November

Vol. 21, No. 11, 2015

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Published by:LH Publications Limited,

PO Box 36666, Lusaka, Zambia.+26 0966 821-290 / +26 0965 821-290

editor@lowdownzambia.comwww.lowdownzambia.com

Winners of the 2011 Africast Tourism Journalist of the Year Award-

Advertising, Subscriptions and Distribution:ads@lowdownzambia.com

-Printed by:

New Horizon Printing Press Ltd,PO Box 38871, Lusaka, Zambia.

+260 211 236-637

Editor: Heather Bender ChalcraftLayout & Design: Louann Chalcraft

Waiting for the rains,by H Chalcraft

Front Cover Photograph:

EastendedFines Not So FineEast Park Mall Meander

Star GazerIn the GardenBirds, Bugs and BushesEating OutFool On The HillMole In The HoleBook ReviewSurely Insured?

Chickening OutReaders Have Their SaySaving Our Wildlife and EnvironmentIodized SaltUDI and the Immediate AftermathWhat’s HappeningRestaurantsEmployment SoughtSmall Adverts

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EastendedAfrica. BBC First was indeed launched, but only for viewers in South Africa because their research showed that there was little traction in the African market and that those customers (note that the viewers about which we are talking are customers) who were ardent followers of Eastenders and Downton Abbey should instead watch Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Perhaps Multichoice never heard what Gene Buckley said ‘Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer!’

As we go to press, there are many, many unhappy Multichoice customers around Zambia. They have contacted the local Multichoice offices and were initially fobbed off. But after a number of days, they are finally being told that Multichoice are looking into the matter. The inability of the local office to handle this matter makes one think that these complaints have come as a big surprise to Multichoice; an indication of just how out of touch they are with their customers. Perhaps they need to take advice from Ross Perot who said ‘Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to their customers.’

Of course, as a virtual monopoly in Zambia, Multichoice don’t need to do

anything; they can ignore their customers and in time, the current furore

will quieten down. But the bad taste has already been

left in people’s mouths and it will not be forgotten … ever. Should

a credible competitor start up in Zambia, Multichoice will see their customer base

dwindling away.

Watching TV is not something I spend a lot of time doing. But I have understood from regular TV watchers that the programmes offered through the different Multichoice DSTv bouquets contain many repeats. And I was able to see this for myself over the last two weeks when I did spend a considerable amount of time watching TV. I now fully understand what regular viewers complain about. An episode of NCIS screened on Monday evening and again on Wednesday evening between the hours of 7 pm and 11 pm; the same episodes of Big Bang Theory screened twice in one day and again a few days later. And these are just two examples.

But there was one channel where there were no repeats – BBC Prime, which screened popular series like Eastenders and Downton Abbey; series which many female viewers watched with full dedication, never missing an episode. Monday to Thursday you would find them in front of the TV at the appointed time.

Then came the first whammy. Multichoice Africa decided to do away with BBC Prime and instead screen BBC Brit, a channel which was skewed towards male viewers (is this discrimination - ?) with programmes such as Top Gear, The Graham Norton Show, and The Classic Car Show. The ladies were up in arms, until it was explained to them that from 19 October DSTv Premium subscribers would be able to enjoy BBC First which would show British drama series including Eastenders, Casualty, Silent Witness and Downton Abbey. This placated the ladies; it was only a few weeks away and their favourite programmes would be back.

But then came the next whammy. Or should we call it a serious error of judgement by Multichoice

Fines Not So Fine

service but has also licenced the driver

as being competent to drive members of the public.

Yes the new, higher fines have been rescinded because of complaints from bus operators because Zacaria Phiri’s law enforcement is adversely affecting their business. Why do they not do like the rest of us do – make sure the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition. Then Zacaria Phiri can’t fine you and neither can they ask you for a bribe.

Of course we do understand that the higher fines presented a much bigger incentive for Zacaria Phiri to stand out in the hot sun at a road block enforcing newly invented rules and regulations. The rewards received were like having their own ATM’s. As long as minibus drivers (and others) have vehicle with defects and as long as they don’t have a good knowledge of the Road Traffic Act, Zacaria Phiri will be out on the road harassing them. Surely it would be much cheaper to fix the defects and to also spend a bit of time knowing the Road Traffic Act so that they can argue it out with Zacaria Phiri.

The rescinding of the new fines has left RTSA and the fast track courts in a quandary. What fines should be courts be handing down, the new ones or the old ones? As we go to press, this matter is still being discussed and a decision is awaited.

We had spent quite some time talking with the very helpful Public Relations officer at RTSA. Our discussions covered the new fines/fees, enforcement of road traffic rules by RTSA and enforcement by Zacaria Phiri. All the information had been gathered and then came the announcement that the new traffic fines were to be rescinded and the old fees were to remain in force. This decision was made following enormous pressure from minibus drivers because the new fines were ‘adversely affecting’ their business.

The traffic fines were in fact increased earlier in the year when all Government fees and fines were increased. For some reason, Zacaria Phiri did not start using these fines until recently. RTSA had started implementation immediately although it slipped under the radar as RTSA no longer allow motorists to pay an admission of guilt; instead they take them to the fast track court and the magistrate decides on the fine. According to RTSA, the fast track courts have been successful in reducing incidences where enforcement officers co-operate with motorists to reduce the fines paid. In other words, they have been successful in reducing corruption.

But right now, we are scratching our heads while we try to work out the thinking behind reverting to the old, lower fines.

To start off, we need to look at why we have road traffic rules and regulations. Surely the primary reason is to ensure the safety of all road users, be they pedestrians, cyclists, motorists or passengers in a minibus. Of these groups of people, we would say that the ones most needing protection through the road traffic rules and regulations are the passengers in buses.

Private motorists take responsibility for themselves when they decide to drive a defective vehicle or to drive in an unsafe manner. Conversely, those boarding minibuses or any form a public transport have transferred this responsibility to Government by the fact that Government has not only licence the vehicle for public

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October

Vol. 21, No. 10, 2015

Could A National Park Be Lost on Our Watch?

Water’ an Exhibition

Get On The Vino

More Than Horses

Water, Water Everywhere

Star Gazer

In the Garden

Birds, Bugs and Bushes

Asthma – Ease your Breathing Now!

Fool On The Hill

Mole In The Hole

Red Passion

Don’t Be A Victim

Getting Started

What’s Happening

Restaurants

Employment Sought

Small Adverts

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Did you miss the October edition?

Click here to read it!

August

Vol. 21, No. 08, 2015

One Drum, Many Beats

AC DC ANC

Growing Art Gracefully

Star Gazer

In the Garden

Birds, Bugs and Bushes

Fool On The Hill

Mole In The Hole

Getting Started

Beat A Broken Heart

Surviving Zesco

Reality Check

Lusaka’s Park

With a Passion for Primates

Attack on Saisi

What’s Happening

Employment Sought

Restaurants

Small Adverts

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Did you miss the August edition?

Click here to read it!

by Gwyn

ThomasThe Sky in November

Nebulae - Planetarythey often collapse on themselves and then explode to give off masses of matter which contain large amounts of energy, much of it appearing as a bright coloured planetary nebula at several discrete visible wavelengths.

There are many examples of planetary nebulae and many of the Messier objects are Planetary Nebulae. They are often spectacular and while the astronomers are studying the forces that made them, the Hubble Telescope has imaged them with amazing accuracy. Most of the nebula are only visible through telescopes at very dark sky locations.

“Nebula” is Latin for mist or cloud and astronomer William Herschel coined the misnomer “planetary nebula” in the 1780’s because when viewed through his telescope, these objects appeared to him to resemble the rounded shapes of planets. They are relatively short-lived phenomena, lasting a few tens of thousands of years, compared to a typical stellar lifetime of several billion years.

A planetary nebula, often abbreviated as PN or plural PNe, is a kind of emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from old red giant stars late in their lives. As stars die

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Messier number

NGC/IC Number Common nameDistance

(kly)Constellation

Apparent magnitude

M27 NGC 6853 Dumbbell Nebula 1.14–1.52 Vulpecula 7.5

M57 NGC 6720 Ring Nebula 1.6–3.8 Lyra 8.8

M97 NGC 3587 Owl Nebula 2.03 Ursa Major 9.9

M76 NGC 650, NGC 651 Little Dumbbell Nebula 2.5 Perseus 10.1

The Dumbbell Nebula is situated in the constellation of Vulpecula (the fox) low down on the Northern horizon during November shortly after sunset. The central star, a white dwarf, is estimated to have a radius which is 0.055±0.02 R๏ which gives it a size larger than any other known white dwarf.

Because Messier lived in the Northern Hemisphere and never travelled to the Southern Hemisphere there are many Planetary Nebulae which have been recently discovered and have not been designated names.

M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula

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One of the more spectacular Planetary Nebulae in the Southern Hemisphere is NGC2440 which was ejected by a dying star, but it has a much more chaotic structure than many Planetary Nebulae. The central star of NGC 2440 is one of the hottest known, with a surface temperature near 200000 degrees Celsius.

During October the 5 major planets:• MercuryismovingfromVirgointoLibra,

barely visible, early morning, just before dawn.

• VenusismovingfromLeothroughVirgo,visible, early morning.

• MarsismovingfromLeothroughVirgo,visible, early morning.

• JupiterismovingthroughLeo,visibleinthe morning.

• SaturnisinScorpio,visibleuntilmidNov,early evening, sets shortly after sunset.

Diary of Astronomical Phenomena

EventLast Quarter Moon (14.5h)Venus near MarsRegulus near The MoonSouthern Taurid Meteor Shower MaxJupiter near The MoonMars And Venus near The MoonVenus - Moon 2.1° At NoonVenus - Moon 9.0° At NoonSpica near MoonNew Moon (19.8h)Northern Taurid Meteor Shower MaxSaturn near MoonComet 10p Tempel at PerihelionComet 2013 Us10 Catalina at PerihelionLeonid Meteor Shower MaxFirst Quarter Moon (08.5h)Alpha Monocerotid Meteor Shower MaxUranus near MoonMercury near SaturnFull Moon (00.8h)Aldebaran near MoonMercury near AntaresVenus near Spica

d3355677891112131416171921222526262730

Last month's Lunar Eclipse

was visible from much of Africa

in the early morning. This is my image of

totality.

NGC 2440 lies about 4000 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Puppis.

In T

he G

arde

n

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I saw an ad in a South African magazine for a new type of hosepipe. It caught my eye and its kinky nature aroused my interest. It packs into a small box and is light and green and … kinky. Guaranteed not to kink any more as it is already so curly. I hope the real thing arrives in Lusaka shops soon as my hosepipes are a zillion years old and need replacing; this hosepipe sounds like fun compared to dragging metres of heavy hose across the garden.

A friend told me how to paint a garden wall without parting with too much cash. Mix one cup of salt with one cup of oxide powder. You can get green or yellow ochre colours in oxide (please don’t use red for this purpose). Then mix cement with water to a thick paste; add some building sand if you want it to be thicker without using too much cement. Mix in the salt and oxide powder thoroughly or the colour will not be even. Apply to the wall with a brush. Water lightly morning and evening for two days to prevent cracks forming as it dries. It is also much cheaper to use whitewash but this gets black streaks during the rainy season unless you add in a generous amount of salt. A whitewashed wall needs to be repainted annually, preferably in April.

Organise large pots of herbs near the kitchen door. Mint roots grow like crazy and should be contained within a pot. To be honest, I use it as a ground cover and let it grow all over the place but if you like a neat and tidy garden … control it in a large pot. Grow any herbs that you use a lot and don’t forget watercress, lemon grass and dill, all essential in my kitchen. Add chopped parsley and mint to salads. Add chives or garlic chives to soups. Add fresh ginger to stir-fried food.

Buy boots for your gardener to wear in the rainy season. Organise some large buckets or drums to catch rainwater as it pours off the roof and use this to water your pot plants. They will love it! Mulch exposed soil with a 5 cm thick layer of compost; or plant mint, oregano, comfrey or any groundcover. Get seeds for the plants you want to grow in the vegetable garden in this season, for example sweetcorn, butternut or other pumpkin, ochra, aubergine, impwa and bondwe. Swiss chard will survive well into the rainy season especially if you added river sand to the soil when planting.

