Zambia World Wide

EPISODE TWO 1953 to 1956

My first employment and introduction to Northern Rhodesia

On the 1^st Feb. 1950 I joined the South African Post Office as an Apprentice Telephone and Telegraph Electrician. It was a 5-year contract. My mother’s top priority was her children and it was not until the beginning of 1952 that she for the first time actually started going out with Johannes Dippenaar. Later that year my Mom approached me and told me that before she accepts his proposal of marriage she must first get my approval. There were two reasons for this. Firstly she respected my father’s wish that I must fill his shoes while he was away. Secondly that Johannes was immigrating to Northern Rhodesia. This meant that I would have to stay behind, as I had not yet completed my contract with the Post Office. On the 15^th Nov. 1952 they were married in the Dutch Reformed Church in Kitwe. After spending their honeymoon at the Victoria Falls Hotel she returned to sell our house. We referred to our stepfather as Dad as we respected him and found it difficult to call him Dip, which was his nickname. Our stepfather Johannes was now working for the Rhokana Corp. as an engine driver.

My first train journey to Northern Rhodesia

In Jan 1953 I went to visit my stepfather who was now staying in the single quarters number F3 room 2. Nkana. Before boarding the train my Mom gave me a crash course on the sequence in which I had to use the cutlery in the Dining Salon.

The train journey started to get exciting as the train was pulling into Mahalapye station in Bechauanaland (Botswana) You were greeted by the sounds of music and before the train came to a standstill passengers were already dancing on the platform to the music supplied by an African band.

At Shasi another watering stop vendors appeared from nowhere. Most of their craftwork was made from the rather soft Marula tree. These curios smelt of burnt wood as they made use of a hot iron rod for the engraving. To say the least I was really fascinated with these vendors and the curios they made. For the first time I began to feel excited about my decision to visit Nkana.

At Bulawayo station you had a long wait before you could board the train going north. This had a big advantage as you could book your luggage in at the baggage counter and for two shillings you could have a bath on the station. My vision of a relaxing bath was soon shattered as the bottom of the bath became most uncomfortable with the coal dust from my hair. You must remember this was the Brylcream era. The second bath met with my expectations. To be part of Bulawayo’s history I simply had to walk the length of what they claimed to be longest platform in the Southern Hemisphere. Looking at the train as it was being shunted into the station one could not help feeling that you were going back in time. The coaches reminded me of those seen in the old Western movies. A bigger surprise awaited me when I went to the dining car. It was not its age but stewardesses replaced the stewards and they were busy playing bridge. The dummy hand saw to the needs of the diners. Fortunately there were not many of us and she could easily cope.

At Victoria Falls another watering hole taxi drivers welcomed you. At a small cost they were prepared to take you sight seeing at the falls and ensure that you would be in time to board the train again in Livingstone. Our first stop was at Soper’s curio shop, which was then situated close to the station. Yes without any doubt the Vic Falls occupied most of my attention but the locals pushing the trolleys between the Vic Falls and the Vic. Falls Hotel also caught my attention. The locals dressed in Khaki shorts and jacket sporting with a Fez on their head was also a first for me. I made myself a promise that I would one day ride on one of the trolleys

The Northern Rhodesian immigration and customs officials had set up office in the shade of some trees which was very convenient for us.

My stepfather collected me at Ndola station as the train journey to Nkana could take the best part of a day to cover the 41 miles.

My first holiday spent in Northern Rhodesia.

While motoring to Nkana I was taken in with the narrow tarred strip just wide enough for one car. Then there was this endless forest on either side of the road. The mileage markers every five miles gave you the distance to all towns on that road. You could therefore also determine within five miles if you were traveling in the right direction.

The single quarters were conveniently situated near the club, cinema, swimming pool and mine mess.

