawn curry prepared by Plax beneath a galaxy of stars between two giant baobabs

2011 – 2012 Vic Falls New Years presents:

LOCNVILLE

CRASHCARBURN THE FIRST DESCENT

GHAPI

CLINT & CO

Accommodation and Tickets on sale now in Harare, Bulawayo, Vic falls and online at www.fallsfest.co.zw Or email fallsfest@yoafrica.com, +263 774 432 800 We support a no under 18 drinking policy. U18 ticket options available

A large python is captured by author and taken into Zambezi National Park for release

By George Van Wyk

PHOTO: JUDY CUMMING

A group of 11 walked 125 km from Victoria Falls to Msuna Island – for the love of it .

Walking for the love of it

on a farmer’s field. A campfire blazed and we were truly amazed at experiencing the luxury of a hot shower in this dusty wilderness. Days rolled into one another with long painful periods of aching muscles, creaking joints, swelling blisters, but always views. Such views! Day three, soon after dawn, we crested a rise and beneath us spread a panorama of autumnal trees reaching to the far-off purple hills of Hwange. All along the way we met cheerful, friendly people, making bricks, weaving baskets, herding cattle, cutting thatching grass, carrying heavy barrels of water, or somewhat luxuriously, travelling by ox or donkey cart. We passed skinny dogs, grubbing black pigs and giggling schoolchildren, the latter staring in amazement at the sight of mukiwas walking by choice and such a long way at that! Aaeewe! Early on day four we glimpsed the Zambezi River glinting silver blue between

the hills as we dropped sharply towards the Matetsi River for yet another awesome scenic breakfast. Later, our spirits lifted as we rounded the bend and there was the mighty Zambezi rippling swiftly by beside the road. That night, at the 100 km peg, camped on the banks of the rustling river, with delicious dinner done, we watched the total eclipse of the full moon. The Earth’s shadow crept darkly over the surface of the moon and the silvery light dimmed. Much later she reappeared to bathe our tents in lunar light. The final day heard creaks and groans as tired limbs uncrimped from snug sleeping bags. After campfire coffee we walked the final 25 km stretch to the amazing, brilliant greens and blues of Msuna Island. It was an incredible experience for each one of us. The children at a school along the way will benefit by receiving books from our contributions.

nake season is here again; you may recently have become aware of the frogs calling at night – a sure sign that cobras are soon to follow! However, snakes play a vital role in our ecosystem, and need and deserve our protection just as much as any other species of our rich and diverse natural heritage. The reputation that snakes have is largely due to incorrect, incomplete or even non-existent information. Well-informed is well-prepared. If you encounter a snake, leave it alone. Stand still or move away from it slowly. Snakes do not actively seek to attack people. We are not prey to them, and they will only defend themselves if threatened. However, it is much safer to have a snake safely captured and removed, especially if you have children or pets on your property. There are a few important points to note, especially in the event of a bite, or venom in the eyes. With bites, the most important thing is to keep the patient as comfortable as possible, but get hold of your medical rescue service immediately. Remove any restrictive clothing or

shoes where the bite is on a limb, and immobilise the limb if possible, preferably below the level of the heart. A pressure bandage can be applied to a bitten limb, but ensure this is not too tight, and loosen it if there is severe swelling. Until the medical rescue people arrive, stay with the patient; reassure them, but be on standby to perform CPR if necessary. Administration of antivenom should be done by informed medical personnel. For venom in the eyes, flush the eyes out immediately with large quantities of clean water or similar liquid. (Remember that venom on the skin has no effect unless it enters an open wound.) Thereafter a course of antibiotic eye ointment is very helpful, and the eyes should recover in 3 to 4 days. It is virtually impossible to prevent snakes from ever coming onto your property. We live in a wildlife area. However, Victoria Falls is fortunate to have a couple of people in the community who are experienced at capturing and releasing snakes, or able to give any advice. George van Wyk, on (013)44614 or 0772 942 859 Charles Brightman, on (013)45821 or 0712 209 144

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Lives are changed in the African bush L

ast year Zambezi Traveller reported on the first group of three volunteers that came to Victoria Falls and Hwange compliments of the El-Hefni Technical Training Foundation. This year the Foundation sponsored thirteen who arrived, armed with equipment, energy and an overwhelming willingness to share and make a difference. In total 17 ladies from America, France, South Africa and Zimbabwe reached out to help educate both young and old at schools in Victoria Falls and Hwange. Following is some of their feedback.

Susan Cottrell of Zimbabwe writes:- “In a slow trickle, the women from the surrounding villages began arriving on our first day at Mpinda School, deep in the bush, west of Lupane, where Wilderness Safaris had set up a camp for volunteers under the guidance of Children in the Wilderness co-ordinator Sue Goatley.

“We gathered on the dusty floor of the church hall and began showing them how to cut ‘plarn’ (plastic yarn) from used plastic bags, while the children played nearby. The next day 20 eager women signed up and brought out rickety old desks and benches from the storeroom, swept the floor and the children outside into the windy sunshine and seated themselves for their first lesson. “There was much excitement and a babble of voices as they quickly

Sorting bags for ‘PLARN’ on the church floor

Jabulani Ndubiwa: A life of contribution to his community

Jabulani Ndubiwa

PHOTO: ALAN SPARROW

By Alan Sparrow

abulani Ndubiwa has spent a lifetime working to improve the standard of living of rural communities within the Hwange Communal Area, close to the Victoria Falls. He

caught on to the techniques of knitting, and crochet. The idea is to teach the women, who live in dire poverty, a skill so that they can make items for sale. They knitted or crocheted their first hand bag during the week amidst laughter, companionship and a lot of fun, continuing to work as they ambled home after their daily session. “Our camp was a birder’s paradise with many dry-bush species; gorgeous violet-eared and blue waxbills decorated the bleached twigs of the deciduous scrub, marico

represented Chikandakubi Ward in Chief Mvutu’s area for 20 years, and played a key role in developing the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE).

PHOTO: JANET WILKINSON

Mr Ndubiwa has served as Chairman of the Hwange Rural District Council and is now an alderman and a key advisor to Chief Mvutu on natural resource management. In 1992 he was part of the Zimbabwe delegation to the CITES meeting in Japan, where he spoke out on behalf of rural communities that lived with wildlife. During 2009 and 2010 he provided support to Chief Mvutu at the meetings hosted by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to design the Zimbabwe component of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. Mr Ndubiwa is committed to supporting the traditional leadership, Parks authorities and local authorities to design a strategy to reduce human/wildlife conflict in the Hwange Communal Area. To that end he is working with conservation groups such as the Wild Horizons Trust, the Kalahari Sands Foundation and Environment Africa. Amhlope Mr. Ndubiwa!

to Zimbabwe last year was full of so many wonderful surprises and challenges that pushed me to grow as an educator and a human being. This year was no different! Accompanied by 11 very talented teachers and two fantastic volunteers, our education project was able to take on a new level of complexity, offering more lessons to more students. “We hope that our time there was as positive for our host schools as it was for us. The hospitality afforded us by the town of Victoria Falls was unmeasured. Everyone on the team was so incredibly touched and inspired by the amazing experiences that were so generously provided. For many, it was the first time they had ever been to Africa and we all left with a magical impression of the landscape, animals, and people of Victoria Falls. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”

flycathers hawked for insects and the brilliant crimsonbreasted shrikes hunted in the acacias. What a week!” Annabel Wildrick from USA writes:- “On 29 June I arrived in Victoria Falls not knowing what to expect. I knew I would be working hard over the next five weeks; I knew I would meet people whose lives were very different from mine; I knew I would be challenged by my experiences. “What I didn’t know was that I would shed tears as I listened to the pure, strong, clear voices of school children singing a song of welcome. I didn’t know I would be blessed by glorious smiles wherever I went. I didn’t know I would make friends who will be with me for the rest of my life. The people of Zimbabwe welcomed me with open arms, generous spirits, and genuine gratitude. What a gift!”