Plants need to be nourished. Give some thought to buying or making an effective fertiliser. Add comfrey leaves to the compost heap. Get any type of animal manure that has been well dried and dig it into the soil. Grow a leguminous crop to add nitrogen and dig the plant into the soil too as a green manure. The local “Lawn and Garden” fertiliser can be scattered over your grass to make it greener. Ecobiz earthworm compost is a winner for healthy plants.

TIP: Burn dry sticks that have fallen off the trees and use the ash to fertilise fruit trees. This is very effective for papaya (pawpaw) but all fruit trees will benefit.In

The

Gar

den

They have many names...

as names. I’m not going to give credit to these myths by listing them here, but suffice to say that no Southern African members of this order are venomous, they do not develop parasitically - in anything - and they can neither disembowel live camels nor snip hair. They do run at people, but this is more about getting their sensitive eyes out of direct light than aggression.

Belonging to the class Arachnida, they comprise the single order Solifugae, and

in Zambia, three families are known to be present, and at least four more occur in neighbouring

nations and may, theoretically, reach Zambia. Why should we care?

Well, two reasons. The first is what they eat: many species are specialist predators of cockroaches or termites -

with some species of Hemiblossia, for example, being found entirely within termite mounds. The second reason is how much they eat; whether they are

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Jerrymunglums, Sun-Spiders, Wind-Scorpions, Haarskeerders, Camel-Spiders and ‘Argh! Get it away!’ Whatever name you know them by, I’ll be referring to them as Solifuges. And while they are not particularly diverse - with barely 200 described species in southern Africa - they seem to be associated with as many myths

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chasing down cockroaches or rose-beetles, these animals have such demanding metabolisms that attempts to breed them in captivity usually come up against the issue of it being virtually impossible to keep them fed; while a large scorpion will get by merrily on one meal a week, a solifuge does better on one every hour. And when wild ones find a healthy population of cockroaches living behind the sink, it doesn’t take long for them to make a serious dent.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t jump on a chair and scream when one runs into your dining room when the rains begin; if you enjoy it, feel free to. But maybe, just maybe, you could consider appending your scream with ‘Don’t kill it! It’s here to help!’

at Eviva

Restaurant

rare steak with chips was ordered. This too arrived attractively garnished with the chips perfectly cooked – crispy but not over-cooked. The steak was closer to rare than medium rare and could have done with a tad more time on the grill. Despite this, it was juicy and succulent and did melt in the mouth.

The third main dish was Kleftiko, lamb roasted slowly in the oven. The best Kleftiko I have eaten was at a restaurant in Sandton, Jo’burg (Pappa’s at Sandton City – try it if you happen to be there and if they are still in business) and I have been trying to find one as good since then. This was 1998, so it has been a long time that I have been searching.

Served with roast potatoes and vegetables, I was not disappointed. The mutton was tender, moist and flavoursome and I would say almost on a par with the Kleftiko at Sandton City.

Having made our way through starters and main courses, we did not manage desserts although we were very tempted as they

It had been quite a few months since we had got together for lunch and a good natter. We decided it was time and the venue was to be Eviva as we had heard so many good reports about it.

I am not sure exactly how you describe Eviva. They describe themselves as Mediterranean, but their varied menu includes the inevitable steak dishes. But then these are a must in Zambia where many are not only conservative eaters but also full-on carnivores.

For starters we chose Fried Haloumi, Chicken Liver Peri-Peri and an unpronounceable Greek Sausage which turned out to be Sheftalia. I often find that starters are just a little too big, but these were of the right size and all delicious.

For mains, someone needed to sample the sushi. Since one of us eats no fish at all and the other eats fish but not raw fish, it left only one person to have the sushi. She ordered a Fashion Sandwich with salmon. Sushi is always colourful but this was not only colourful but also beautifully presented with a carrot ‘rose’. It was also pronounced delectable.

Steak was the other ‘must’ on the menu. Many think it is easy to cook a steak to perfection, but this is far from the truth; we have been served many an imperfect steak over the years. Thus, one medium

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sounded delicious from the descriptions on the menu. We won’t list them here; better you visit yourself and see what they have in store for you.

What is obvious at Eviva is that there is a great deal of attention given to detail, from being met at the door and taken to the table that has been reserved for you, all the way through to the presentation of the food and the serving of the drinks.

Being smokers, we chose to sit outside, as it seems did everyone else that day. But the tables inside were all perfectly laid and one could feel the relaxed and cosy atmosphere that would prevail when sitting down to an excellent meal in the evening with subdued lighting.

What was also pleasing was to see the ‘managers’ present – ensuring the bar was working smoothly; checking that meals were up to standard and to the customer’s satisfaction. This is not often seen in Zambia.

If you are planning to dine at Eviva’s, it is necessary to phone and reserve a table as they can be fully booked, both at lunch as it has become a popular venue for business lunches and in the evenings as well. They also welcome children so are a good place for a family meal.

Eviva is definitely the place to taunt your taste buds with the flavours of the Mediterranean.

Location: 2 Tito Road, Rhodes Park.Phone: 0211 846-465 or 0211 846-466

Closed Mondays

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from Starsky and Hutch or any other refugee from the 80’s minus the perm and the moustache. His work done he shot his cuff, snapped the cap down on his gold Dunhill lighter and disappeared back into his own unassailable world in a delicious puff of cigarette smoke.

After such a bad start at adult dressing I somehow managed to get through Sixth Form College withareasonableamountofflairand where others had tweedy woollen jackets which made them look like prematurely aged maths teachers, my best friend John and I opted for lightweight linen box jackets with square skirts and no vents. These we coupled with tight, light-beige jeans, white button-down shirts and knitted ties in a sort of Eddie-Shoestring-meets-Peter Stringfellow (in the company of Hall and Oates) fashion statement. And so off kilter were the 80’s that not only did we pull this off but it earned us a certain kudos. My collegiate look could easily have evolved into a Brooks Brothers type affair and sent me down the road of stylish dressing, but somewhere along the line I moved back into Levis and from there into the fashion-free years of khaki slacks and army surplus shirts and pockets stitched on pockets on photographers vests and canvas desert boots so that even when I was back in the UK I seemed to be dressed for lost ark raiding in some or other banana republic.

Around about this era my second suit happened. I was in Bangkok with good friends and my girlfriend at the time, feeling I suppose quite grown up as I was on my own dime at twenty six and she was indecently almost ten years younger. We were on route to Hong Kong to revisit my childhood haunts and catch up with my father again; who had refused to be lured

A suit. The Suit ... that’s all I want. Unlikely as it sounds.

I’d love a well tailored jacket that slips over my shoulders to frame them

manfully in a whisper of expensive cloth. That hangs just so at the hip, neither too

long nor short and whose vents do not gape every time I move. That sports slim lapels and just two buttons which somehow cinch my not inconsiderable gut and make it magically disappear. The material must breathe but stay crisp, the suit must have the merest of linings and never make me hot. The trousers must sculpt for me a godlike arse when the jacket rises up, be narrow and shapely in the leg, turned at the cuff and generous in the waist. The comforting glint of a link in a double cuff, a jaunty tricoloured pocket square and an ironic polka dot tie would offset the rebellious black suede Chelsea boots and finishtheensemble.Surelythatwoulddothe trick and make me feel good about myself since nothing else has worked.

I twice had a suit in the past. I think a FathershouldbuyaSonhisfirstsuitandtry as I might to remember that this did not happen I actually think it may have, on the occasion of one of father Spuddie’s rarevisitstoEnglandandmysister’sfirstwedding. I suppose I must have been around 15 years old and seem to recall being taken to Burtons or somewhere equallyblandandfittedoutinabrownish-aubergine hued and shiny off the peg number with voluminous pant legs, a crotch that sagged to my knees, a mismatched waistcoat and a wide lapelled and itchy jacket which was as elegantly shaped as a Kellogs box. Spuddie himself was always a snappy dresser and had a cupboard full of razor creased, sharkskin suits which the cast of Mad Men would have murdered for, but somehow he failed to initiate me into his Brat Pack style-club of one and instead outfittedmeasRonBurgundyoranextra

lining for the single breasted jacket which I was sure would hint at a certain devil-may-carelessnesswhenitflaredinthebreezefrom the harbour as I strode off the Star Ferry with my best girl on my arm, into the welcoming arms of my father.

We collected the disappointingly delayed suit on the way to the airport which was probably a standard part of the con and whenwefinallyreachedthehotelonthewaterfront near Central and I unzipped the suit bag (Look! Look! They gave me a free suit bag!) the material seemed somehow different and was more ... how can I say it ... golden, than I remember it being. The cut of the (GOLDEN!) jacket was bold with the shoulders taking their inspiration either from Joan Collins or Colin Powell, but not from me. The garishly luminescent crimson lining extended to the very edge of the jacket hems and seemed to implore one to just be done with it and reverse the damned thing and try to carry it off as a cheongsam borrowed from an opium lord. The (GOLDEN!) trousers were cut as Oxford bags and the din of the legs’ material brushing together as I walked into the restaurant at the Hilton Hotel was almost deafening. My father looked up from hiscocktailatfiftypaceswiththestartledexpression of a man expecting to be engulfed by a tsunami but seeing only the approach of a vaguely familiar GOLDEN clown. “Hi Pop” I said opening my arms for his embrace. “Sit down for Chrissake!” he hissed turning his back in case he was recognised in the company of such a blatant act of sartorial suicide. “What the bloody hell is THAT you’re wearing?” he implored under his breath.

One could be forgiven for giving up on suits. After all I am built like a toffee apple, with spindly legs, a whisky gut that no amount of exercise will displace, love handlesonmymuffintops,amammariedpigeon chest and no neck. So what kind of peg I imagine holds a suit that could contain all that in gentlemanly elegance, God only knows? And so I look on in envy at the

back to the UK and the cloying clutches of his wife despite my sister’s several divorces and subsequent new weddings. “I can’t KEEP giving her away” I recall him saying in frustration “Someone MUST hangontoher!”Somewhereinmybaffledpsyche I suppose I wanted to impress on him how mature I had become in the years since I had last seen him, which he viewed as a complete waste of everyone’s time as I had spent them guiding safaris for too little money instead of working gainfully at a desk. And so I entered a Thai thailoring establishment at the behest of a bucktoothed tout who promised that they could make me a bespoke suit the same day. I patiently searched out what I thought was a sensibly open weave of mid-roan linen suitable for a tropical weight suit. I decided on a leg that would not appear toounflatteringlybaggyandplumpedforturn-ups which I had discovered were useful ash receptacles for smoking on aeroplanes. With what I believed to be panache I chose a red Chinese silk brocade

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unlined uninspiring box blazer and a pair of blue chinos for the next funeral ... which will probably be mine when she sees the courierbillthislatestmailorderfiascohasraised!

“I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.” -Warren Buffett

“Now I’m way into suits that I can put on whether I took a shower or not, and wear barefoot and paint my toes black or whatever color the suit is. It’s very cool to wear suits like that. Roll up the sleeves and just say yee-haw.” -Steven Tyler

P.S. Charles Tyrwhitt Customer Care (of Milton Keynes) have just emailed to say that the re-order has been denied by my credit card provider; so the wife is onto me and the game is up. Also the lady I trusted and tasked to post the returned, undersized clothing in the UK for me is apparently riddled with Alzheimer’s. Once more it appears The Suit eludes me.

three or four friends I know who can carry off a suit like Connery, Craig or Specter and conveniently forget that the one would happily drop a thousand guineas having that suit tailored in Savile Row or that Karl Lagerfeldhadthesecond’salteredtofithimas a personal favour, and the others (damn their undeserved ectomorphism) could look good in kaftans.

Meanwhile as funerals become more commonplace in my dwindling circle of friends and the need for at least a half decent jacket rears its head again I am drawn back to The Suit. My wife mocks and scoffs at the need, not understanding that the obvious and robust fruit of my loins, a cupboard full of guns and the ability to fart on demand maketh not the man ... but after all this time The Suit just might. I gradually morph from jeans to chinos to skinny suit-cut trousers without her noticing. My leery party shirts become more tailored and muted in design and then one night when she is away, feeling like a crazed Jack Sparrow I board the Charles Tyrwhitt (of Jermyn Street) website brandishing a fist-fullofcouponslikeacutlassandafteran exhausting three hours come away with my tape measure smoking and a bargain basket-full of remotely bespokish tailoring in the pipeline. I wait, I check the emails, I pace and accessorise from Amazon and finallyacoupleofweekslaterIhaveitall,Ihave assembled the ingredients for the new me and repair to my absent son’s bedroom for a private dressing session at the end of which I will reveal myself to her like a peacock.