My stepfather showed me around the club and here again they claimed to have the longest bar counter in the Southern Hemisphere. To be part of history I had to have a beer served at the counter. From there we went to the Mine Mess for dinner. After the visit to the club and mine mess one can understand why the Northern Rhodesians were known for their friendliness. Those I met knew that my stepfather worked shifts and they offered to show me around the town and to join them at a game of snooker. The first night he was on night shift. Early the next morning before sunrise I woke up with a noise under the bed. The next thing there was this person standing next to the bed. I shouted at him and as I was getting out of the bed he was off like a shot. To my surprise when he got to the door he stopped and switched on the light. The expression on his face and his behaviour clearly indicated that he was not prepared to put up a fight. He just stood there waving the shoes at me and what he was saying meant nothing to me. I grabbed the shoes from him and started pushing him out the door. Another resident joined us after hearing the commotion. I informed him that I had caught this guy trying to steal our shoes. To my surprise he burst out laughing and he then told me that the intruder was actually my stepfather’s houseboy. Good old Dyson remained with my parents for many years

Later that morning my stepfather and I went and had breakfast at the Mine Mess. He loaded me with coupons that I could use at the club and the mess. About 10h00 he went to sleep and I went for a swim. The size of the pool with its 5-tier water fountain at the entrance and the neat surrounds were certainly impressive but it was the high diving platform that caught my attention. On my way up I chickened out and made a detour to the lower diving board. I wonder what Pop Patrick would say if he saw the pool today. From here I made my way to the club for a haircut. Halfway through the haircut someone came looking for two snooker players to make up a foursome. The barber on ascertaining that I could play removed the napkin and off we went. Yes certain comments were made but all in good spirit. He completed the haircut after having played at least four games.

One evening on leaving the club the rain came down in buckets. I accepted an offer of a lift not knowing that I would be sealed off in the sidecar of a motorbike. If he intended scaring me he certainly did a good job. As if the detour he made to demonstrate the speed of the bike wasn’t enough he went heading straight for the mine fence and he was making no attempt in reducing his speed. My problem was that I could not see the bend in the road and I do believe he miscalculated his speed as the sidecar was within inches from the fence as he negotiated the bend.

With my return train journey through Bechuanaland (Botswana) I was continually greeted with a horrible smell. I later realized that it was the smell of the South African cigarettes. I promised myself there and then that as soon as I had smoked the carton of Rhodesian cigarettes I would stop smoking. To this day I have kept that promise. Some of the brands I remember were SRV and Life. Then there was a brand, which we believed was floor sweepings, which sold at four for a penny

My Mom and siblings leave for Northern Rhodesia

Come March/April 1953 my Mom and siblings immigrated to Northern Rhodesia. I went and stayed with an Aunt and Uncle Money in 26, Wiener Street, Vasco until the end of January 1955. During this time I took up Judo and I celebrated my 21^st birthday. On the 1^st May 1953 I had to call Nurse Kempshall the local Midwife. She arrived with her horse and trap and delivered my cousin Anne. She also delivered my brother Douglas on the 10^TH May 1943

My second visit to Northern Rhodesia.

In Dec1953 I was back in Nkana to spend Christmas with my family. My parents were now staying in 123 Geddes (Kariba) Street Nkana. My sisters boyfriends did their best to entertain me. First I had to have a swim in the Kafue rapids. Then it was to see the red glare of the slag as it was dumped. Of course a visit to Mindola Dam was also on the cards. On Xmas the mine held a party for the teenagers of its employees at the Rhokana Club. Dancing to a live band was not unusual but the sprung floor was fantastic. Collar and tie was still the order of the day. I also enjoyed the time spent at the Astra Restaurant. But I felt uneasy with the Sunday sundowner and going to a cinema show afterwards. It must be remembered that in South Africa on Sundays every shop was closed. The radio stations only broadcasted church services, classical music etc.