Annabel and Samu grade zero teacher at Ziga

Janet Wilkinson from South Africa writes:- “In the remote rural countryside of Zimbabwe I watched a community blossom in a couple of days when I spent a week with Children in the Wilderness and a group of volunteer American teachers funded by the El-Hefni Technical Training Foundation. It was a life changing experience for all who partook.” Kristina Ellis from USA writes:- “My first trip

50th birthday fundraiser to help wildlife PHOTO: GILES WHITTALLHERBERT

By Frances Jackson

Caroline Whittall-Herbert and the late Shaylene Best toasting their forthcoming 50th birthdays.

By Maina Perrot

elebrating her 50th bir thday with a difference, ex Victoria Falls resident Caroline Whittle-Herbert is asking friends, family, and now the extended community, to make donations to the Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust. “It’s the best birthday present I can get,” Caroline says. “Instead of parties, sending cards or giving gifts, I want people to make

a donation to the trust.” Caroline has started a fundraising campaign and aims to get $5,000 to the trust by the end of September. Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust is a Victoria Falls based non-profit organisation promoting environmental conservation in southern Africa through hands-on wildlife research and management as well as education and community outreach programmes.

Caroline was inspired by Keven Hendricks’ campaign, an international freelance writer and editor who last year raised $5,000 to fund a well in Ethiopia for his 30th birthday. “That ’s what lit the spark,” said the health and lifestyle consultant. “I thought my 50th coming up would be a great opportunity to do something similar, and this year was also the 50th birthday of the late Shay Best, a founder of the Trust and good friend of mine.” Current ongoing projects include orphan animal care, wildlife rescues and darting for snare removal, opening a new wildlife clinic, alleviating humanwildlife conflict, using chili as a deterrent for problem elephants, and wildlife disease surveillance. www.wildhorizonstrust.org

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

In at the deep end Numbering a sampled buffalo

PHOTO: CHERIE GOODING

By Paul Murray

raised my camera to capture events for ZT, only to have an armpit length rubber glove thrust at me with the order to collect a faecal sample from deep within the bovine lady gently reclining by my feet. Then I was instructed to collect ticks from the intimate undertail area with which I was by now already warmly familiar. As a newly appointed Wild Horizon Wildlife Trust (WHWT) trustee I’d asked for some first-hand experience of the trust’s work, but I’m not sure I signed up for this. My day in the field had been only minutes old when I realised that the words I’d

heard casually uttered so often ‘we’re doing a darting exercise,’ actually involved huge logistical planning. A seriously sexy, black helicopter was readied for take-off at base while a fixed wing aircraft was already in the air searching for buffalo. We land-based folk formed three teams in 4x4s. Here’s the plan: once the aircraft pilot locates a target herd he directs the chopper to the area and gets our vehicles headed in the general direction. The helicopter attempts to herd the animals into a clearing accessible by vehicle. Then, hanging out of the swooping, swerving, amazingly nimble flying machine, Dr Chris Foggin

and Roger Parry manage to place sedating darts precisely in the rumps of about five buffalo. The animals go down in scattered locations and it’s then the ground teams’ turn to go to work. First find your designated animal, often guided by radio from the fixed wing pilot, some distance from your vehicle through dense bush. Check your buffalo is properly sedated – carefully; some take longer than others which can lead to distinctly heart-stopping moments. Spray the beast with cooling water and wrap on a blindfold which calms her, as it’s not actually sent to sleep. This is all too evident as you hold the heavy head up for the blood sample to be taken from her neck, only to find yourself being bodily shifted in the opposite direction. Even sedated, these are immensely strong ladies. Now for the all-important data collection:- age is determined by tooth development, as in horses, and blood samples are taken from the jugular vein to be later analysed for disease especially bovine TB. Foot and mouth disease samples

come from saliva, using a medieval looking tool, a small metal cup on the end of a stout wire thrust energetically in and out of her throat. Hair samples are extracted for DNA analysis. Throughout the sedation, the buffalo’s breathing is constantly monitored. Any open wounds or injuries are treated. Each animal is given a specific number which is applied onto the rump in bright yellow paint to ensure the animal isn’t redarted later in the exercise, and an ear tag is fixed. Finally the reversal drug is administered and the blindfold removed. Now you really do want to be in a distant place when a buffalo regains her senses and starts to look for the people who have invaded her privacy so comprehensively. The drug is given intravenously if you can reach your vehicle quickly, or intramuscularly if you need more time to run back to your wheels. By the end of the day we had successfully processed 15 rather ungrateful buffalo. So finally, to Ms Buffalo number B85, please forgive my intimate intrusion and many thanks for your generous sample. Thanks also to Jessica Dawson of the Trust who organised my fascinating day, but please note for the future Jess; when I request hands-on experience that’s what I expect, not hands-in!

OBITUARY

Victoria Falls loses guiding star

Tendekai guiding some tourists

By Charles Brightman

endekai Michael Madzivanzira, a well respected professional guide in Victoria Falls, died tragically recently in an incident with an elephant whilst on a local safari.I had the pleasure of working with him for a number of years and I was impressed with his keenness, his love of wildlife and his commitment to its conservation. He was always the first to volunteer his assistance and services to the Victoria Falls Anti Poaching Unit. Ross Kennedy, chief executive of Africa Albida Tourism, paid the following tribute: “Tendekai made a positive

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contribution and impact on all those with whom he interacted, be it socially, professionally as a guide, or with his colleagues and friends in the community. “The response to his untimely death was sure testament to his role and the respect in which he was held in Victoria Falls. His calm and gentle nature, professionalism and kindness was widely known and certainly left a lasting impression on the clients he guided. He is greatly and sorely missed by the team and family at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, and Africa Albida.” Madzivanzira was born in1975 in Victoria Falls. He attended the local Baobab Primary School and after completing his O Levels at Founders Secondary School, started working for the family business. However, after growing up in a town surrounded by wilderness, he chose to follow a career in the safari industry and started to study to for his guides licence. Tendekai qualified as a Professional Guide in 1998 and became well respected in the industry, working with a number of safari lodges and operators. Craig White of Imbabala Lodge management commented that he was known as the gentle giant; despite his size, he was softly spoken, always polite and extremely good with the clients. Tendekai is survived by his two boys, Takudzwa aged ten and Taurai aged four and half. Tendekai’s dad told me that Taurai says he wants to do just what his dad did and follow in his footsteps.

REGISTERED ESTATE AGENTS Victoria Falls Estate Agents (Private) Limited Shop 13, The Trading Post, Landela Complex Livingstone Way, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Tel: 013 44415, 013 44831

Please contact us for all your real estate requirements Sales, Valuations, Property Management If you looking for a property in Falls or in the region, please call us and we will do our best to assist you. Principle Registered Estate Agent: Sindiso Tshuma Cell: 0773 736639 / 0712 375069 Assistant Donnie: 0773 503246 Directors: Strath Brown (Chairman), Dawn Brown, Paul Alichindamba

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Partners with achievable goals life Management Authority personnel. In recognition of its work, VFAPU has won the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism’s Green Globe 21 award for conservation. Another long standing partner in Stanbic Bank’s corporate social responsibility programme is Mercy Corps.

Mercy Corps works with disadvantaged communities and vulnerable members of society. Resources donated to Mercy Corps this year were used to provide start up kits for graduates of vocational training programmes in Harare and Chitungwiza.The kits contain basic inputs and materials that

are essential when implementing business ideas. “We ensure that the objectives we seek in CSR can be met,” said a Stanbic spokesperson. “We work with our partners to evaluate progress, and we assess our success at the end of it all. We start with the end in sight and it has provided tangible results for all our beneficiaries.”