A half hour later and I have managed to bloodlessly extract myself from the seam-strainedslim-fittrouserswithoutgusset-busting them and the beautifully cut (for the bloody Charles Tyrwhitt male model of Paddington I once shared a birthday supper with ... but not for me) jacket is back in its packaging (Look! Look! They gave me a free suit bag!) and I have checked out the returns policy and settled on re-ordering a shapeless XXL cotton drill untailored

A Memory Jogged

was built by the then Rhodesian Railways from Ndola through Kitwe and Chambishi to Nchanga. Mufulira was then connected to it by a branch from Chambishi and the line up to Mokambo fell, more or less, into disuse. A small section served to provide access to the mine’s explosives magazine but the rest was abandoned.

In the 80’s work to salvage some of the 60 lb rails by the mine for underground use was abandoned after the expatriate foreman in charge was shot (like Forrest Gump) in the buttocks and his company vehicle stolen. The line ran along the border with the then Zaire and there were lots of enterprising gentlemen living “au Congo” who would go to considerable lengths to get some wheels.

Those were dodgy days on the Copperbelt and people had to be careful. The road between Ndola and Mufulira was a no go area and houses in the low density areas of the mining towns were fortified. One way of protecting ones motor car was to insert a pipe into the floor of the entrance of the car port and put a lockable bar into it to prevent the car from coming out. You could tell who had done that, all their cars had a big dent in their rear bumpers from the time that the Bwana was late to work and jumped into his car and forgot the anti theft device still in place.

Kalulushi seemed unaffected for a while until one night, going out to dinner at a neighbour’s house, I found, on my arrival at their gate, one Ted Martin, standing all forlorn, in his underpants.

His company vanette, a Peugeot 404, his clothes, his watch, had all gone to bolster the Katangan economy. Much alcohol was consumed that night!

In 1989 the General Manager, Dave Littleford, decided that it was a good idea to build a railway line from Nkana to Chibuluma mine. The idea was that ore could be transported direct to the concentrator at Nkana, This would allow the closure of the concentrator at Chibuluma

I had just received a copy of the Journal of the Permanent Way Institution. In it was a great article about the latest construction effort, building a railway line from the Moatize coalfield into Malawi, to join up with the existing line to the coast at Nacala. The new construction that was required, through pretty rugged terrain in places, totaled 138.5 km of track. Additional works to strengthen the existing line down to Nacala (another 700 km) had also to be carried out to enable it to allow the huge trains to pass, handling 18 million tonnes of coal per year. To put that in perspective, Zambia Railways is lucky to shift one tenth of that in a year.

In the article there was a map of the region, one that contained a tiny error, it showed a railway line passing from Chambishi, through Mufulira and on up to join the main line to Lubumbashi in the Congo at Mokambo. Wrong, it is not all there now because I nicked half of it!

The line had been constructed down to Mufulira in the 1920’s as a branch line from the famous Cape to Cairo line at the same time as that built down to Luanshya from Ndola. This was all paid for by RST, the mining company responsible for developing the two massive properties. The 1930’s depression caused construction of Mufulira mine to slow right down and the closure of Chambishi but, later, once economic activity picked up, the main Copperbelt branch line

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the haulages mined to get to the copper ore underground.

No, it was the track furniture, the rails and the sleepers that we had to find.

Sleepers were a perennial problem for us underground miners. Hardwood timber sleepers were supposed to be supplied by Mining Timbers, a branch of Circuit Holdings, in turn a part of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines. The man in charge, Mr. Malcolm Freed, known, for inexplicable reasons, as Mr. Fraud, had a problem. Half the year access to the timber harvesting locations was nigh on impossible because of the rains; during much of the dry seasons the Land Train trucks were engaged on other activities such as taking building materials up to Kasaba Bay on Lake Tanganyika to build a lodge for Super Ken. As a consequence wooden sleepers were like rocking horse ordure and none could be spared for a line to Kalulushi.

The unfortunate foreman was tracked down to the Mufulira Bowls Club, where, rather unkindly, he was known as Scarface’s pal - ScarBum! He could not remember what material was left on the Mokambo line; a site visit was required and he was not going to go.

Early one morning I left my vehicle at the border post and started walking along the overgrown line through the bush. It was still and beautiful. Beside the track could be seen the odd headwall of little culverts, an abandoned wheel set and sleepers, sleepers for Africa, Mashonaland New Standard

and stop the ore haulage by Terex trucks along the side of the golf course, the dust and noise from which used to put people right off their game!

I had made the proposal, some 15 years earlier, that the only way to profitably open the Chibuluma South property was to commence with an Open Pit, the oxide ore from which could be treated at the Nkana concentrator. To get the ore to Nkana required a railway line; the terrain demanded that the line should be routed through Chibuluma and the savings made by shutting the Chibuluma concentrator could adequately fund the construction of the line. In the end the savings made ($9 million in the first year) were used elsewhere but that is another story.

I was summoned; “You wanted a railway, go build it, but there is no forex, times are hard”

Locomotives and rolling stock were not a problem; there was always a spare loco or two on the busy Nkana mine network which was used to moving the best part of 5 million tonnes a year from the Mindola and South Ore body shafts into the concentrator. Luanshya had built a long conveyor belt to handle ore that had been railed in from Baluba so there were spare ore wagons available there.

The construction of the permanent way was not a problem either, we had the Mindola Open Pit, they could spare bulldozers etc when required. Ballast was available in abundance; we had our own crusher and a huge supply of waste rock hoisted from

chemise made, many years before, by Janet Raeger!

The inspection visits were not without incident or danger. The casual labour had to be paid (cash money only!) frequently not least to encourage them in their endeavours so it was with some trepidation that I made them. Two soldiers were collected and were left in the vehicle at one of the collection points and I then walked down the formation to locate the team.

It would not be long before I would be accosted by a Congolese gentleman. Notable identity points were a round shiny face, adorned by a large smile, one or more gold chains round his neck, a double chin on the back of his neck and an FN rifle. He bid me good morning, told me he just loved my motor car and would like to drive it. Could I please give him the keys? I assured him that the keys were in the car. How very considerate of you; and the money that you had brought to pay the men? Also in the motor car. Excellent! But, please Mr. Congolese gentleman there are two little soldiers in the car and if they were asked to walk home they might be upset. How very inconsiderate of you to bring them! Next time! And with that the chap melted away into the bush. This conversation was carried out in French, the kindest thing to say about my abilities in that language is that it is atrocious!

It took the best part of a month to complete the task and I was relieved to get it done.

The rest is history, sleepers were worked on, the mounds of clip sets were rehabilitated, panel building continued and shipped out by rail from the mine workshops to the rail head and in 5 months the first ore was loaded onto cars at Chibuluma West and sent to the Nkana Concentrator.

The bush has reclaimed the Mokambo line formation, the lone wheel set is overgrown, perhaps it is time to correct the map but my memories of that site will remain.

1905 sleepers with the pressed out lugs to accommodate wedges to hold the 60 lb rail in place. Alack, there were no wedges, there was no rail.

Where to find rail? Off to the Zambia Railways reclamation yard in Kafue where I found stacks of used 80 lb rail that had been reclaimed when the main line had been upgraded to 90 lb rail to handle the massive 20 class Garret locomotives brought in to service in the mid 50’s. There too was a mass of clip sets that held the 80 lb rail to slotted metal sleepers. Of the sleepers there was no trace, all had gone for fence posts or to foundries for recycling.

An experiment was carried out. If you took the 1905 sleeper, pressed the two inside lugs flat, pressed a slot in their place you could put two pieces of 80 lb rail so that they pressed tight in against the outside lugs, bolted clip sets through the slots and tightened it all up and you had track at the correct gauge of 1.067m!

Getting the rail up to Nkana where panel building would be carried out was not a problem. Zambia railways were prepared to lend us the 1 000 tonnes of rail as long as we paid them to transport it up.

The sleepers were a different matter. These had to be gathered up from along the line to a number of collection points with road access. It was estimated that a total of 20,000 required collection to allow for rejects etc. One track worker who had retired to the area was found who was very happy to live in the bush and recruit a bunch of local villagers whose normal occupation was smuggling bags of mealie meal over the border into Zaire. The other major operation was the brewing of kachasu, a mix of sugar, warm water, maize, husks or banana skins. Add Brewer’s Yeast and when fermented it can be distilled into an extremely potent and dangerous liquor, aptly named Bombshell! On one of my inspection visits there I discovered a toothless old hag engaged in the task, her upper half clad in a grimy

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One Hundred and Four Horsesby Mandy Retzlaff

the border. During this time, their three school going children were amazingly resilient and strong.

But Mozambique was still recovering from a 20 year civil war and the starving villages did not know horses; they called them ‘big dogs’. After three of their horses were eaten and a scheme to grow paprika fell through, Pat took seven horses and went off to start a new life in Vilanculos, at the coast, where he gave tourists rides on the beach.

There he and the horses survived a cyclone that destroyed most of the town. A year later Mandy and 27 horses, all that were left of the 104, joined Pat in their new home, a tiny thatched-roofed hut a few metres from the sea.

But fate had another cruel card to deal. One by one, the horses began to die from a mysterious disease which turned out to be poison from a toxic sun hemp growing in the field in which they were pastured.

Yet this remarkable and tenacious couple continue to look to the future and today run Mozambique Horse Safaris on the beaches of Vilanculos.

One Hundred and Four Horses is a book you should not miss and is available from Planet Books or from Amazon.

Horse books are not what I normally read, but this book was not one that I was going to miss. Written by Mandy Retzlaff, a friend for the last 38 years, this is the struggle of the Retzlaff family to save as many horses as possible from the farm invasions in Zimbabwe.

The story begins in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa where Mandy was introduced to Pat, her husband, by a mutual friend. They were married in Zimbabwe or Rhodesia as it was then, whilst the bush war was still raging. In fact, their wedding speeches were interrupted by guests grabbing guns and rushing off in their cars to fend off an attack.

Returning to Zimbabwe after Pat had finished his studies in South Africa, the Retzlaff’s eventually purchased a virgin within the terms of Mugabe’s reconciliatory approach after independence in 1980. Over the next 20 years they hacked away at the virgin bush and their farm started to take shape. The Retzlaff’s raised their family in these idyllic surroundings and horses were always an important part of life on the farm.

But in 2001, they were handed a dirty tatty piece of paper ordering them off the farm. Escaping with little else, they did however manage to take their horses with them. But this number grew as other farmers fleeing from Zimbabwe begged them to save their horses from torture and butchery as the new farm owners only considered them as meat.

Moving from one empty farmhouse to the next in Zimbabwe, with a growing herd of horses, they realised that if the horses were to be saved, they needed to get them to Mozambique. Loading the horses onto trucks and bribing border officials, they managed to get them through Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands with their pine forests and finally settled with 104 rescued horses in Chimoio, only 200 kilometres from

Surely Insured?

valid disc that will comply with the new regulations.

Whilst researching this article, it became clear that most people do not know what cover is given by the legal minimum Third Party insurance and what cover is given by Full Third Party insurance.

The minimum Third Party insurance gives cover to pedestrians (and probably cyclists) injured or killed in an accident, although the amount of cover is not very much – a maximum of K30,100 if only one person is involved and a maximum of K60,100 if more than one person is involved.

Full Third Party covers pedestrians as above but also death or injury to persons in the ‘other’ vehicle as well as repairs to the ‘other’ vehicle, up to the value of the amount insured.

Given the flooding of our roads with Spacio’s, Fun Cargo’s and Vitz’s etc, often driven by incompetent drivers and owned by people who can barely scrape together enough money for fuel, it might be time for Government to consider that all motorists have Full Third Party cover to a minimum of say ten thousand Dollars. This will give some protection to the other Spacio, Fun Cargo and Vitz owners who probably still have a loan which they are paying off for buying the car. It will also give some protection to the owners of Double Cabs, GX’s and Benz’s when they are hit by the inept Spacio, Fun Cargo and Vitz owners.

