SUBURBAN KABWE

A two km walk to the office in the morning before it gets too hot, or more frequently a 30 pence taxi ride from the communal water tap at the neighbouring settlement.  At lunchtime I can walk about the town centre,  shop for familiar foods and grab a samosa to eat. 

Weekends and a chance to explore further but first breakfast in a posh, if fading in elegance, hotel with an ex-pat Swede to tell me his story about trying to manage Zambian railways over many years both nationalised and franchised but always with increasing decay – he is now a business advisor. 

I visit the railway station to find two trains forecast for Saturday 2am going south to Livingstone and 7 in the evening going north to the Copperbelt – could it be the same train since the line has clearly been reduced to a single track?  Circling the town centre is a suburban ring of bungalows in 1 or 2 acre plots, each protected with walls and barbed wire but with a good collection of mature trees.  Beyond this scene are the settlements where it appears most of thr residents live. The houses are tightly packed precluding cars but still with garden plots of maize and other crops. I m cautious but the residents are friendly and guide me to the river I was seeking which turns out to be no more than a reed filled ditch draining from the old mine.  Returning by way of the railway compound I see a number of prefab type houses – maybe dating back to more successful rilway company days or some other public housing project.

In the evening there is a power cut but with the vso issued solar charged light and  fresh lettuce am ok for a salad and watching films on the lap-top.  Next week am office trip up north to Mkushi where some recent land deals between the local Council and a neighbouring Chief need investigating….. 

Railway leving town

BIKE SHOP

The road home