Village aims to revive Nambya culture By ZT Correspondent

VAPU trackers looking smart in their new uniforms

PHOTO : CHARLES BRIGHTMAN

By ZT Correspondent

s part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, Stanbic Bank has donated rangers uniforms to the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit. Poaching continues to threaten the wildlife in the Zambezi basin, despite the best efforts of National Parks personnel. Nor is the problem limited to animals; one of the major illegal activities faced is the unsustainable utilization of indigenous hardwoods, which are removed from state protected forests. A number of indigenous hardwood trees such as the African ebony, Diospyros mespiliformis, pod mahogany, Afzelia quanzensis, and mukwa, Pterocarpus angolensis, are targeted to pro-

duce wooden curios for the tourist market. The Victoria Falls AntiPoaching Unit is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and its natural habitat. The town of Victoria Falls is situated in a National Park, increasing the potential for conflict between people, habitat and wildlife. VFAPU was established in January 1999 with three scouts and has grown to a strength of 18 patrolling an area of approximately 50 square kilometers surrounding Victoria Falls, to combat poaching in all its various forms.

time is also spent educating the community and reinforcing the benefits of conserving natural resources. One vehicle to bring the conservation message to local communities is drama groups who portray the method using song, dance and myth. Since its establishment VFAPU has removed over 19, 000 wire snares from its operational area and arrested more than 500 poachers. Numerous animals injured by snares have also been captured, treated and released, with the support of the National Parks and Wild-

en kilometres from Victoria Falls town a new development is taking shape. Local entrepreneur Marcus Mathe is building Kune Ngoma Cultural Village for the purpose of showcasing and reviving the indigenous Nambya language and traditions which are in danger of being lost among other imported cultures.

The village features thirteen traditional Nambya huts where four families live.When complete, a theatre hall for performing arts, training and presentations will complement a training centre for arts and crafts. A 5, 000 square metre campsite for caravans, tents and outdoor activities is almost complete, and guest chalets and lodges are to be built.

Whislt VFAPU activity is largely directed at the removal of snares and the apprehension of poachers, valuable

Mathe is a social and cultural anthropologist and tour guide, currently studying business leadership with the Zimbabwe Open University; previously he was a coordinator of the Craft Village in Victoria Falls. Kune Ngoma Cultural Village is registered with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, committed to resuscitating Nambya culture and empowering the local communities of Hwange District. The indigenous Nambya language and culture of Hwange District is fast vanishing. When a Nambya man or woman marries outside his tribe, he or she tends to adopt the language of the partner’s tribe. Hwange Colliery and Victoria Falls tourism resort, the major employers of the region, have drawn thousands of employees from other areas

which has greatly diluted the local language and culture. The Makishi and Nyau dances frequently performed for tourists are ritual funeral dances for men of Malawian and Angolan origin, but have been commercialised, and even Nambya youth are now seen performing these dances at the expense of their own culture. Kune Ngoma Cultural Village seeks to revive the dying Nambya language o f H w a n g e t h ro u g h mbira music and bringing together a unique bundle of cultural activities, reviving and maintaining core beliefs that are passed from generation to generation, and reinforcing all this through song, dance, storytelling, drama, and crafts.

Victoria ictoria Falls, alls, Zimbabwe imbabwe

Located at the Trading Post, Landela Complex, opposite the Municipality Entrance on Livingstone Way - Alfresco courtyard restaurant specialising in casual dining. Affordable meals to suit all tastes including game meat and traditional dishes. Serving all day breakfasts, teas & cakes, snacks, full lunches and dinners. Liquor licensed. Group bookings welcome. Digital Satellite t.v. to keep you informed and entertained.

Open 7 days a week 8am to 9pm

Phone (013) 42994

Game Drives Bird Watching safaris Walking Safaris Night Drives in Zambezi National Park Special interest Safaris & more... Contact us for your wildlife experience... Tel/fax: 013 45821 Cell: 0712 209 144 Email: cat@yoafrica.com

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Unusual elephant behaviour

By Karen Poole, Imbabala Safari Camp

hen I saw a huge herd of elephant coming out of the bushes on to the floodplain, I grabbed my camera and ran with our guests to the Landrover. We watched a small group of elephant in shallow water near the bank making quite a noise. Suddenly a little head popped up... a newborn baby elephant! The mum shoved it onto the bank and then proceeded to chase it and kick it. I could not understand what was happening. The mum gave it another shove and then went into the water with the others. The little one followed but was bellowed at and nearly drowned. The herd then took off across the river to the island, leaving the little one trying desperately to keep up. The current was too strong for him, so he drifted downstream swimming frantically with his trunk up trying to get air. I managed to keep my binos on him so that I could direct our pontoon to the baby’s position. We managed to get alongside him but the pontoon was too high and the little one was still, amazingly, very strong and heavy.

After lots of shoving and pushing we managed to get the elephant on to terra firma. The baby very happily walked up the path to camp. We tied him to a tree in the shade whilst I made phone calls. Elephant camp did not have any special milk powder and no elephant female that could act as a surrogate mum.My options were dwindling. The little one was shouting and screaming and charging things that were getting in its way. I could not believe his strength and determination for survival. I decided to name him Rambo. Rambo was becoming more and more distraught so I decided to take him back down to the floodplain, hoping that his screams would bring back his mum. I had also alerted National Parks. Rambo continued running around, shouting and going up to anything big, including trees and the Landrover, seeking his mother. Once again we loaded Rambo on to the pontoon with helpers including guests, to cross to the island and release him there. At the island Rambo kept trying to follow the pontoon. He was screaming which at last attracted mum’s attention and she came charging over.

The guys had to jump aboard and make a quick getaway. The mum charged after the pontoon for quite a distance and then returned to the waters edge. We all held our breath... She started screaming and shoving Rambo, kicking him and pushing him under the water. Rambo bravely fought for his life. He shakily climbed out the water and went straight to mum again. This time she just stood still and let him suckle for about five minutes. She then slowly walked off with little Rambo wobbling after her. She had at last accepted him.

Tough love

PHOTO: KAREN POOLE

ZAMBEZI TEAK PART 3

Conserving the Zambezi teak forests By Richard Lowe

aikiaea plurijuga is a Caesalpinioid legume.

Its natural distribution is restricted to the Kalahari sandveld of western Zimbabwe, south-western Zambia and neighbouring parts of Angola, Botswana and Namibia. The Zimbabwean forests cover approximately 2.8 million hectares and have

been well managed by the Forestry Commission for over a hundred years.

Despite the toughness of Zambezi teak, it is typically thin-barked, and sensitive to fire damage. The other major threats are over exploitation and the clearing of forest by local communities to grow crops. These deep sandy soils are sensitive and if the Zambezi teak forests are removed, they rapidly lose fertility and productivity. Foresters and scientists familiar with the Zambezi teak forests agree that natural regeneration offers the only feasible approach to conserving these forests. Baikiaea coppices well

Victoria Falls

Factory: 452 Miles Road, Victoria Falls Tel: +263 13 44495

Harare

Doon Estate, 1 Harrow Road Harare Tel: +263 4 292 5398

Lusaka

Twikatane Road, off Addis Ababa Drive Lusaka (Next to Zebra Crossing Cafe) Tel: +260 211 255 989

Teak pod and seed.

and when a stem is cut new stems soon appear from the root system and trunk. Maintaining effective fire breaks with controlled early burning (normally in April / May) to reduce the fuel load in the forest are essential. Commercial operators should only be allowed to harvest

PHOTO: BAYNHAM GOREDEMA / HARLEY JACKSON

restricted volumes and must produce very high valueadded product so that they take responsibility for the management of the forests. Reputable manufacturers are acutely aware of this and constantly strive to produce maximum addition of value per cube harvested. Local communities must benefit from these forests in the form of job creation, accessibility to forest products (such as honey and grazing), and the certified use of timber to produce quality wood products for export and the tourist market. Once carbon credits become a reality, these funds could also be used to benefit local communities. If the monetary return to local communities from conserving the forest is higher than the benefits of cutting it down, they will become the greatest of conservators!