I recently read a Facebook posting by a motorist who was most indignant that following a traffic accident she had been charged for not having the minimum Third Party insurance cover. It seems she was completely ignorant that this insurance is required by law and is there to cover death or injury to any pedestrians who may be involved in a traffic accident.

Up until now, checking that motorists have Third Party insurance has been the responsibility of RTSA when renewing one’s vehicle licence (road tax). Clearly the system was not working as surveys have found that only about one-third of the vehicles on the road had insurance cover. But this is set to change.

Two or three years ago, some of the insurance companies had, voluntarily, started issuing insurance discs, but each company’s disc was different and many people (myself included) did not bother to display the disc.

Government has now put in place legislation that requires insurance companies to issue their clients with a disc indicating that the vehicle has insurance cover and the validity of such insurance.

In preparation for this new legal requirement, the Insurers Association and their members will be issuing a standard disc which has been printed by security printers. Law enforcement officers will be trained in recognising these discs and interpreting the validity of them.

The effective date is 1 January 2016 and from that date motorists will be required to display the insurance disc on the vehicle’s windscreen as they now do with the licence (road tax) and fitness discs.

However, as we go to press, the discs are not yet available and are only expected to be available in December. Thus if you are renewing your insurance during December, you will automatically be issued with an insurance disc. But if your insurance is valid until a date after 31 December 2015, you need to contact your insurer during December and they will issue you with a

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Chickening OutThe use of the word ‘indigenous’ could also annoy Asian and white Zambians as their rights to non discrimination as guaranteed under our constitution. Perhaps a better word to use would have been ‘targeted’ as was used in the Citizens Economic Empowerment Act where ‘targeted’ is interpreted as ‘a citizen who is or has been marginalized or disadvantaged and who access to economic resources and development capacity has been constrained due to various factors including race, sex, educational background, status and disability’. This offends no one and gives a clear indication that it is the marginalized Zambians who are the intended beneficiaries of Government’s new policy.

Then we have to look at the existing businesses in each of the mentioned sectors. Eureka and Verino chickens have been in Zambia for many years and we assume are still foreign owned. They have much money invested in infrastructure and processing plants. Are they going to be closed down or forced to sell fifty percent of their shares to Zambians?

Our cement producers by their very nature are involved in quarrying. Are their quarries going to be closed down and will they be forced to rely on our local stone crushers to supply the raw materials they need to

manufacture our cement? I wonder what Mr Dangote will have to say about

this? And are our road contractors who, from necessity, have

The recent announcement by Government that the conduct of certain types of business will henceforth be only for indigenous Zambians has been met with many differing reactions. It also raises many questions.

The first question is the use of the word ‘indigenous’. What is an ‘indigenous Zambian? What is the legal interpretation of the word ‘indigenous’? There is no universally accepted definition for “indigenous,” although it is mostly used in the context of populations who are a minority in that country. But when used in the Zambian context, who is indigenous and who is not, bearing in mind that the original inhabitants of the area we know as Zambia were the San (or bushmen). Is it based on religion? Is it based on language? Is it based on how long said people have been living in the territory. For example, Zimbabwe used to (maybe still do) interpret ‘indigenous’ as having lived in the country for seven generations. Assuming a generation is thirty years, then this interpretation would exclude the Ngoni people who only arrived here in 1825 and those Lozi’s with Kalolo blood as the Kalolo only conquered the Lozi in 1838.

But we all know that here in Zambia, it is based on skin colour. Indigenous in Zambia means black. But what then of our coloured population? Are they less Zambian than a black Zambian? Yet there are many coloured Zambians who also need some help and need empowering.

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in our markets. This is one area where marginalized (and especially women) citizens can easily enter the market as not a lot of capital is needed. Quarrying, blockmaking (to be done properly) need more initial investment which will be beyond the reach of many Zambians. In this regard the Citizen’s Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) should set up a strictly controlled revolving fund to empower our citizens. And when we say ‘strictly controlled’ we mean that the expenditure of the money must be strictly controlled, the project must be monitored and, most importantly, the money must be paid back so that the same money can be lent on to other Zambians.

We should also be looking at areas where empowerment of Zambians has been successful. Back in the 90’s the policy on road maintenance was to employ, where appropriate, labour based road contractors. This was very successful and a number of contractors who started off with only a few wheelbarrows and a couple of shovels progressed to owning graders, tractors and trailers. These types of contracts should be encouraged.

But if we really want to empower Zambians, we need to start at the bottom and that is with a good, solid basic education. But not only does this education need to include the proverbial Three R’s – reading, writing and ‘rithmatic – it also needs less emphasis on academic subjects and more exposure to practical subjects such as carpentry, metal working, electrics. Tertiary technical education needs to be available once students have received their basic Three R’s. But most importantly all levels of education must include inculcation of a good work ethic; the knowledge that there are no free lunches, discipline, and entrepreneurial skills. Government has truly failed Zambians in the field of education and this needs urgent attention if we truly wish to empower our citizens.

opened their own quarries to produce the aggregate they need, going to be forced to rely on manual crushing of stone.

Next is local transport. What of the likes of Sable Transport and Petand Motors who have been transporting goods on local routes before any Zambian transporters ran on international routes, in the days when anyone involved in international haulage was considered an economic saboteur and when the annual maize crop needed collection, trucks were not allowed to leave the country.

A lot is going to depend on implementation of this new policy. Are the existing Eureka’s Verrino’s and Lafarge’s going to have to sell shares to indigenous Zambian’s. Such a requirement will severely damage any investor confidence that remains after SI 33 and SI 55. Many business owners may just lay off their staff and disinvest.

But the question still remains why, after fifty one years of Independence, we are still having to empower our citizens by reserving certain business activities for Zambians. People born in the few years preceding Independence in 1964 are now reaching retirement age. These people were not disadvantaged – there were schools for them to attend and, although limited, Government run places where they could obtain tertiary education to equip them with skills so that they could enter the world of business. Subsequent generations had full access to education.

Taking this further, in the years immediately after Independence, in order to empower Zambians, non-Zambians could not hold retail licences; this area was reserved for Zambians. Zambians were also assisted with initial stocks for their shops. So what has gone wrong?

But despite the above, we agree that certain jobs or businesses should be reserved for Zambian citizens. It is a travesty that Chinese nationals are selling poultry

one entire case (they are normally packed in twelves), to the airport’s single bottle.That same morning, she bought a similar size (300ml) bottle of 74% Mango pulp juice from a hot and cold beverages shop at OR Tambo airport for the equivalent of K22:50. If the strategy is to do with customer segmentation or location pricing, wouldn’t 100% to even 150% mark up be sufficient justification for the location (international airport). However, over 1,000% mark up, for a locally produced and distributed bottle of non reverse osmosis water? Just what goes into pricing for the airport and would it justify this kind of pricing? Is there even a simple regulation for this? Do you know?

Charles BotaWe agree that these prices do seem excessive. Perhaps National Airports Corp or some of the shop owners could tell us how they justify these prices. Ed.

I have run-out of empathy and conclude people inherit the Country they deserve. One can argue until Hell freezes over but it is today’s people that make tomorrows Country.

So be it.Chej di Talot

Hello. Going through the events section I noticed 11 October is ‘Girl Child Day’. Now, according to the dictionary, GIRL IS A FEMALE CHILD. So, what the UN-NGO are saying is female child child day! I didn’t realize the UN could be so poetic!

Zuan d’ArtigneMy wife ordered two bottles of water at one of the small shops at our KK International airport. To her surprise the bill came to K40. When she queried, the sales assistant insisted that was the price. That is K20 for a single 500ml bottle of water. In the supermarket she would have paid anything from K1.79 to K2 or 11 bottles or almost

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Saving Our Wildlife and Environmentare numbered”. It is a fact that almost all Zambia’s national parks are under high levels of threat from bush meat, ivory and rare species poaching and trade, and settler encroachment. However, with a very few exceptions (for example the Isangano and Lukusuzi National Parks), the Zambian Wildlife Authority and its partners are doing a reasonable job of maintaining boundaries and sustaining ecological functions and wild populations in the national park estate.

The more important issues are identifying the main drivers of these threats to national parks and finding ways to address them.

For example, it is debatable whether it was slowly increasing animal populations in Kasanka that triggered an increase in poaching. Was/is it not more likely that stubbornly high levels of rural poverty, coupled with an exponential growth in lifestyle demands in Zambia’s rapidly growing urban areas and economy, are the main drivers? Or was it huge increases in calls for raw materials from large and growing East Asian economies and for specialist products and rare species in the West? There is a surprising dearth of published evidence to isolate the causes of poaching and species theft, but human beings have a propensity for focusing on low hanging fruit and short-term profits, which would suggest that all three factors are involved.

A point that needs heavy emphasis is that finding solutions to threats to the national park estate cannot be done in isolation. The Kasanka National Park may have a larger percentage of its area within ten kilometres of a main national road than any other national park, with the exception of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Park in Livingstone, and so it is doubtless more threatened than most. But solutions must be found that will secure the whole national park system, not individual components of it. Increased “national discipline” has been suggested as a panacea, but that is so loaded with interpretations, and cultural and educational curved balls to be a non-starter.

Any reasonably intelligent person who drives around with their eyes open and keeps reasonably up to date with current news cannot help but be distressed at the alarming rate at which Zambia’s wildlife, trees and other natural resources are being decimated. In an effort to highlight this, the October issue of The Lowdown contained two articles about Kasanka National Park and Bangweulu Wetlands.

In response to these articles, we have received communications from both the Kasanka National Trust and the Fishery Manager at Bangweulu Wetlands, both of which are reproduced below.

It is clear that we, as the general (and caring) public can do much to support the efforts of those more closely involved in protecting our wildlife and environment.

Endorsement to Lowdown October 2015 Leader Article “Could a National Park be Lost on our Watch” by Ryan Ellis

The Kasanka National Trust Board thoroughly endorses the three main points made in last month’s article by Ryan Ellis: there is need for the corporate world support to national parks; national parks are under threat; and the benefits of national parks to the local communities are not understood by the communities themselves. We believe, however, that these points are important and warrant further emphasis.

Firstly, Zambia’s system of 20 national parks desperately needs the support of the country’s (and the international) business community and its holiday-taking citizens. Government and a limited number of conservation organisations do what they can to fund and manage these national parks but together the national park estate covers about 10% of Zambia – roughly 7.5 million hectares – with ideal total operating costs that are probably equivalent to some 2,500 large ranches.

Ryan’s second point is that the Kasanka National Park is under significant threat and unless trends are reversed “its days

support projects, the purchase of farm produce, processed goods (furniture and curios), works contracts, and even taxation on management personnel, tourism profits and VAT, all ultimately return to these communities as some form of benefit. Little literature exists for Zambia that demonstrates clearly where and how such socio-economic benefits are realised. What is certain though is that for the most part local communities around national parks are not aware of the collective magnitude of these benefits, or more importantly, of the economic leverage potential that a national park presents for them – if only to have a bus service stopping at the gate! Developing this awareness and supporting innovation around it must surely be part of the “big picture” solution.

Finally, a few clarifications: counting millions of bats in the gloaming is challenging, but research suggests that the figure is nearer 10 million than 5. Whatever, if you haven’t seen this spectacle it is what is tritely called “awesome” and is a lifetime must. Some tracking work has been done on the Straw-coloured Fruit Bats visiting Kasanka but this has raised as many questions about their behaviour and travels as it has answered and much more fascinating work lies ahead. Secondly, the recent funding that permitted the Kasanka Trust to re-open the Lavushi Manda National Park for business (please visit – it has some spectacular scenery, great walks and very diverse albeit slowly increasing wildlife numbers), was administered by the World Bank but originated from the Global Environmental Facility and the funding reached the end of its investment period in 2014.

Lastly, there are times when we are pretty demoralised by the scale of our challenges, but the current Board and Membership of the Kasanka Trust does not see any imminent sad end for the Kasanka and Lavushi Manda National Parks on our watch. Nevertheless, after 25 years of successful operations, the Kasanka Trust realises that the world around these parks has changed dramatically and new approaches, technologies and innovations

Anyway an experiment with a stuffed deer placed beside a highway in the United States for a day effectively demolished the argument. At the end of the day, there were so many bullets in it to render the deer practically unrecognisable; demonstrating fairly clearly that the tails of the normal distribution in human behaviour includes sufficient loose cannons to blow such altruistic ideas away (pardon the pun)!