Coming back the train was delayed for 22 hours at Palapye Station as a river close by was in flood and it was considered too dangerous to make the crossing. The up side was that the passengers who had brought their musical instruments with them could entertain us. The downside was that I would not report for work on time. The Railways on this occasion certainly proved that they considered the well being of their passengers. Extra food was delivered in trucks. The rest of the journey was rather scary. At times the train reached speeds way beyond my imagination. On the straight sections the coaches rocked so badly that walking down the corridor was only possible if you held onto the railing. At most of the watering stops to make up time another engine filled and ready to go was waiting for us. Arriving in Cape Town at 09h00 the Monday mourning meant that we were only 11hours late. My Aunt took my luggage home and I went to work to apply for a day’s unpaid leave. Instead I was fined for being late and given a list of faults to attend to. With my first fault I had to walk nearly 1.5 km with a tool bag weighing close on 10kg. Arriving at the hotel I was rather embarrassed, as I had not bathed for 5 days. On explaining my situation to the receptionist she immediately offered me the use of the hotel’s bathroom facilities. I had to refuse as we were allocated a time for each type of fault. If we did not meet these times we had to please explain. The tea and sandwiches went down well.

My third visit to Northern Rhodesia.

In December 1954 my parents came to Cape Town by car for a holiday. In Jan 1955 I went back with them, as my annual leave was due. I am not sure if it was imagination but every time I crossed the border into Rhodesia I could sense a definite change Leaving Beitbridge and traveling on tarred strips that were constructed in 1930 was no exception. It felt as if we were on some secondary road with Mother Nature still in charge. After stopping at the Lion and Elephant Motel for some refreshments we continued our journey. We did not reach Fort Victoria (Masvingo) as the Lundi (Runde) river was in flood. Fortunately there was accommodation at the river. I wish I could remember the name of this place as the food and hospitality was first class. It was the first time that I slept under a mosquito net. The next mourning the water was just breaking over the bridge railing and it was then considered safe to make the crossing. With the fan belt removed to prevent the water from reaching the spark plugs we started what seemed to me a crossing of at least a hundred metres. The bridge was just wide enough for one car. Four locals pushing at the rear and two on the side to help keep the car on the bridge assisted us. At one stage I thought it would be necessary to open the doors to relieve the pressure being exerted by the flow of the water.

The wet graveled stretch of road between Kapiri Mposhi and Ndola was another setback. One minute you would be skidding all over the place and the next moment you could feel the bottom of the car connecting with the road surface.

With this vacation it was arranged to take me to the Hippo Pools near Chingola. My sisters warned me that at the pool they were going to dive into a waterfall. As I stood above the waterfall I knew there was no turning back. On the bridge above spectators were waiting for you to make the dive and what’s more on our way to the Hippo Pool I boasted that nothing they said would put me off. Once you dived in the water the spectators would run to the other side of the bridge to see if you made it safely. As I hit the water I felt myself being sucked in. At first I thought it was good-bye gruel world but then I felt the pressure of the water forcing me upwards. Once above the water I made a beeline for the shore as I was told to watch out for the crocodiles.

My return to South Africa.

In February of 1955 I was transferred to Malmesbury and on the 28^th February 1956 I resigned and immigrated to Northern Rhodesia. It was not an easy decision as I was very happy working in the country. The Grand Hotel I was staying in cost me eleven pounds per month. This included three full course meals per day, washing and ironing. My salary then was thirty-five pounds per month. The farmers always made you feel welcome. They invited you to their parties and during the fruit season you often had to decline the offer of fruit as you had so much that you were actually supplying the hotel. Baskets of fruit were placed at the entrance to the hall during our badminton matches. Dirk Truter and I when bored were rather mischievous. For example when the rival hotel across the road held a dance we would put a potato in the car exhausts.

One Saturday afternoon a fight broke out in front of our hotel between two farm labourers of opposite sex. The female had stripped off all her clothing. They scattered as the policeman arrived on a bicycle. He managed to catch the female and handcuffed her to the bicycle. As he came cycling past us with the nude female cuffed to his bicycle you can imagine the badgering that took place. This was not the first time seeing a female farm labourer strip when involved in a fight.

Home Remedy of 1945.

Around 1945/6 my brother Douglas contracted double pneumonia. As the days passed his chances of recovery became less. Our next-door neighbour Mrs. Roux confronted Dr Mallach and requested permission to use a home remedy. He agreed provided it was not given internally. That evening she arrived with two warm cat skins. One was placed on his chest and the other on his back. Doctor Mallach considered his sudden recovery the next day as a miracle.