Victoria Falls Productions Private Photography / Videography services

Tom Varley will take high quality Pictures / Video of your Experience in Africa We offer a personal service by professional photographers. We can join your day trip in Chobe, trip to Victoria Falls, or anything else you’d like to keep a memory of. Tom Varley, a camera man and a photographer, was raised in the Zimbabwean bush. His love for the wildlife and the area is reflecting in his work and led him to publish a coffee table book about Victoria Falls.

Cell: +263 712 616 874 Tel: + 263 13 406 79 Email: tomvarley@me.com www.vicfallsproductions.com

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Clean lines and simple subjects He worked as an auto electrician at Buchwa Mine until 1978, during which time he began sculpting in wood and stone as a hobby. He found expression through his sculpting which led him to take up the work full time and, in 1979, he moved to Chitungwisa, near Harare. In 1983 he joined the Canon Paterson Art Centre in Mbare where he was based until moving to his new house in the Harare suburb of Borrowdale.

By Stuart Danks

lways a pioneer in expressing himself in sculpture, he has never allowed his art to be become clouded in cultural or religious themes. Ernest Chiwaridzo was born in1954 in the Chiweshe district of Mazowe, north of Harare. He attended school at St Alban’s Mission from grade one through grade six, and continued secondary education at the Harare Community School until 1970, when he had to leave due to lack of funding.

“I prefer creating sculpture that has direct meaning to everyday life and relates to my experiences,” Ernest Chiwaridzo

PHOTO: STUART DANKS

GREEN FUND

Can collection depot now in Vic Falls Remember: Every three seconds a baby is born. In that time 140 cans were born. Care for your planet - recycle current and future generations. We are calling upon all the big users of beverage cans to take their cans to the depot from Monday to Saturday between 8am and 11 am. The cans will

be crushed before transporting them to Delta who will in turn recycle them with their partners at Collect A Can in South Africa. Imagine the amount of energy and raw

No need to litter, recycle

he Victoria Falls Green Fund working in collaboration with Environment Africa, Delta and Victoria Falls Municipality would like to advise residents and companies in Victoria Falls that a beverage can collection depot has been established in Victoria Falls. The depot is situated behind Chinotimba Community Hall in Chinotimba. The project which started on 16 August 2011 is run by a group of dedicated men and women from ward 8 who have passion for making sure that Victoria Falls is kept clean and free of pollution for the

“I had my most intense aesthetic experience when I was suddenly exposed to the sublime beauty of the sculpture executed by African artists.” - Pablo Piccasso PERMANENT EXHIBITION Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe Tel: +263 13 - 41757 Email: artafrica@bluewin.ch www.stonedynamicsgallery.co.zw

materials that will be saved because of can recycling. A recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for 3 hours. Five recycled cans can save enough energy to run your TV for a full day. Can recycling also creates 97% less water pollution that producing new metals from ore.

Chiwaridzo’s work is distinctive, with clean economical forms and lines being his trademark. His sculpture

is bold and refreshing and has a wide appeal because of his universal, simple subject matter.Today, he is one of Zimbabwe´s top sculptors and his work has been sold around the world. Some of the venues where it has been exhibited include the Cannes Film Festival, France; Barcelona, Spain; Zimbabwe Heritage in Auckland, New Zealand; and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK, all in 1988; Suedafrikamesse, Zurich, (2001); Afro Pfingsten, Winterthur, (2001); and Susi Brunner Galerie, Zurich, (2007).

Victoria Falls Bridge Festival Sunday September 11th 2011 BE THERE! After a successful and fun filled festival last year, the organizers once again invite you to come and partake in a bit of history. Bring your courage and your family and have a day of fun. Enjoy a ride on a steam train, get your adrenlin pumping and then enjoy a nice meal with a spectacular view. There is something for everyone.

Zambezi Traveller

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Advertise in the Victoria Falls Classifieds hudsons@yoafrica.com Mel Hudson

Activities

Artists & Galleries

CADAC Gas Equipment

Shearwater Victoria Falls. Experience the Big 5 on Shearwater’s private game reserve, just 12km from Victoria Falls town and enjoy seeing Africa’s rare black rhino. Contact Shearwater Central Reservations P.O. Box 125, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Tel:+263 (0) 13 444713, 42058, 40056-8 Fax:+263 (0) 13 44341 Cell:+263 (0) 712 406 668, +263 (0) 773 461 716 reservations@ shearwatervf.com

the historical Victoria Falls Hotel. You will find us in the Stables Lounge. Phone: +263 (0) 772 606 233 and +263 (0) 13 40076. Email: info@larrynorton.co.za and website: www.larrynorton.co.za

CADAC gas equipment – Wide range, competitively priced. Our products include, skottel braai $100.00 , 3kg cylinder $57.99 , 5kg cylinder $63.00 , standard regulator $13.50 , Eazilite 100CP $40.00 , Eazilite 300CP $57.50 , 2-plate stove $73.00 , 500g gas cartridge threaded $8.00 , Grillo gas braai $75.00 , mantle 100CP $2.70 , mantle 300CP $3.20 , cooker top $19.00 , glass 100CP $7.90 , glass 300CP $9.50 , Adventure Eazi Kit $41.00. See our modern, well stocked wholesale warehouse opposite Marange Motors. Tradepower Wholesale Vic Falls - Telephone (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312

B&B Lorries B&B, Victoria Falls. Full English Breakfast. Ensuite Rooms. Home cooked dinners. Your home away from home. Phone: +263 (0) 13 42139 or +263 (0) 712 406 584. Email: lorrie@mweb.co.zw. 10% discount on production of this advertisement.

The Zambezi Helicopter Company. View the vastness of the Victoria Falls and it’s surrounds the best way! Take a helicopter flip and enjoy the magnificent splendour of the Zambezi River and it’s Falls. Contact The Zambezi Helicopter Company, Box 125, Zimbabwe. Tel +263 (0) 13 43569, cell: +263 (0) 773 080 909, +263 (0) 712 324 422. Tel/fax: +263 13 40059. Email: zhc.reservations@highestec.co.zw. Skype: zambezihelicopters Web site: www.zambezihelicopters.com

Mosi-Ua-Tunya B&B, six en-suite rooms, air conditioned, and additional family accommodation available. Located 603 Mahogany Road. Reservations call: +263 (0) 13 44336, email moslodge@yoafrica.com, cell +263 (0)772 462 837. Tokkie Lodge, your home from home whilst travelling. Contact +263 (0) 43306 or Manache +263 (0) 0712 207396. Email: reservations@tokkielodge.co.zw The Villa Victoria. Self catering guest house. Five en suite rooms, home away from home environment. Phone + 263 13 44386, Cell + 263 712 700261, email : villaviczim@gmail.com for further information.

Bakery Requisites Wild Horizons is a “one-stop’ activity provider offering a range of tours and activities including rafting, canoeing, elephant back safaris and high wire activities. Email: info@wildhorizons.co.zw

Bakeries and Hotels - Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls are the Vic Falls distributors for Bakels Zimbabwe. For bulk cocoa powder, icing sugar, cake mix, almond paste, pettinice, cooking chocolate, sesame seeds, baking powder, greaseproof paper, glace cherries, tincol, bread premix, rollex or masterpuff please phone Neil Norman on (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312 to request our speciality bakery representative to call upon you to provide advice and suggestions on new products.