Unfortunately increased public relevance must be at least one of the solutions for sustainability for our potentially very valuable national park system. “Unfortunately”, because raising relevance is a long and convoluted process through enhanced awareness, then increasing contact and familiarity with these assets, and ultimately regular and increasingly competitive demand from the Zambian public for access to national parks for rest, recreation and spiritual rejuvenation. So being attractive, accessible and affordable to Zambian holidaymakers does strengthen their relevance. But there also needs to be a better understanding within the general public of the long-term biodiversity and environmental services benefits these parks offer.

A positive is that Ryan Ellis’s call for support from Zambia’s business community and the general public need not only mean cash contributions. Corporate social responsibility support could provide considerable mutual advantages for national park support, in longer term and more interactive and participatory partnerships. This could also, for example, include corporate social responsibility investments in environmental awareness and education for employees and/or schools, or bonus system holidays in national parks, or even wildlife holidays embedded in contract packages.

This brings up the third key issue raised in the article, that communities living around the Kasanka National Park (and other national parks), derive considerable benefit from the existence of these protected areas. Tourism revenue shares, employment, skills training and transfer, social and community

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rehabilitated after having been confiscated and kept at Munda Wanga Zoo for a year. I would also perhaps have been able to convince him that Lavushi Manda National Park is in a largely ecologically intact state with minimal encroachment, which does not warrant his statement that “… ZAWA will probably degazette and leave [the park] to the Bemba charcoal magnates”, whoever those may be - we certainly haven’t seen any sign of them, no more than anywhere else in the country.

“The unenviable nightmare of running a management project in this habitat … would drive a sane man to climbing the walls, I imagine”. Yes, it can be difficult managing a conservation project in such a huge ecosystem that supports so many people, but the trick is to remain positive and work at achieving realistic goals. The unique shoebill, the ‘lechwe herds of biblical proportions’, the sustainable fishery yielded by these intact wetlands … all are worth conserving. Bangweulu Wetlands is addressing each one of the many environmental issues raised in the article, and our partnerships with community, government and other stakeholders are strong. African Parks is no naïve player when it comes to turning difficult projects into success stories, and I look forward to publishing some articles in the Lowdown highlighting some of our work here.

Carl Huchzermeyer, Fishery Manager, Bangweulu Wetlands

are required to revitalise their contributions and value to our country. We are currently addressing that issue, as well as those raised by the Ray Ellis and the Fool on the Hill articles in the last Lowdown We would be more than glad to discuss any other constructive contributions that Lowdown readers may have who share our commitment and hopefully would like to participate in our work. If you would like more information on what we do please go to www.kasanka.com or www.kasankanationalpark.com, or e-mail us at board@kasanka.com

The Kasanka Trust Limited Board

In reference to the October Edition’s ‘Fool on the Hill’ column, in which Mr da Motta gives a rather pessimistic report on his trip to Kasanka NP and Bangweulu Wetlands, I wish to clarify a few of the points he raised. The article is well-researched and gives fair criticism of the accommodation and environmental challenges faced in the area. However the following is a complete fabrication: “…we arrive at Chikuni, with the strains of Supersport coming through the patio windows of the biologist’s bungalow…” I wish to emphatically state that I do not own a TV, nor would I be watching sport channels on one if I did, at least not when I am in the bush.

I was obviously not home when Mr da Motta visited, but if I had been I would gladly have given him the background to the tame shoebill, which is being

Iodized Salt: Friend or foe?as it takes a balanced diet to do so. Iodine is found in sea food, kelp and seaweed, eggs, cereals and grains. However, modern diets and packet foods are so high in sodium chloride, that eating processed food means higher salt intake, with or without iodine. Other secret sources of iodine are medications and drugs that are used regularly, such as cough syrups, expectorants, steroids, heart medications and such like. There is only one logical end to this story: iodine overload, consequent metabolic disorders and immune system malfunction.

In places such as Japan, some parts of Spain and other developed countries, according to research findings, people are at risk of iodine overdose and the various illnesses associated with that condition – from iodized salt and an unbalanced diet. Some related health problems include an over active thyroid, inflamed thyroid which can further produce other symptoms such as tremors, heart rhythm gone awry, insomnia or disturbed sleep, increased blood pressure, and even anxiety and nervousness.

Food experts are saying that if the label on the packet says “sodium chloride” then what we have is nothing more than refined salt. Another indicator is the colour of the salt. Pure white would mean refined, grey-ish white or pink, for instance, would mean unrefined. The minerals are represented by the colour. Salt that is truly unrefined could contain 80 or more different trace elements. This is the case in unrefined Himalayan Crystal Salt (available at Umoyo Natural

Health).

The right kind and the right amount could enhance the taste and healthfulness of your food. Otherwise, refined (and iodized) salt, like refined sugar is a slow poison.

....................................................

Umoyo Natural Health www.umoyo.com 0966 800 600

Take it with a pinch of salt. All the press about iodized sodium chloride being good for the health of your thyroid is not entirely true. Salt is so vital to life, that without it we would cease to be alive. Muscles would not function properly, your memory would fail you, and there would be no beating heart to boot. Yet why is salt the black sheep of the food world?

Salt is of three fundamental types: rock salt, sea salt and table salt; each one of these main types comes with variations in terms of chemical composition and source.

Salt, when refined, loses all of its trace minerals which unrefined salt has plenty of, similar to the compositions found in blood. Unrefined salt contains magnesium and potassium, and both are needed for the optimal functioning of the body and to enable the metabolism of sodium. Potassium, magnesium and sodium are the great triad that works in tandem to regulate the body’s water balance and manage the nerve and muscle impulses. To put it simply, the more sodium you eat, the more potassium and magnesium you would have to eat in order to maintain homeostasis. Our diets today, while they are high in sodium, are practically devoid of the other two.

Iodized salt can’t fix iodine deficiency

Refined salt, as it is, has been stripped of all its trace elements. Once this is done, anti caking agents are added to the salt and recently it has become mandatory in many parts of the world to add iodine as well. Salt is also being refined so it can be used as an industrial grade chemical for explosives and warfare, because that would require only the purest sodium chloride. Some of this “pure stuff” is then incidentally passed off as salt that is to be eaten.

Iodizing the salt, it has been said by some experts, is not a productive way of improving iodine levels in people’s bodies

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by Kim Otteby

UDI and the Immediate AftermathPrior to UDI, efforts had been made and plans had been put in place to mitigate against the effects of UDI. Plans for expanding the power station at Livingstone were at an advanced stage; plans to develop the harbour facility at Mpulungu were sketched; plans had been made to stockpile coal from Wankie at Livingstone; supplier of railway wagons had been identified; work was underway to develop the coalfields at Maamba. Yet when the declaration actually came, there were only marginal coal stockpiles in place and virtually no reserves of fuel.

Britain’s reaction to the UDI was to apply sanctions against the rebel regime. But it was recognised that for sanctions to be effective, it would have to include an oil embargo. Such an embargo would entail a naval blockade of the port of Beira, then under Portuguese control. Britain introduced oil sanctions again Rhodesia a month after UDI but it was not until the following year that they obtained a mandate from the United Nations to intercept tankers docking at Beira carrying oil for Rhodesia. This blockade became known as the Beira Patrol. More about this in a future edition of The Lowdown.

Initially, Zambia had pushed for military action to be taken by Britain against their rebellious colony. However, such an action would have had a detrimental effect on Zambia. It was also clear that Britain was not going to take military action against the Rhodesians and that sanctions were the best (only) alternative. On 1 December, the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, announced further initiatives in the British Parliament. The sanctions noose was being tightened.

These included exchange control measures between Britain and Rhodesia, making the transfer of funds virtually impossible. At the same time 95% of Rhodesia’s exports to Britain were placed under boycott. At the same time, Wilson addressed the issue of Kariba, an area of great concern to Zambia.

UDI is an acronym we often hear but many have no idea what it means or what it was. Standing for the “Unilateral Declaration of Independence” declared by Britain’s rebellious colony, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), on 11 November 1965. Fifty years on we look at the immediate aftermath for those of us living north of the Zambezi.

Zambia having only obtained Independence in 1964, our economy was still tied and heavily dependent on that of Rhodesia. Our import and export routes, especially of our all important copper, were through Rhodesia; our railways and airline were jointly owned with Rhodesia; coal for running the mine’s smelters came from Wankie in Rhodesia; electricity, upon which our mines were dependent, was generated at a power station on the south side of Kariba; oil and fuel was refined in Rhodesia. Even phone calls made by our then President, Kenneth Kaunda, to his counterpart in Tanzania were routed through Rhodesia.

Rhodesia’s UDI was not unexpected. Their relationship with Britain, the colonial power, was deteriorating rapidly and the declaration was expected. Zambia’s new government understood how vulnerable Zambia’s economy was and they had already started trying to put in place contingency plans. But many of these were long term and could not be achieved overnight. Additionally, Zambia had to commit itself to expenditure on projects which under normal circumstances would not be considered economically viable. Requests for assistance for funding from Britain for such projects was not forthcoming. Neither was assistance from America. One such example was the need to construct the rail link to the port of Dar es Salaam. Britain committed itself to a survey whilst America committed to a survey of the road to Dar es Salaam. Instead, during May 1965, a team of surveyors from China arrived in the country to conduct a survey which was a precursor to the offer to construct what is today TAZARA.

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with fuel. The embargo against Rhodesia would cut off Zambia’s supply. Despite the existence of a Contingency Planning Organisation, when the oil embargo was put in place there was only 8,000 tons of fuel in the country. This was less than two weeks’ supply despite the recommendation that a minimum of two months’ supply should be held at all times. The oil embargo was announced on 17 December. On 18 December, Rhodesia cut off fuel supplies to Zambia. On 19 December, the first two RAF Britannias arrived, each carrying 3,000 gallons of oil. Fuel rationing was introduced – 4 gallons (18 litres) per month. When the airlift came to an end on 31 October 1966, 3.5 million gallons (15.75 million litres) had been carried at an estimated cost of £1 per gallon.

The airlift was only to bridge the gap until alternative surface routes could be developed. Plans which had been drawn up began to be put into action … what became known as the Hell Run. More about the Hell Run in a future edition of The Lowdown.

With Rhodesia having control of Zambia’s electricity supply, we were extremely vulnerable. Wilson warned that should Rhodesia use their position of control over Kariba to destroy the Zambian economy, Britain would take action. Britain already had an aircraft carrier cruising off the Tanzanian coast and he announced that a squadron of Javelin aircraft would be stationed in Zambia to protect our three main airports, Ndola, Lusaka and Livingstone. Furthermore, these aircraft would be used if necessary to protect Kariba although Zambia was insisting that the British station military personnel at Kariba itself. The crazy thing though was that for the Javelin aircraft to take off, permission had to be granted from Salisbury (now Harare) as Zambia’s airspace was still controlled by Rhodesia.

It was not until mid-December of 1965, that Britain and America agreed to an oil embargo against Rhodesia. This came hand in hand with an oil airlift for Zambia. At that time, 17 oil wagons a day crossed the bridge at Victoria Falls to keep Zambia supplied

Conditions - The articles and information contained in this newsletter are copyrighted to The Lowdown. They may be used in other publications or reproduced on condition that credit is given to the source. Photographs may not be used without written permission of the photographer. While reasonable precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of advice and information given to readers, The Lowdown, its advertisers and printers cannot accept responsibility for any damages or inconvenience that may arise therefrom. Any material sent to us will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and will be subject to The Lowdown’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of The

Lowdown. All advertising sales are subject to space availability and the discretion of The Lowdown.

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Tuesday 10 November: World Science Day for Peace and Development

Friday 13 November: The Lowdown December Edition Deadline.

Saturday 14 November: World Diabetes Day

Saturday 14 November: The Lusaka Book Club is reading ‘The Lives of Others’ by Neel Mukherjee. Next month is ‘Wonder’ by RJ Palacio. INFO: 0979 454-765.