Beauty Therapy

Crocodile Farm -Stop in and see our range of genuine crocodile leather products! OR just pop down and visit the Crocodile Farm at the same premises. Entrance fee Adult $5-00 – Child $2-00. Contact Margie or Edson, Tel 013 43576, Cell 0712 213 531. 325 Parkway Drive, Victoria Falls. Email znscroc@africaonline.co.zw. We are open every day of the year.

Artists & Galleries Stone Dynamics Gallery, The Victoria Falls Hotel. Home to Zimbabwe’s world renowned stone sculptures. For further information contact Stuart Danks, director, email: artafrica@bluewin.ch

Cafes and Coffee Shops CAFÉ JACANAH - Elephant Walk Shopping Village Daily breakfast and Light Lunch specials served in the Tranquil Tropical Garden in Elephant walk shopping Village surrounded with traditional marimba drums playing. Open daily. More info call 0777 050308

Catering Services Delicious Indian Cuisine. Seventh Heaven Foods (Pvt) Ltd. 523 Reynard Rd, Victoria Falls. Take-aways, catering for functions. Specialises in snacks and Indian dinners. Call Anju and Barry Nathoo on +263 (0) 13 40527/42348. Cell: +263 (0) 712 212 255/+263 (0) 775 121 406. Email: khemhim@yoafrica.com Le Croissant Victoria Falls - Delicious Swiss quality oven-ready frozen BUTTER CROISSANTS available in a variety of sizes and flavours. Ideal for hotels, lodges, guest houses or event catering. For further information please contact Rolf or Alison Steiner. Tel. 013 – 41590 or e-mail steiners@yoafrica.com

Charity Events Once a month a number of Victoria Falls residents put together ‘goodie parcels’ with a few luxuries, mostly necessities for elderly people in the community that are struggling to make ends meet. Anyone wishing to contribute to this can email Cathrina Gover: gover@ yoafrica.com and Mel Hudson: hudsons@yoafrica.com Victoria Falls Tourism Police Unit. A donar funded iniative between private and public sector in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to ensure a safe environment for visitors and local residents within the Victoria Falls tourism area. Anyone wishing to assist in sponsoring one or more of the dedicated Tourism Police Officers please contact Kevin Fry +263 (0) 772 872646

Cigars Tyress Beauty & Health Salon. Manicures Pedicures.Artificial Nails Facials Make-up Massages Waxing Tweezing Body Scrub Braiding For all your relaxation & body treatments. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Tel : 013 45039, Cell: +263 772 607 940, email: leomarowa@gmail.com

Butchery

Ritmeester and Blackstone cigars – Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls are the distributors for these superior cigars. Telephone us on (013) 44870 / 0774 022 312 We do not sell individual packets of cigars, we only supply shrink wraps to the trade.

Convenience Store

+263 775 297519

Cultural Activities

Hotels & Safari Lodges

Pharmacies

TRADITIONAL LUNCHES

Elephant Camp. The Elephant Camp is a luxury and intimate lodge under canvas only 10 minutes fromVictoria Falls and all it’s attractions and activities, yet secluded in it’s own private game reserve so as to allow close up encounters with wildlife. Email: info@wildhorizons.co.zw

Victoria Falls Pharmacy shop No.3 Phumula Centre, close to Chicken Inn complex. Tel +263 (0) 13 44403, after hours cell: +263 (0) 712 4051269/+263 (0) 712 405 270.

Traditional authentic lunches and dinners in the heart of the Victoria Falls community.

Imbabala Zambezi Safari Lodge. Located in the Matetsi Safari Area with 14km of Zambezi river frontage Imbabala is reknowned for it’s game viewing and bird watching Tel: +263 (0) 13 44571,44426. Email: info@wildhorizons.co.zw. www.wildhorizons.co.za

J & M Transport – For local and regional transport. Located 1369 Pioneer Road, Victoria Falls, Industrial Area. Tel + 263 13 42092. John + 263 712 612315 Mike +263 712 606977.

Call Tsitsi on +263 (0) 776 144 080, Flatter on +263 (0) 712 926 678. Email : muposiwa_tsitsi@yahoo.com

Fishing & Fisherman Fishermen flystreamers for sale, rods repaired. Call Tim +263 (0) 712 208 374

Food Agencies Victoria Foods – Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls is the official distributor for Victoria Foods in the Falls and surrounding area. For quality flour, rice, mealie meal, snacks, salt and sugar beans, please visit our modern warehouse located on Mile Road, opposite Marange Motors. Tel: (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312 email: vicfalls@tradepower.co.zw

Fork Lift Forklift to take a weight off your shoulders. Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls has a 3 tonne forklift for hire at an hourly rate. Please phone Neil on (013) 44870/44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312. Please visit our modern wholesale warehouse, where service to you will be a privilege.

Fresh Produce

AIR

The Larry Norton Gallery. Original and reproduced fine art wildlife and landscape images available from this renowned artist. Visit this superb gallery in

Outspan Beef - 87 Barry Road, Victoria Falls. New Butchery. A good selection of Meat, Cheeses and Seafood. For orders Call Sandy 013 45034 /0712 430535

The Victoria Falls Hotel. ***** Situated on a world heritage site, the legendary Victoria Falls Hotel overlooks the magnificent falls. This gracious 1904 hotel is set in lush tropical gardens that recall the romance of days gone by. Contact Sales and Marketing Manager. Email: marketing@tvfh.africansun.co.zw. Telephone: +263 (0) 13 44751/9

Ice Sales Ice always available at Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls - 7kg bag for $2-20. Tel: (013) 44870/44871 or 0712 587 123/0774 022 312. Please visit our modern wholesale warehouse, where service to you will be a pleasure.

Laundry Spotless Laundry Services at Victoria Falls Restcamp, Lodge 17. Open daily. Contact +262 (0) 4050911 or +263 (0)772 347687

Victoria Falls Locksmiths - Providers of 24hr key cutting and lock-out services. Tel : Levi on 013 44526, Cell 0778 132 220 or 0712 764 486 Email : locksmithsvf@gmail.com

Furniture

Packaged Snacks

Savanna Wood - hardwood furniture, decking & flooring. For camps, lodges & homes. We export worldwide. Factory: 452 Miles Road Victoria falls, tlephone +263 (0) 13 44495. www.savannawood.com

Bestnuts – Our range of superb nuts, dried fruits and snack mixes are always fresh and available at Tradepower Victoria Falls. 100g and 200g packs. Display stands and in-store advertising available for retail stockists. Call us on (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312 for our representative to visit you.

Victoria Falls Hair Salon - We do all types of hairdo’s, manicures and pedicures. 307 Parkway Drive. Tel + 263 13 40981, Cell + 263 712 716 930 The one and only convenience store in Victoia Falls. Open 7 days a week Monday to Saturday 7am to 11pm and Sundays from 7am till 9pm. We will cater for all your food needs during your stay in Vic Falls. Situated in the centre of town opposite the Rest Camp, Shop 6 Parkway Drive, Victoria Falls. Contact us on (013) 43429.

The Kingdom at Victoria Falls. Enter the Legendary world of the Kingdom at Victoria Falls. A modern tribute to Africa’s ancient allure and the closest hotel to the actual falls, situated within the Victoria Falls national Park. The Whitewaters Restaurant an open air Restaurant is situated next to a small man-made lake with indigenous flora which adds to your experience to Zimbabwe and the ambience of the Kingdom at Victoria Falls .Open for Buffet Breakfast and Dinner. For bookings contact+2631344275-9. Email: reservations@kingdom.africansun.co.zw

Zambezi Traders. For all your fresh fruit and vegetables. We can supply hotels and lodges. Fresh produce in stock daily. Located 283 Holland Rd, Industrial area, between Swift and Jaggers. For orders call +263 (0) 13 42237/44008/9. Mobile: +263 (0) 772 399 779 or +263 (0) 773 462 343

Hairdressing Salon

Hardware Hardware Zone, Victoria Falls for all your electrical, plumbing, painting and building requirements. Phone +263 (0) 13 42202, cell +263 (0)773 255 788, 426 Pioneer Road, Industrial Area

Restaurants Jin’s Chinese Restaurant, 571 Nyathi Rd, (APG Lodge). Contact +263 (0) 773663810 or +263 (0) 773874874 for bookings.

Fabrics Threads - We stock the widest range of fabric, batiks, haberdashery, foam rubber, batting and curtain accessories in Victoria Falls. 307 Park Way, above the hair salon. Tel : 013-44933, 0712 407 583. Email: jayrajandkatrina@gmail.com

Repairs and Workshops

Locksmith

Trekkers Biltong – Outstanding quality chilli or plain flavoured beef snapsticks in 35g, 75g and 150g and distributed by Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls. Please contact Neil Norman on (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312 for us to visit your establishment with advice and details of wholesale pricing including stands and in-store advertising which are ava i l a b l e to b o o s t yo u r s a l e s.

Paint Super quality PVA and Gloss at unbelievably low prices. Imported and always in our stock. We also have painting accessories, brushes, rollers, sand paper etc. Tradepower Wholesale (013) 44870/1 or 0774 022 312 / 0712 587 123. email: vicfalls@tradepower.co.zw

Predator Diving Crocodile Cage Dive - Elephant Walk Shopping Village - Cage dive with crocodiles and Zambezi river species including the mighty Tiger fish. See these creatures up close. First ever scuba diving activity in the world of its type. Know your Predator!!! Open by the end of August 2011

The Victoria Falls Hotel : Stanley’s Terrace, cosmopolitan lunch The Victoria Falls Hotel: Livingstone Room, fine dining with a 7 course menu. The Victoria Falls Hotel: Jungle Junction, international buffet and African Spectacular show. For bookings, contact +263 (0) 44751/9, email : marketing@tvfh.africansun.co.zw.

Restcamps

ictoria Falls Restcamp. Situated in the town centre offers affordable, safe accommodation. Includes self catering lodges, chalets, dormitories, semi luxury tents and camping. Along with a tours & internet desk & In-da-Belly Restaurant. Tel: + 263 13 40509 - 11. Email: campsite@africaonline.co.zw

Services The Project Managagment Co - Coordinators of design and construction, projects for homes, lodges and hotels. External and interior designs conceptualized. Renovations undertaken. Phone - Sara Norton + 263 772 606233 or +263 13 44074. Email - snorton@yoafrica.com

Specialist Guide

Leon Varley WALKING SAFARIS

Walking Safaris

in Hwange, Chizarira & Gonarezou National Parks. Phone: (013) 42208 OR +263 (0) 712 404 968 Email: leon@backpackers.co.zw OR mags@backpackers.co.zw www.walkafrica.com

Specialist Tour Operator Zambezi Safari & Travel Co. Registered in the UK and ATOL protected, have a Professional Guide and Safari consultant based Victoria Falls, we cover Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. We have 28 years of on hand experience on the ground here. Contact Chris Worden, professional guide/director. www.zambezi. com. www.bushcamps.com. www.luangwa.net. Email: chris@zambezi.com. Tel: 44 (0) 1548 830059 (UK head office) +263 (0) 13 44427 (Victoria Falls office). Cell: +263 (0) 774 109581. Skype: zambezi_ chris. ATOL protected: licence number 10135. Winner Z.A.A Tourism Award 2011

Swimming Pool Products Eezi Pool & Blu 52 – Need sparkle in your pool? Tradepower Wholesale Vic Falls are agents for Blu 52, swimming pool test kits, Eezi Pool acid, chlorine and algae clear. Contact Neil Norman on (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312 for advice on your pool and to view our extensive range.

Verimark Verimark available at Tradepower Wholesale Vic Falls. Floorwiz Butterfly Mops and Floorwiz Pro Bucket, Genesis Vacuum Sealer, Bauer Homemaker Cookware Set, Iron Gym, Shogun Peeler, Twista Chopper, I-Play Stunt Racer. Ideal gifts. Telephone Neil Norman on (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312.

Wholesale Poultry Chicken – Zimbabwean bred FAIRHILL chickens are outstanding in quality and value. Whole birds, breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings or in mixed portions. Tradepower Wholesale Victoria Falls. Contact Neil on (013) 44870 / 44871 or 0712 587 123 / 0774 022 312. Our modern f re e z i n g facilities ensure absolute freshness always.

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

From Binga to Santa Fe be exposed to outside marketing opportunities through the Ntengwe for Community Development programme at the Harare International Festival of Arts.

Matron Mweembe

By Elisabeth Markham

atron Mweembe is a girl aged 23 from Siachilaba in Binga District. Her mother died when she was three and she was raised by her grandmother. The Ward Aids Action Committee supported her schooling, but lacked the resources to finance her school

PHOTO: GINGER GREEN

leavers’ exams. Mweembe sold her own goats to register for five subjects, but she passed only one. Mweembe earned a living making and selling basketware, a skill which she had learned from her grandmother. She became so proficient that she was the first from an income generating group to

The alert bird which wards off trouble

tengwe is the Tonga name for a black bird whose shrill, urgent call, alerts people of danger. Ntengwe for Community Development is a growing regional welfare organization based in the Zambezi Valley and Victoria Falls. Ntengwe was founded to improve the economic wellbeing of people affected by HIV and Aids, improve access to childcare for orphans and vulnerable children, support disabled children, support women against domestic violence and abuse, and to strengthen rural community support for vulnerable members through livelihoods and sustainable agriculture.

More information contact : elisabethm@ntengwe.org www.ntengwe.org

At HIFA her skills caught the eye of Cristina McCandless from the United States, who arranged for Mweembe to participate at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market in 2010. The contacts created at HIFA had earned this determined young lady financial support for passport and visa fees, shipping and booth fees to expose her wares at an international level and perhaps create more opportunities for others like herself. But the story was not all smooth sailing. Last year Mweembe was denied a visa to visit the United States on the basis that she was not married. A year later, the invitation

to attend the Santa Fe market was still open, but meanwhile, as a result of the marketing of baskets last year, new contacts were found who had agreed to support Ntengwe in a number of projects, including Mweembe going back to school. Today, Mweembe attends Siachilaba Secondary School. “Going back to school has always been my desire and I would have done the same whether married or not and whether 67 or 100 years old,” she said. Mweembe’s story can be used in the community to encourage other young women faced with challenges. This year, she travelled to America to the Santa Fe Folk Art Market and she is expected to lead the process of taking another community member next year.

Investment returns to the river

A new dining experience for Victoria Falls

By ZT Correspondent In August Victoria Falls witnessed the dramatic arrival of a large new pontoon boat. There may be a world recession, but business owner Des Van Jaarsveldt had convinced South African investors that the time was right to invest in tourism in Zimbabwe. “We are definitely seeing an upward trend in Victoria Falls, although we are not yet where we were 12 years ago,” said Van Jaarsveldt. The vessel will provide a new dining experience in Victoria

Falls. Van Jaarsveldt’s company already provides dinners ‘a la river,’ as an exclusive and intimate experience on a small boat. “The demand for this activity convinced me that a bigger venue is needed for a sundowner cruise with snacks and a three course meal under the stars on the mighty Zambezi. Dining out under the stars, close to wild life, is a highlight for many visitors; now we can offer a fine dining experience on the water for larger parties, with the sound of the Falls and hippos calling in the background.” A wedding has already been booked on the new boat in September.