Saturday 14 November: A Vintage Night at the Races. The Rotary Club of Lusaka presents - 1960’s Night at the Races! Venue: Intercontinental Hotel Lusaka. Time: 7pm. Tickets: K400. Theme: Formal Fashion. Package deals for a race & horses available. All proceeds from the night charity. INFO: 0977 794-072, 0975 705-205, 0977 775-439

Saturday 14 - Sunday 15 November: Zambian Art and Design Show. Venue: Leopards Hill Polocrosse Club. Time: Sat; 12pm - 6pm | Sun; 9am - 4pm. Tickets: K40 presale - Computicket, Shoprite | K50 at the gate. Info info@zambianartanddesignshow.org

Sunday 15 November: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Monday 16 November: International Day for Tolerance

2015 - 2024: International Decade for People of African Descent

2015: International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies

2015: International Year of Soils

Monday 2 November: International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

Friday 6 November: International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

Saturday 7 November: DISA Festival of Family Fun. Venue: Taj Pamodzi Hotel. Time: 10am to 4pm. Charges: Under 5 - Free | 5 - 12 years - K5 | Adults - K10. All Proceeds to DISA Charities. Attractions include Food Tables, Craft Tables, Beer and Wine, Henna Tattoo’s, Face Painting, Fun Sales, Balloon Animals and Music.

Sunday 8 November: Fund Raising Cricket Tournament. Hosted by the Zambia Sri Lanka Friendship Association. Venue: Lotus Cricket Grounds. Time: 8am. Teams: Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, India. Food stalls, kids entertainment, sky diving. INFO: 0975 015-497, 0966 256-763, 0966 633-641, 0977 502-540

Monday 9 November - Sunday 15 November: International Week of Science and Peace

Wednesday 2 December: International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Thursday 3 December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Saturday 5 December: International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

Saturday 5 December: World Soil Day [FAO]

Saturday 5 December: Mary’s Bookshop Christmas Bash. Venue: Mary’s Bookshop, Leopards Hill Road. Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm. Father Christmas comes with wrapped presents at 11 for the Kids. Tea, Coffee, Cakes and Hamburgers all day. Christmas Goodies available for your Christmas stockings and presents. INFO: 0966 767-704, 0966 860-594

Saturday 5 December: The Lusaka Book Club is reading ‘Wonder’ by RJ Palacio. INFO: 0979 454-765.

Monday 7 December: International Civil Aviation Day [ICAO]

Wednesday 9 December: International Anti-Corruption Day

Thursday 10 December: Human Rights Day

Friday 11 December: International Mountain Day

Friday 18 December: International Migrants Day

Sunday 20 December: International Human Solidarity Day

Thursday 19 November: World Toilet Day

Thursday 19 November: World Philosophy Day

Friday 20 November: Africa Industrialization Day

Friday 20 November: Universal Children’s Day

Saturday 21 November: World Television Day

Wednesday 25 November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Saturday 28 November: St Andrews Ball. Hosted by The Lusaka & District Caledonian Society. Venue: Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel. Tickets: K400 per person - limited. Ticket include three course dinner, access to a whisky table. Enjoy Scottish Country Dancing, bagpipes and a touch of Scottish culture followed by a DJ. INFO: 0979 477-270, 0974 778-550, lusakacalesoc@gmail.com

Sunday 29 November: International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Monday 30 November - Tuesday 1 December: Senses at Sensorium is hosting a presentation on new techniques done by Dr Clark. Take the opportunity to ask all about all aesthetic procedures from the expert with years of professional experience. Call to book your seat. INFO: 0211 257-330 or 0969 740-440.

Tuesday 1 December: World AIDS Day

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‘Business Associations & Community’

The Association of 41 Clubs of Zambia. Meetings: First Wednesday of the month, (except Chingola - first Friday). Lusaka: No 1 Kunzubo Guest Lodge, Zambezi Rd, Roma, 6pm; Kitwe: No 2, The Ravens Country Club, 6pm; Ndola: No 3, Table Hall, Ndola, 7pm; Chingola: No 4, Golf Club, 6.30pm. All ex-tablers welcome INFO: 0955 791-414.

Chishawasha Children’s Home has a regular stall at the Dutch Reform Church Craft Market. Available are hand-made crafts and quality second-hand books. Don’t miss this opportunity to support Zambian orphans. INFO: 0211 214557, philplusm@gmail.com

Diplomatic Spouses Association (DSA). Meetings: Last Tuesday of the month. Members and spouses from diplomatic / international missions, honorary consulates & expatriate community accredited to Zambia are all welcome. INFO: soraya.king@hotmail.com

HI Alumni. Lusaka Chapter. Time: Monthly third Saturday, 8am - 9am. Venue: Ndeke Hotel, Longacres. INFO: 0977 774-168, 0977 792-424

InterNations: Expatriates, expand your social and business network, join the largest fastest growing online community, mingle with other expats at our monthly events. Activities include lunch groups, dinner groups, Sunday afternoon coffee groups, photo walk groups etc. INFO: ireen.shalom@gmail.com

Friday 25 December: Public Holiday. Christmas Day.

‘Craft Markets & Markets’

Dutch Reformed Craft Market. Venue: Dutch Reformed Church, Kabulonga. Time: Last Saturday of the month.

Foxdale Court Farmer’s Market: Venue: Foxdale Court, 609 Zambezi Rd, Roma. Time: Sundays; 7am - 5pm. Locally grown fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, plants, fresh and dried vegetables. Support your small scale farmers. INFO: 0973 315-185, 0211 295-793, info@foxdalecourt.com, www.foxdalecourt.com

St Columba’s Craft Market. Venue: St Columba’s Presbyterian Church, Nangwenya Rd. Time: First Saturday of the month. Come buy and sell, all welcome. Proceeds to church projects and community.

Konzani Gardens Market Day. Venue: Plot 7053/M Lusaka West. Buy and Sell vegetables, chickens, eggs, clothes, toys, books, paintings. Time: Monthly, Last Saturday, 9am on. Stands: K20. INFO: 0976 549-777, konzanigardens@gmail.com

Waterfalls Precinct Gourmet Market. Venue: Portico Restaurant, Lusaka Showgrounds. Time: Monthly, Second Friday, 7pm. A community event where you can buy and sell authentic food. A platform for local farmers, organic merchants, bakers, butchers, artisan producers and more. INFO: 0969 442-753 oscar@waterfallsprecinct.com

(Second and fourth Thursdays, 6.15pm - 8pm). Toastmasters in an international organisation that builds communication and leadership skills. INFO: 0978 390-464, 0979 454-765, or like ‘Zambezi Toastmasters’ on Facebook.

Zambian Women’s Institute: Meetings: Every Wednesday morning. Venue: Longacres (next to the Red Cross Building). INFO: 0977 419-005, 0977 760-375, reginafinni@gmail.com

‘Faith-Based’

American Orthodox Catholic Church: Desire to celebrate the old Catholic Divine Liturgy (not Vatican). INFO: 0977 707-367.

Bahá’í Devotional Gathering: Venue: Bahá’í Centre, Alick Nkhata Rd, beside Mass Media Complex. Time: Sunday 10.30am - 12pm. All are welcome. Children’s classes and Junior Youth Groups. INFO: 0975 179-967.

Baptist Mission of Zambia: Venue: Baptist Guesthouse, Corner of Nangwena Rd, Margrat Tembo. Bible Study. Time: Sunday 4.30pm. Times are tough, Life doesn’t seem to be getting easier, troubles everywhere you look - But there is hope. Classes for all ages. Come join us as we study God’s Word - the only hope for our daily lives! INFO: 0211 292-143

Eternal Life Fellowship: Venue: Old Black Velvet Building, The Groove. Time: Sunday 9am. INFO: 0211 294-430 or 0977 853-298.

or emmswood@gmail.com or sarahe@tinytimandfriends.org

International Women’s Club. Meetings: First Wednesday of the month. Venue: Poolside, Southern Sun Ridgeway. New members welcome.

Lusaka District Business Association. Meetings: Last Wednesday of the month. Venue: ZCSMBA offices, Showgrounds. Time: 2pm. A member of the Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Associations (ZCWMBA). Come and enhance your business integrity. An ideal forum for sharing business knowledge, ideas, skills etc.

Rotary Club Meetings. Mondays: RC of Nkwazi; Barclays Bank Sports Club; 6pm. Tuesdays: RC of Lusaka; Holiday Inn; 12.30pm. Wednesdays: RC of Maluba; Radisson Blu; 12.30pm. Thursdays: RC of Lusaka Central; Taj Pamodzi Hotel; 12.30pm. Fridays: RC of Pamodzi; Taj Pamodzi Hotel; 12.30pm. Saturdays: RC of Kusinta; The Courtyard Hotel; 9am.

Stuttering Association of Zambia. Meetings: Monthly, Second Saturday. Time: 2.30pm. Persons who stutter or stammer, spouses of people who stutter, parents of children who stutter, speech therapists and anyone with an interest are welcome to join. INFO: 0977 863-363, 0977 841-576, stutteringz@gmail.com

Zambezi Toastmasters. Would you like to improve your public speaking? Venue: Lusaka Hotel. Time: Twice Monthly

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children’s program for ages 3 - 12. INFO: 0211 292-286, www.mlfc.org

Ngombe Family Church: Venue: Flying Angels Academy, Zambezi Rd. Sunday 5.30pm - 7pm. Wednesday evening Pastors Bible Study 6pm - 7pm. INFO: 0978 090-982, 0977 607-087, 0978 959-571

Quakers who would like to contact other Quakers in Lusaka call 0966 761-754.

Redeemed Christian Church of God: Sunday Service: Venue: Chrismar Hotel - Sable Conference Room, Longacres. Time: Sunday 8am - 10.30am. Bible Study. Time: Wednesday 5.30pm - 6.45pm. INFO: 0977 866-066

Rehoboth Assembly: (Redeemed Christian Church of God). Venue: Plot 7449 Cnr Katopola & Twikatane Rd, Rhodespark. Time: Sundays, 9am - 11.30am, Thursdays, 5.30pm - 7pm. INFO: 0955/ 0966/ 0977 710-440, rehobothassembly@gmail.com

Gospel Outreach Fellowship: Venue: GO Centre, Nangwenya Rd. Time: Sunday 8.30am or 11.30am. INFO: 0211 255-234, 0955 451-271 www.go.org.zm

Greek Orthodox Mass: Venue: Hellenic Association Club, Kafue Rd. Time: Sunday 10am - 12pm.

Ladies Interdenominational Bible Study Group: Venue: St. Columba’s Church, Nangwenya Rd. Time: Wednesday 10am. INFO: 0977 799-623.