“By far the most memorable dining experience we had during our stay in the Falls”Tom and Peggy Kenton, Dallas USA.

For fourteen years Into Africa has offered the groups and incentive market unforgettable dining options in the Bush, on Islands, in Villages and a wide range of other exclusive venues. We run events as well as specialize in weddings. We have now added our new floating restaurant boat to our portfolio. The dinner cruise enjoys the evening sunset and remains on the mighty Zambezi river for a magnificent three course meal . Phone: (013) 45929; (Howard) 0712046553 (Des) 0772243010 Email : kim@bushcuisine.co.zw; des@bushcuisine.co.zw; howard@bushcuisine.co.zw; ethel@bushcuisine.co.zw www.into_africa.net

PHOTO : ANDRE VILJOEN

Experience traditional Africa in Binga By Elisabeth Markham

o m mu n i t y b a s e d tourism in Binga in the Zambezi Valley allows travellers an opportunity to spend time in the BaTonga local community and learn about their way of life and their environment and culture, to celebrate and respect traditional rituals and wisdom. B u k a l e E x p e r i e n c e, meaning ‘O ur way of life,’ is directly linked to Ntengwe for Community Development, a private voluntary organization based in Binga and Victoria Falls with the collective goals of community development and conservation. Bukale emerged from a development strategy using tourism as a tool to strengthen the local community. For a different kind of holiday and for a new breed of cultural tourists, Binga is about three hours drive from Victoria Falls. Bukale offers a two to three day valley tribe experience, an invitation into the homes and lives of the BaTonga community. “The BaTongas are happy to play host,” said a Bukale spokesperson. “Part of the happiness comes from pride that foreigners wish to see how they live, and the tourists don’t come as patronizing visitors but as respectful and appreciative witnesses of traditional BaTonga life.” The visit to Binga offers a number of different activities, including a visit to the Ntengwe Drop-In Centre, village walks, boat rides on Lake Kariba, donkey cart rides to a local traditional healer, visits to medicinal herbal gardens, visits to a

PHOTO :TODD PUCHALSKI

local fishing village, basket weaving with local weaving groups, village lunches and dinners and traditional dances, with two nights at Masumu River Lodge overlooking Lake Kariba. Through tourism, the BaTonga people have increased motivation to keep their environment pristine in order to draw visitors, which provides an important source of employment. Part of the tourism income is set aside for projects which provide benefits to the community as a whole. High on the priority list is a reliable supply of drinking water. The Bukale Experience runs with the participation and consent of the local community, also helping the community to cope with the impact of western tourism and keeping the cultural and environmental impact at a minimum. Visitors are educated in advance on appropriate behaviour. “Binga is a mellow, peaceful place to spend a night or two and gain an insight into rural life in the Zambezi Valley,” said the spokesperson. “The best thing about community-based tourism is meeting and interacting with the people of rural communities, leaving the warmest memories and most meaningful experiences.” Bookings and Information info@bukaleexperience.org

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Victoria Falls Marathon 2011 Its all about the experience - be inspired

“This marathon felt so intimate. The locals supporting the runners, we felt part of something special. We run in marathons in many other places, nothing compares to this amazing community spirit that was shared with us. The Headmaster and his wife welcoming in the runners at the end, it just felt like a community were there behind us all.”

‘the response this year has been overwhelming, we are very excited about this event and next year we promise fireworks’

Sally Shaw, Durban South Africa, runner up Veterans. Sandra Sadomba, Zambezi Lite sponsors

PHOTOS: GAIL WEBSTER

“My most heart sore moment at the beginning of the race was seeing a runner with ‘stokies bopa’d up in string’ ready to go, no Nike’s in sight! People are so determined; they are going to do this, no matter what! It was so inspiring.” Gail Webster

One big family joined by the camaraderie of running and walking.

Every wheelchair participant received a new wheel chair from Netcare.

‘enjoyed every day of the event but found the running to be the hardest – glad to reach the finish line’ Winner of Zam Man, Owen Green from Lusaka

By Libby White

cacophony of sound filled the air as people of all nationalities and walks of life gathered together. The full marathon left first and those of us doing the half marathon stood deferentially aside as the lean and sinewy, the short and determined, the novices and the veterans from all over the world flexed their legs in anticipation of the 42. 2 km run ahead of them. 15 minutes after they had left the jovial wheelchair contestants

lined up, their wheelchairs as diverse as the 800 contestants banding together for this event. At 7.00 a.m. precisely the gun fired for the start of the half marathon and the excited chatter between people who had never met each other before culminated in a loud united cheer. Two kilometres into the run finds us striding out across the Victoria Falls Bridge, the full majesty of the Victoria Falls thundering below. Times and personal best records momentarily put aside, large numbers of contestants stop to take photographs of each other , then

it is off for a circuit around the Big Tree, the runners carefully guarded and cheered on by watchful members of National Parks scouts and the Victoria Falls Anti Poaching Unit. A gentle and scenic descent down the Elephant Hills takes us into the Victoria Falls national park. The insidious ascent to the top of Victoria Falls plateau begins at the bottom of the Elephant Hills and it was memorable to be part of the crowd of runners from all corners of the earth who banded together to get up this section. A group of flagging school boys were

entertained by a crop sprayer from Zambia, a gentle Comrades veteran in her early sixties patted an exhausted young girl wearing only a pair of slippers on her feet and the excited water table attendants told us to “just drop your cup – I’ll pick it – you are special... you are a runner!” The shouts of encouragement from friends, family and strangers alike cheered us one and all to the end, combining us all into one big family joined by the camaraderie of running.

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

ller at bezi Trave m a Z e th e 2010 of e First Issu and found it great. th p u d e k rk pic Chobe Pa I recently hobe ate of the G u d u ars with C id e y r the S fo a n to Botswa a. My son n going up urite places in Afric d lived e e b e v a h o I n of our fav kavango a Vikki and being one t in the O e o g rr d a o P L rs ri e Safa n Mey is PHD o even did h rs. yea ld apprecithere fo 4 e and wou vel in v ti a rm fo a ally very in wish to tr il ur paper re to friends who also o y y by e-ma p d o n c u ic fo n n o o tr We c ss a le e p n ble opies to you send a pies availa ate a few c Zim. Can re back co d A n r. a e si ia a e ib Bots,Nam tion much er info. ake circula m l il w e any furth is ir u q Th re u o tact if y Please con

Hi All,

Teddy, I have just spent a month on the Zambezi River with friends David & Jean Moir who have built a house in Zambia 30km north west of Sesheke. There I picked up a copy of your paper/newsletter which I found most interesting as having been brought up in Zimbabwe (Rusape) and having left in 1966. I have been spending time in Zambia each year since 2005 and found your paper most interesting, informative, and a great travellers friend. In the past I have been all over Zambia, to the source of the river, found the source of the Congo River and this year David & I put a motor boat in the river at Sesheke and we took two days getting down to the Mambova rapids. To our surprise we bumped into the UK scullers who were spending a night at Mambova prior to continuing their feat of rowing from the Angola border down to the Victoria Falls.

DISTRIBUTION

30000 WORLD WIDE

Teddy Brightman Accounts Advertising & Subscriptions Victoria Falls, Chobe, Caprivi and Windhoek Tel: +263 (0) 712 217 178, Email: teddy@yoafrica.com

Frances Jackson All Editorial & Advertising Victoria Falls, Kariba, Middle Zambezi (Zambia and Zimbabwe), Livingstone, Lusaka, Mozambique Tel:+263 (0) 712 208 370, Email: fjackson@iwayafrica.com

ards

Kind Reg

yes & Vikki Bo Rutledge burg Johannes

The Zambezi Traveller welcomes letters to the editor fjackson@iwayafrica.com

Pam Lindsay Advertising Harare, Kariba & Lower Zambezi Tel: +263 (0) 772 230 971 Tel: +263 (0) 714 305 886, Email: pam .hdt@gmail.com

Good evening to you Teddy

Joe Myburgh

I have just returned from a trip to Botswana, and during my wanderings I came across a couple of issues of your Zambezi Traveller. Being an ex Zimbabwean now living in South Africa. I found your publication to be possibly the most Dear interesting newspaper that I have ever come across, Frances and Teddy and I pored over it for hours!! It covers what happens to be my passion – a part of Africa unparalleled anywhere else in the World. We have advertised in the Zambezi TravelPlease advise me how to go about receiving ler for the past year now, and have just signed up regular copies, and whether or not they can again for the coming year! I have had so many people be posted, and if so where postage payment enquire AND BOOK too, through this newspaper and can be made. I just wanted to let you girls know that you are doing a fabulous job! It is being so well distributed and is Kind regards getting a great name for itself too! So many people Gordon Guthrie, Pietermaritzburg want a copy of it! Keep up the good work guys!

On returning to Cape Town this week, where I now live in retirement, I wanted to congratulate you for a great paper. I have just read the issue on PDF format which again was most interesting. As I am also Captain of Erinvale Golf Club I would love to receive a printed copy of your paper and once I have read it will pass it on to Erinvale Golf Club where members can follow the holiday news around the Zambezi. People are always asking me what is it like up there, is it safe etc. You and I know the answer. Tony Morgans, Western Cape South Africa

By Meg Coates Palgrave

joins it only about 1.6 kms from the first appearance of the water and after that the river starts to widen and the second tributary, the Matonji, is about five kms downstream.

he source of the Zambezi River lies about 50 km north of Mwinilunga in what is known as the pedicle in the north-western tip of Zambia. The Democratic Republic of Congo border is less than one km away but the river does not go into that country at all. It flows through the pedicle into Angola and then comes back into Zambia at Chavuma.

The ground is littered with fallen leaves. A boardwalk has been erected to protect the sponge from tramping feet. I did not find the source just ‘a disappointing puddle’ as I had been warned. Yes there is a small puddle with an

Advertising and Editorial Okavango Delta, Chobe and Botswana. Tel : +267 (0) 713 03 808 Email: joe@maunphotolab.com

Tash Morgan Advertising and Editorial Mozambique

Cell: + 258 82 464 0747 Skype: africantash Email: zamtravmoz@gmail.com Web: www.zambezitraveller.com

Baynham Goredema Advert Design and Make Up Tel : +27 (0) 72 600 5283 Tel: +263 (0) 774 867 806 Email:baynham@xealos.com

Bernie Styles – Gache Gache Lodge, Kariba, Zimbabwe

Hallowed birthplace of our great river

Surrounded by miombo woodland, the source is an amazing sponge supporting a small strip of swamp forest; a forest with a closed canopy, through which little light filters. It is dark and mysterious with periodic shafts of sunlight.

And then about 48 kms away at the Zambezi Rapids, just before the Zambezi River goes into Angola, the river has grown so much that there is sufficient water for a hydro project.

...gently flowing stream passing through and around stilt roots , Zambia,

arrow pointing at it bearing the legend ‘SOURCE.’

getting stronger and stronger as it goes.

That is the highest point at which the water seeps to the surface in this wonderful forest. At first it trickles down, disappearing and reappearing until after about 30 or 40 metres the water oozing out of the sponge is sufficient to form a gently flowing stream passing through and around stilt roots covered in moss,

The atmosphere is all so quiet and peaceful that it is rather like visiting a cathedral, fitting for the beginning of such an awesome river. The Zambezi River has many tributaries which make their contribution to the fourth largest river in Africa. The first one, the Kangwadi,

Available from: Local Hotels and Lodges and coffee shops The travellers friend, a definitive guide for destinations along the Zambezi. Distributed world wide to Travel Agents, industry shows, hotels, lodges and key public areas throughout the region, including capital cities. Expose your destination, activities, businesses to an international market through the Zambezi Traveller. Editorial Submissions Zambezi Traveller welcomes editorial submissions but reserves the right to publish. Email in Word format to fjackson@iwayafrica.com

Publisher The Zambezi Traveller P O Box 183, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Design and Layout Baynham Goredema Xealos Design Consultants www.xealos.com

PHOTO: MEG COATES PALGRAVE

Printing Strand Multiprint

Teddy Brightman - teddy@yoafrica.com

ISCLAIMER All information and points of view are of those of the people who submitted them, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editors. Whilst every effort has been made to ascertain the validity of the information submitted Zambezi Traveller cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. Zambezi Traveller does not accept any liability for any advertising copy/content not received correctly. Zambezi Traveller reserves the right to refuse advertising material that does not meet its specifications or advertising standards.

.. and reappearing

PHOTO: MEG COATES PALGRAVE

zambezitraveller.com

Zambezi Traveller

Travellers Friend

Largest protected conservation zone in the world! KAZA TFCA Angola

PHOTO : KELLY LANDEN

level and towards realizing the KAZA vision and the objectives outlined in the Treaty.

From left : The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (Botswana) , Hon. O. Mokaila, The Regional Co-ordinator for the KAZA TFCA Mr Sedia Modise and the Minister of Economic Development and Co-operation (Republic of Germany) Hon. Dirk Niebel officially opening the KAZA TFCA offices in Kasane, Botswana.

he signing of the K avango Z ambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Treaty on 18 August 2011 in Luanda, Angola during the closing ceremony of the SADC Summit by the KAZA Heads of State, and the opening of the KAZA Secretariat office on 26 August 2011, effectively formalizes and legalizes

the establishment of a giant conservation zone in the Okavango and Zambezi River basins. This conservation zone is the largest protected tourism area in the world. It is over half the size of France. These two events are important milestones in the establishment of the KAZA TFCA and have laid the foundation for taking its development to the next

In December 2008 the ministers responsible for environment, wildlife, tourism and natural resources agreed to locate the head quarters of KAZA TFCA in Kasane, Botswana as Kasane is considered the heart of this conservation landscape where the borders of four of the five partner countries converge these being Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Honourable O.K Mokaila, Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (Botswana) together with visiting Minister Dirk Niebel of the Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development of the Republic of Germany officially opened the KAZA secretariat office in the presence of the other KAZA partner countries. The region is known for rare species including cheetah,

Liuwa Plains NP

Kafue NP

Blue Lagoon NP

Mongu

Lusaka

Mana Pools NP

Zambia

Matusadona NP

Sioma Ngwezi NP Livingstone

Namibia

Chobe NP

Chizarira NP

Victoria Falls Kazuma NP

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Hwange NP

Legend

Nxai Pan NP Makgadikgadi Pans NP

Kabwe

KAZA TFCA

City / Major Town

International Border National Road

National Parks

G R A P H I C B Y B AY N H A M G O R E D E M A W W W. X E A L O S . C O M

african wild dog, black sable and rhino. It is also home to some 250,000 elephant. Honourable Minister of Economic Development and Co-operation of the Republic of Germany, Hon. Dirk Niebel commented as follows: “This operation illustrates in a nutshell what, in my opinion, characterises successful

international co-operation for sustainable development. North and South Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands together with SADC, are jointly supporting this transfrontier nature park. So far we have provided 20 million Euros for the development of infrastructure in the KAZA region.” He also said

that “Even more important, however, is that, in the future, the animals will no longer have to stop at borders created by humans as they go on their migrations.” He is convinced that the inauguration of the new KAZA Secretariat is a milestone for regional co-operation in the SADC region.

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