Lusaka Family Church: Venue: Mulungushi Conference Hall, Mulungushi Village. Time: Sunday 9am - 11am. Children’s Church: 6 -12 yrs, Toddlers Zone: up to 5 yrs. Youth Life: Sunday 11am - 1pm, Life Groups: Thursday 7pm. INFO: Arnold 0211 293-367, 0978 090-982, Gisela 0976 722-892, www.lusakafamilychurch.org

Miracle Life Family Church: Venue: Miracle Life Family Church, Zambezi Rd, Roma. Time: Sunday 8am or 10.30am. Dynamic

Kafue Rd. Watch the elephants feeding and playing from the viewing platform. No fee, donations gratefully accepted. INFO: www.gamerangersinternational.org 0975 615-149, sarah@gamerangersinternational.org

Lusaka Animal Welfare Society (LAWS). Donate K100 to become a member of the only organization in Lusaka that takes care of abandoned or neglected domestic animals. You also get a LAWS key ring and 20% off all LAWS functions. INFO: 0966 005-297 (0966 00LAWS)

Nature Trails for Conservation. Raising funds for Game Rangers International. Time: Monthly, Third Saturday, 8am - 11am. Venue: Lilayi Lodge. Come and enjoy 2.5km, 5.5km or 10km trails. Children and bicycles welcome. Price: Adults K30 | Children K10. INFO: sarah@gamerangersinternational.org

‘Health and Sporting’

12 Step: Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA). Time: Saturday, 4pm to 5.30pm - 17:30 - Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Upper Room, East Wing), Ridgeway. A program for men and women, who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes. We meet to share our experience and recovery in an atmosphere of mutual respect. INFO: 0967 980-229, aca.lusaka@gmail.com (Int website, www.adultchildren.org)

12 Step: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Lusaka. Time: Monday, 6pm & Friday, 5.30pm - Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Upper Room, East Wing), Ridgeway |

South City Church: Venue: Baobab College Hall, Sunday 9am | Zebra Crossings Cafe (moving to Thorn Park 15/11/15), Sunday 10.30am | Chisamba Congregation Martin House School, Sunday 9am. INFO: 0978 289-998, info@southcitychurch.net, www.southcitychurch.net

Zambia Messianic Fellowship: Venue: 34285 Shantubu Rd, Rock-field, Lusaka. Sabbath meeting. Time: Saturday 10.30am - 12.30pm. INFO: 0977 858-061 zmf@microlink.zm | www.zamf.org

‘Four-Footed, Feathered and Environment’

BirdWatch Zambian meets once a month for a bird walk in the countryside. BWZ members, their families and friends head to the woods and wetlands around Lusaka and beyond. Walks are led by experienced birdwatchers who guide both newcomers and long-term birders through a morning of observation and exploration. INFO: 0977 485-446, www.birdwatchzambia.org

Dog Training. Venue: Showgrounds, Lusaka & District Kennel Club. Sundays. Learn to teach your dog good manners, general obedience and some seriously impressive tricks! Bring along your dog with his lead, collar and valid rabies certificate (and some patience) and join us for some fun dog training! INFO: 0962 001-686 lusakakennelclub@gmail.com

Lilayi Elephant Nursery (Game Rangers International). Elephant viewing times: daily 11.30am - 1.30pm, all year. Venue: Lilayi Elephant Nursery, Lilayi Rd, 6km off

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Beginner Belly Dancing. Venue: Shakespeare Court, Leopards Hill Rd. Time: Wednesdays 6.30pm - 7.30pm. Saturdays 10am - 11am. Cost: K50 - Small classes designed to give all women the opportunity to learn. No previous dance experience required. INFO: www.shimmyglisten.com or elisabeth@shimmyglisten.com

Beginners Polocrosse. Venue: Leopards Hill Polocrosse Club. Time: Tuesdays. Introducing riders of any skill level to Polocrosse. Age 12+. The clinic will give you an easy, no pressure, leg up to start you playing. INFO: 0965 801-256

Bump, Birth & Beyond Special Events. Time: Fridays. Venue: 4145 Nkanchibaya Rd, Rhodes Park. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail.com

Chilanga Hackers Golf Society welcomes golfers of all abilities to join in the fun of convivial golf and interesting social activities in a pleasant atmosphere with emphasis on friendship and enjoyment. INFO: 0211 290-818 (evenings), 0977 790-900, seawing@coppernet.zm

Children’s Playgroups and educational activities. Baby groups, toddler and pre-school. From 0 - 7 yrs. INFO: kidsclub.lusaka@gmail.com

Counsellor / Therapist: For handling Depression, Stress and Anxiety, Drug or Alcohol abuse, quit smoking, etc - using Hypnotherapy and NLP. INFO: 0955 999-727, priyabala@microlink.zm

Tuesday, 12:30pm – Kalemba Hall. INFO: 0973 154-222, 0954 210-446

12 Step: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Livingstone. INFO: 0962 804-137

12 Step: Al-Anon. Time: Wednesday, 5.30pm to 6.30pm - SHARPZ, 220C, Mutandwa Rd, Roma. A group for relatives and friends of alcoholics where they can come together to share their experiences, strength and hope. INFO: 0977 697-628, 0966 621-806, lusakaafg@gmail.com (Int website, www.alanon.org.za)

12 Step: Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) Women’s Support Group. Time: Thursday 5.45pm to 7pm - SHARPZ, 220c Mutandwa Rd, Roma. A fellowship that helps women learn to look after ourselves, share experiences, strength and hope. INFO: 0962 213-708, coda.lusaka@gmail.com (Int website, www.coda.org)

Aerobics by a Personal Trainer: Venue: Kaingo Leisure, Barclays Sports Complex, Club Rd (Showgrounds). Time: Tuesdays, Thursdays 6pm - 7pm. K25 / session. INFO: 0977 174-140.

Aikido Classes: Beginners welcome. Venue: Central Sports Club, Longacres. Time: Monday, Wednesday 5pm – 6.30pm. Price: K20 / month INFO: 0972 260-549, chisangakaluba@yahoo.com (1 Dan ITAF China).

Ashtanga and Pre-Natal Yoga classes. In the comfort of your home. Individual classes: K300 per class. Group sessions: K100 per person, per session. Contact: 0978 507-986, 0966 507-986.

Martial Arts. Karate Classes. Weapon classes for brown and black belts. Monthly self defence classes. INFO: Raymond (7th Dan) 0977 783-537, shihanray@hotmail.com

Mazabuka Tennis Club. Ladies tennis every Tuesday morning at 07:45. Mixed tennis every Saturday afternoon at 16:00.

Meditation. Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centre. Opposite Northmead shops. Monday - Saturday 5.30pm and Sundays 2pm. Free introductory courses. INFO: 0211 250-685 / 254-518 bkrymc@zamnet.zm

Motorbike Lessons Best of Bikes Academy. Venue: Central Park, Cairo Rd. Time: Sundays 9am. Learn to ride a motorbike safely in a controlled space, with experienced instructors. INFO: 0211 236-912/3, 0964 584-778, 0973 584-778

Mountain Biking Club Leopards Hill. Open to adults for Saturday morning fun mountain bike in the bush. INFO: mtblusaka@gmail.com

Optimyze Kare Health. Time: Last Thursday of the month; 5pm. Advice on all aspects of health (fitness, diseases, nutrition, mental health, beauty, lifestyle and wellness, and different alternative and complementary therapies) addresses by professional speakers. The purpose is to teach you to be ‘whole’ naturally. INFO: 0955 / 0966 847-777, optimyse@gmail.com

Polo X. Venue: Lusaka South Country club, Mukwa Rd, Lilayi. All skill levels welcome. INFO: 0979 505-152.

Running Group. Time: Sunday 6.30am. Trail & road. Mixed running ability. Options to modify distance (between 10 - 17 km). INFO: 0977 801-463, c_ngoma@yahoo.com

Salsa Dance Classes. Mondays and Fridays 6.30pm Intercontinental Hotel. Thursdays 6.30pm Melsim Lodge, Alick Nkhata Rd Cost: K30. INFO: 0979 400-538

Cricket. Venue: Lusaka South Country Club, Mukwa Rd, Lilayi. Country & Districts cricket. Home and away matches, Kids coaching, tours and T20 tournaments. Time: Practice Wednesdays, Fridays 5pm. Kids coaching, Saturdays. INFO: 0977 860-797, 0966 437-808, 0966 751-643.

Daily Children’s Playgroup. Venue: Bump Birth & Beyond, 4145 Nkanchibaya Rd, Rhodes Park. Daily Educational activities and children’s playgroups, music classes, arts & crafts, ballet and more! Ages: 0 to 6. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail.com, kidsclub.lusaka@gmail.com

Dynamic Diabetes Support Group. Time: 2pm - 4pm, Fourth Saturday Monthly. Venue: Umoyo Centre, Great East Rd. A safe place where those who are Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetic can meet and share their experiences and learn about new medical research, as well as alternative therapies. Different endocrinologists and specialists will be brought in as speakers. Diet, recipes, exercise, stress, symptoms and treatments will be discussed. INFO: 0978 028-146

Inside Story. Ante-Natal Classes, Post-natal care and baby massage classes. INFO: 0977 446-054 / 0211 274-985, margotbham@gmail.com

Karate & Weapons Training. Venue: Lusaka Showgrounds. Luke 5th Dan. 0977 314-511 / 0978 710-102, lukphiri@yahoo.com

Lusaka Dolphins at Lusaka Amateur Swimming Club. Venue: Olympic Pool. Group training for competitive swimmers; ‘learn to swim’ for non swimmers; or ‘swim at my own pace’. INFO: 0966 761-547

Lusaka Hash House Harriers. Time: Saturdays, 3pm. Meet new friends and join us for a run or walk in the bush. INFO: lusakahash@zambia.co.zm, G2S 0971 946-937, CM 0977 159-935, Thickette: 0978 532-744, or visit our facebook page.

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Social Cricket and Polocrosse. Time: Thursday. Venue: Leopards Hill Polocrosse Club. New members welcome. All experience levels welcome. Family, friendly environment. INFO: 0963 881-149

Swimming Teacher. All Ages. Venue: Swedish Embassy School. INFO: 0955/0977 328115

Tennis Section, Lusaka Club. Invites players of all ability levels to join in social tennis. Venue: Lusaka Club. Time: Saturdays, 1pm - 6pm. Cost: K20 for court use, balls, coffee and snacks. Last Saturday of the month: Half Price Social Tennis; K10. You can be signed in for up to 3 sessions by members thereafter you have the option of joining the club. INFO: 0977 964-121, lusakatennis@yahoo.com

Touch Rugby. Venue: Gymkhana Club, Showgrounds Time: Monday and Thursday 6pm. All welcome (Male & Female) INFO: 0965 126-200

Self-Defence (Short Courses): Practical, easy to learn for youths, women or security personnel. Children & adult Karate Classes also offered. The instructor is the All Japan Martial Arts Federation - Zambia President & Chief Representative. INFO: 0977 783-537, shihanray@hotmail.com

Skydive Zambia (ZUSC): Special offer on Tandem dives, no prior training required. INFO: antoinettedurand46@gmail.com, 0966 622-516, rowles.dave3@gmail.com, 0977 790-500, edmund@skytrailszambia.com

Soccer For Kids: Little Eagles Soccer. Time: Saturday / Sunday 9.30am. Ages 3 - 12: Barclays Sports Club. Ages 6 - 12: Bump, Birth and Beyond Zambia. Outdoor soccer-based fun for kids. INFO: littleeagles@zambia.co.zm, 0976 135-788, 0950 265-989.

Social Bowls. Venue: Central Sports Club. Bowling section. Time: Saturdays. 2pm. New bowlers welcome.

survivors support group. Support offered via telephone or email. 0955 226-237, info@zambiancancersociety.org /zambiacancersociety@gmail.com

Zambia Taekwon-Do Association. Venue: Municipal Sports Club. Time: Saturday, Sunday: 10am. Tuesday, Thursday: 5.30pm. INFO: 0211 254-090.

ZOCA Dance: Looking for dance classes for yourself or your kids? ZOCA dance fitness is a fantastic and fun way to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You will groove to popular African and Caribbean beats to get in shape! 3 convenient locations. ZocaMAX classes are great for toning and sculpting. Classes for Kids 3-12 years old too. INFO/Schedule: www.zocadance.com, 0967 795-816, zocadance@gmail.com

Zumba Keep Fit: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Venue: Alliance Française of Lusaka. Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm. Entrance: K30 per session, K150 per month. INFO: 0976 100-727 or register at reception.

‘Leisure’

Alliance Francaise Cine Kids. French Movies, English subtitles for kids 3 - 10 years and parents. Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka. Time: Saturdays, 9am.

Alliance Francaise Cine Night. French Movies, English subtitles. Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka. Time: Monthly, Second Last Thursday, 7.30pm. Entrance: K10.

Alliance Francaise ‘Poete Spring’ Poetry Show. Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka. Time: Monthly, Last Friday, 7pm. Admission Free. An open mic multilingual show in which poets and lovers of literature can present and perform their own poems, as well as those written by others in a mature and appreciative atmosphere. With a monthly theme.

Art Classes. Venue: Zebra Crossing Café, Ababa House, Twikatane Rd. Time: Wednesdays, 9am - 12pm. All Mediums - Sketching, Painting in oil, acrylics, water

Trichotillomania (pulling hair, picking skin) Free Support Group. Time: 3pm, Third Saturday, Monthly. Venue: Ibex Hill area. INFO: 0975 240-592, dsavvidou95@gmail.com

Ultimate Frisbee. Venue: Lusaka Gymkhana Club; Wednesdays 5.30pm - 7.30pm | American International School; Sundays 9.30am - 11.30am. Everyone welcome. INFO: 0973 370-973.

Umoyo Natural Health | Great East Rd near Munali Roundabout | Live Blood Analysis Test - daily - K300 | Zumba - Mondays to Fridays, 6pm - 7pm | Baobab Shots - Wednesday Mornings - K15 each | ‘Reclaim Your Health’ Talk - Thursdays, 10am - Free & free samples | Fit Club - Full Body Fitness - Mondays to Thursdays, 5pm to 6pm or 6.30pm to 7.30pm | Therapeutic Yoga - Mondays to Saturdays, 9am. INFO: 0966 800-600

Umoyo Natural Health | Woodlands Shopping Centre | Live Blood Analysis Test - daily - K300. ‘Reclaim Your Health’ Talk - Thursdays, 4pm. INFO: 0967 800-313

Umoyo Natural Health | Weightloss Wednesdays! Visit one of our Shops for 5% off all Herbex Weight Loss Products every Wednesday! Locations: Arcades Shopping Centre, Foxdale Court, Woodlands Shopping Centre and at Umoyo Health Clinic on Great East Rd near Munali Roundabout

Wellness Classes. Venue: Sunningdale near DG Office Park, Chila Road. Free. Aimed at nurturing the self through courses on personal awareness and meditation, nourishing yoga, Inch loss yoga, kids yoga, Satvik cooking and nutrition advice. INFO: 0965 494-744, yogarays9@gmail.com

Yoga with Iyengar slant. Mats available. Contact for location and times. INFO: 0966 728-911, towani@kuthuta.com

Zambian Cancer Society. Venue: Independence Avenue. Time: Last Friday of the month. 6pm - 7pm. Female cancer

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members only and during the Agricultural Show in August open to all. Subscription K100 per year. INFO: 0977 741-996, 0977 784-448.

Lusaka Road Bikers. Venue: La Mimosa, Arcades. Time: Sundays, 9am. Meet for a chat, coffee/breakfast and a ride to various venues. INFO: 0966 766-896 gintym@seedco.co.zm, 0955 801-954 murryfieldfarm@zamtel.zm, 0966 858-733 mcrop@zamnet.zm

Serbian Buffet Lunch. Venue: Nena’s Restaurant. Time: Monthly First Sunday. INFO: 0211 239-541.

Singing. Lusaka Music Society. Do you like singing, have you sung in a choir, or would you like to sing in a choir? The Lusaka Music Society meets once weekly for rehearsals and perform three concerts a year. Meet new people and learn new music. Musicians welcome. INFO: molly.care@gmail.com or 0977 780-883, annew@iconnect.zm

colours and more. Beginners welcome! Art supplies available at The Art Shop. INFO: 0974 279-107, info@theartshopltd.com

Camera Chat Group. Venue: Coffee Gallery, Nangwenya Rd. Meeting: Third Saturday, monthly, 9.30 am. Relaxed discussions for DSLR enthusiasts who want to improve their technical skills. INFO: rosegarden@hudzam.com

Evening Art Class. Tutored by Richard Kirby. Venue: Zebra Crossing Café, Ababa House, Twikatane Rd. Time: Thursday Nights. Cost: K50 per session. An extension of the regular Wednesday workday sessions to suit after-hour artists. Beginners are welcome. INFO: 0974 279-107 info@theartshopltd.com

French Storytelling Workshop. Reading to children. Venue: Alliance Française. Time: Wednesday, 2.30pm - 3.30pm. Children aged 5 - 16.

Helen O’Grady Drama Classes: Afternoons & Saturdays. Kiddy programmes Tuesday, Thursday & Friday mornings. Public speaking courses, Tuesday & Thursday evenings. INFO: carlyn@dramaafrica.com or janet@dramaafrica.com

International Wine & Food Society. The Lusaka Branch hold regular themed events in both Restaurants and Members’ homes. Interested in hearing more? INFO: Ken 0977 829-467 or 0979 473-555.

Irish Wild Geese Society. We’d like to welcome anyone from Ireland who has arrived in Zambia. Fun monthly events and St Patrick’s ball in March, (proceeds to local charities). INFO: 0979 875-097

Lusaka Bridge Club. Venue: Main Lounge, Lusaka Golf Club. Time: Monday, 6.45pm, Duplicate bridge. Monthly & international tournaments held. INFO: 0211 264-432, money@coppernet.zm

Lusaka Garden Club. Meetings: Second Saturday of the month. Members visit different gardens, Garden information and talks. Flower Shows in February for

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DID YOU KNOW? You can now read The Lowdown online for free at www.lowdownzambia.com.

Visit http://eepurl.com/bcr2f1 to join our email list and we'll keep you informed.

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Small Ads; 01 - 20 words: K40 / 21 - 40 words: K80 / 41 - 60 words: K120 |

Property Prowl: K400Deadline: 15th of the month preceding publication

T-bone. Reservations: 0976 702-063 / 0963 708-306 / centricialodge@gmail.com / www.facebook.com/centricia.lodge

Compost & Manure: Quality guaranteed! Compost: 25kg bag for K45. Manure: in 50kg bag for K25. More than 10 bags free delivery in Lusaka. Shaun 0976 030-311.

DISA Festival of Family Fun. 7 November 2015 from 10am to 4pm. Venue: Taj Pamodzi Hotel. Charges: Under 5 - Free | 5 - 12 years - K5 | Adults - K10. All Proceeds to DISA Charities. Attractions include Food Tables, Craft Tables, Beer and Wine, Henna Tattoo’s, Face Painting, Fun Sales, Balloon Animals and Music.

Carpenter available to do odd jobs around the house, make furniture and repair broken furniture. Can also do tiling and roofing. Contact 0974 347-255

Citrus Tree Trimming. Improve the health of your citrus and other trees. Contact 0966 747-990

Centricia Lodge - Kasama | Travelling to Kasama and need excellent, affordable accommodation? Join us at Centricia Lodge, located in Mukulumpe. We offer excellent accommodation with en-suite bathrooms, DSTV, bar fridge, kettle, comfortable workstation, a lush relaxing garden in which you can enjoy our tasty braaied signature

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Employment Sought: Housekeeper / Receptionist / Cleaner. Female, Mtendere based, references available. Please call 0976 384-717

Employment Sought: Housekeeper / Waitress / Babysitter / Nun. Mtendere based lady with Grade 12. Please call 0976 714-974, 0966 784-882

Employment Sought: Office Assistant / Typist / Secretary. Kasama Business & Secretarial College trained. Please contact 0974 093-156, 0963 226-276, maggientumbungoma@gmail.com

Employment Sought: Office Cleaner / Assistant. Female, Chazanga based, 11 years experience with references. Please call 0977 789-359, 0964 789-359

Employment Sought: Receptionist / Cleaner / Cook / Waitress for Hotels, Lodges and Guesthouses. Female, 4 years experience. Please call 0977 907-907

Employment Sought: Receptionist / Secretary / Sales Consultant. Female, with references and computer certificate. Please call 0977 849-619

Employment Sought: Shop Assistant / Cleaner / Office Cleaner. Female, Kabanana based, 1 year experience. Please call 0965 719-621

Farm Fresh Full Cream Jersey Milk for Sale from Yieldingtree Farm Head Office, 176 Luanshya Road, Villa Elizabetha, Lusaka. Price K6.50 per litre. Booking done by dropping off your container (Minimum 2 litre) and arranging for a collection day. Available Monday to Friday. Free deliveries (Lusaka only) available for bulk orders of over 100 litres. Call 0211 220-020/55 or 0967 289-765.

For Sale: Camper Isuzu 4x4. Gas cooker, fridge / freezer, hot water, 150l water tank. Only 28,000 km. Price: USD 25,000. Contact: Karien 0978 323-726

Employment Sought: Cashier / Waitress / Housekeeper / Nun / Cleaner. Female, references, 2 years experience (Cashier, Sales Person) Please call 0977 927-431, 0963 031-417

Employment Sought: Cleaner (Hotel, Lodge, Guesthouse) Female, 3 years experience. Please call 0975 732-286

Employment Sought: Cleaner (Office, Hotel, Lodge) / Housekeeper / Babysitter. Female, Bauleni based, 8 years experience. Please call 0965 692-262, 0973 018-155

Employment Sought: Domestic Worker / Housekeeper / Chef / General Duties. Female, Ngombe based. 5 years experience. Please call 0972 460-662, 0965 763-760.

Employment Sought: Early Childhood Teacher / Cleaner / Babysitter / Housekeeper. Mature female, diploma in Early Childhood Training. Please call 0965 643-501

Employment Sought: Gardener / Salesman / Cleaner. Experienced. Please call 0962 557-290

Employment Sought: General Worker / Housekeeper / Cleaner. Female, 2 years experience with references. Please call 0973 603-896, 0961 963-464, 0975 025-932

Employment Sought: Housekeeper / Babysitter / Cleaner. 20 years experience. Female, Mtendere based. Please call 0979 332-273

Employment Sought: Housekeeper / Childcare / General Cleaning. Female, Kalingalinga based, 9 years experience. Please call 0977 362-526

Employment Sought: Housekeeper / Gardener / Cleaner (Lodge or Office). Please call 0962 490-073 or 0973 737-452

good roads. www.kafuecamps.com | info@kafuecamps.com

PetVet | Pet Travel - Import, Export and Micro-chipping. Pet Parlour - For all your grooming needs. Pet Boarding - In our country kennels. Contact Us: Kabulonga, Roan Road; 0211 265-197 / 0968 883-284/ 0976 080-387 / petvetzambia@gmail.com | Lilayi Road; 0977 401-813 / davidzuludr@gmail.com

Showgrounds Vet Clinic - Dr. Lisa Oparaocha | For Veterinary / Grooming: 0977 770-940, showgroundsvet@gmail.com | For Pet Shop (Spoiled Pets): 0967 764-825, esuesta@yahoo.com

Therapeutic Counselling: Relationship issues, crisis, abuse, anxiety, life changes? A safe confidential place to explore the way forward. Available services include face to face, skype, email, house visits. Contact: 0975 240-592

Worker Hire. Christian maids, chefs, gardeners, poultrymen, piggerymen, agriculturalists, Mechanics, auto spares specialists, estate agents, IT specialists, excel and pastel accountants, accounts preparations, auditing and taxation, vat and payroll, budgeting and stocktaking, translators English to French language (books, news tabloid, magazine articles for publishers, etc). 0977 146-524 / 0975 574-204 / dericky08@yahoo.com

Zanzibar | Private Beach Villa for Rent | Jambiani Village. 4 Bedroom, 2 bathroom beach castle for spectacular affordable family holidays on Zanzibar’s East Coast. Suitable for two families with kids or three couples. Kwacha House is fully furnished and equipped. Unbeatable self-catering value for families and groups. Rates start at US$200 / night for a whole family. Contact www.zanzibar-beach.com 0211 213-841 kwachahouse@zanzibar-beach.com 0977 897-779

For Sale: Spacio 100 Drafting Board. Board 110:155 on steel base adjustable. With special light tube. Price: USD 130. Contact: Karien 0978 323-726

English Language Tutor. For SAT, IGCSE and GCE preparations, Cambridge Checkpoint. Contact: 0950 228-130 marthe1030@yahoo.fr

Jacana Gardens offer the following services: Supervised Garden Maintenance | Garden Design | Fencing and Gates | Hard and Soft Landscaping | Automatic Irrigation systems | Paving and Patios | Paths and Driveways | Professional Tree Surgery | Timber and Composite Decking. Visit our Retail Plant Nursery, 4 Zimbabwe Road, Rhodes Park. Tel: 0211 846-001 | 0966 800-550 | www.jacanagardens.com

Mukambi Safari Lodge is a comfortable 270km (3 hour) drive from Lusaka and the closest lodge to Lusaka in Kafue National Park, the biggest National Park in Africa. Elephant, hippo, all the big cats and antelope are common sightings at Mukambi. Please visit our website www.mukambi.com or call reservations on 0974 424-013 or email reservations@mukambi.com for our unbeatable rates for residents!

Need Landscaping, Digital landscaping design, manure, compost, maintenance of private offices and parks. Design-a-gardens. Karin Monge 0977 716-954.

NinerNet Communications. Email you can count on. | Reliable website hosting. | Custom hosting solutions. | Responsive and helpful support. | Zambian domain options: you.zam.co (K66), .co.zm, .com.zm. | www.ninernet.zam.co | info.lowdown@niner.net

North Kafue National Park. Mayukuyuku Bush Camp offers full board, and camping. Excellent game viewing and fishing. Access for two-wheel drive vehicles, 4 hours from Lusaka on

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