Zambia World Wide

EPISODE THREE 1956 to 1959

My immigration to Northern Rhodesia.

My first employment in Northern Rhodesia.

With my arrival in Northern Rhodesia until I got married I stayed with my parents in 123, Geddes St. (Kariba St.) My first stop was at the mines. I was informed that my chances of getting work in my line were rather remote. Of all their staff they only had two telephone electricians. My next stop was an interview with Stan Stollard the Divisional Engineer with the Rhodesian Post Office. The salary they offered me was not much more than I was getting in South Africa. The main reason being that it was less than two years since completing my apprenticeship. When I told Stan that I was not prepared to work for that salary he really made an effort to have my starting salary increased but head office was not prepared to budge. My Mom was rather upset with my decision to return to South Africa but we agreed that I would stay until my allotted time had expired.

Unknown to me Stan had contacted a telephone contractor Sammy Sampson and told him of me. When he offered me one hundred and eight pounds per month with bonuses I accepted his offer.

My employment with Sammy Sampson

I started working for Sammy on the 15^th March 1956. We mostly did installations of telephones, switchboards and Dictaphones. The mines stipulated that no wiring would be secured to the residential walls. To compensate for this the residents had a choice of at least six different colours of indoor wire to tone in with the colour of their wall.

One installation that comes to mind is the erection of a pair of open wires from the smelter offices to the top of the smelter roof. At first I could not see the use of the springs on both ends of an existing pair of open wires. Once on the roof I soon got the answer. Every time the crane in the smelter came to a stop or started moving the movement of the steel constructed building was unbelievable. It later became necessary by using a rather ingenious method to strengthen the foundation under each of the buildings main supports

Another incident behind the smelters nearly cost me my life. I had to install a telephone behind the smelters. Walking between the smelters and the site I observed some large patches of tar in my path that looked like disused tennis courts. I was so relieved in seeing it as the high grass we were negotiating was soaking wet after a downpour. Approaching the nearest tar patch I noticed some water around the edge and I gathered speed and jumped over it. The next thing I knew I was just over waist deep in tar. Fortunately my assistant Soski who was big enough to play the part of BA (BeeAy) in the A team was there to rescue me. As I turned around in an effort to get out I realized I was sinking deeper. By the time he could get hold of a test phone I had in my outstretched hand the tar was shoulder height. Safely out with my shoes somewhere in the tar I had to make my way back to the smelters. At the smelters I was given loads of cotton waste and paraffin to remove most of the tar. Of course everyone on seeing me had a good laugh at my expense. Des Burns a complete stranger working at the smelters offered to give me a lift home after I was rapped up in disused Lime bags. Des put me in the boot of his Morris Minor and off we went with me holding the boot lid open. Instead of going straight home he did a detour through the town. Every now and then he would blow the hooter to attract the attention of the pedestrians. At Standard Trading he parked the car, as he apparently wanted to buy cigarettes. To be honest I am sure he did some campaigning as every now and then spectators arrived leaving only after have a good laugh at my appearance. Strange as it may seem Des Burns would become my foreman at a later date. See Episode four for more on Des Burns.

I spent sometime with a rather big installation at the Wusikili Hospital. There for the first time I saw professional criers. It was amazing as one minute they were crying and at the same time scratching in the sand with their bare hands. The next instant they were laughing and chatting with a passer by that they had recognized.

During this time I would regularly visit the market, which was close by, and purchase boiled peanuts. The peanuts here were much bigger than the peanuts we had in South Africa and I preferred the peanuts boiled.

Early 1957 three Post Office employers Carl Bremner, John White and Dennis Proudfoot resigned and also started doing contract work for the mines. With the competition we now had and I intended getting married in June and would be in need of accommodation I again approached Stan Stollard. By this time I had two years service after completing my apprenticeship and what’s more the South African Post Office sent me a certificate, which changed my status from a Telephone and Telegraph Electrician to a Telephone and Telegraph Technician. This meant they could offer me a better salary although at first they were only prepared to offer me 640 pounds/annum as they were not fully aware of the work done while with Sammy Sampson. Once this was sorted out my starting salary was increased to 900pounds/annum plus housing and medical aid. With this salary I could still afford to buy a new Thames panel van from Duly Motors. I left Sammy at the end of May 1957.

My wedding and Honeymoon.

Once I was a permanent resident in Northern Rhodesia I was invited to join the Youth Club. Here I met Bob Ludlow the Youth Club Chairman and Joe Grant-Grierson. Joe often entertained us with his hypnosis shows. He also gave Judo lessons at the youth club on the front lawn of Bob’s house in 6^th Avenue. When he learnt that I had done Judo for over a year he asked if I could attend the ladies classes, as he needed someone on whom he could demonstrate the throws and also someone on whom the ladies could practice. Steve Arneil joined me, as he had become a Judo fanatic. He went to Durban to further his training and around 1957 he left for Japan. He later became the personal Judo trainer to the children of King Hussein of Jordan. Those who were in Southern Rhodesia around 1970 might remember his visit to Salisbury. With this visit he was prepared to take on six black belt holders simultaneously. It was during the Judo sessions with the ladies that I met Pauline Whitfield. She was then also the Youth Club Secretary and in April 1956 the Citizen published a photo of her when she was chosen as the “Girl of the North.” On meeting her she was employed with the Chamber of Mines Kitwe as a Fingerprint Clerk. On the 29^th June 1957 we were married in the Anglican Church Kitwe with Joe as our Best man. Joe on his return to South Africa opened a Survival and Combat Academy in Germiston.

Our first honeymoon night was spent in a small room at the Kapiri Mposhi Hotel. All amenities were outside. From here we made our way to the Victoria Falls Hotel where we spent just on a week. Although everything was marked S.A.R.&H (South African Railways & Harbours) it was of the best. The view of the gardens from the your room and the atmosphere in the Dining Room (Livingstone Room) with its high ceilings and fans not to mention the service will always bring back good memories. Of course there was the boat trip to Kandahar Island, a ride in the trolley from the Hotel to the Falls, a visit to the Big Tree and the flight over the falls. From here we made our way to the Wankie (Hwange) Game Reserve. We spent a week there staying at both Robin’s and the Main Camp. At Robin’s Camp we shared Champaign with the game wardens. I was shocked to see the condition of Hwange Game Reserve and the secondary road from the A8 to Robins Camp in 1994. It took us two and a half hours to cover the 54km.

My employment with the Federal Government

On the 17^th March 1957 I started working for the Federal Government. I was allocated temporary accommodation at Fedro flats on the corner of Lumumba Road and Freedom Road. Our flat was the closest to the sanitary lane. Our next-door neighbours were Ian and Nancy Kennedy. Ian was in charge of the installation of our first Radio Broadcasting Station in Kitwe. He was also part of Botswana’s history when he was seconded by United Nations for the installation of their first T.V. and Broadcasting Station in Gaberones during 1967.

We found ourselves a houseboy but one week later Sammy’s labourer Morgan informed me that he has come to start working for me as a houseboy. He was not prepared to accept the fact that we already had taken someone else in service. The next morning there was only Morgan. What took place behind the scenes remains a mystery. Pauline had to spend some time with Morgan, as he had no clue of housekeeping. Morgan remained with us until I left for Botswana in 1967. Seeing a polish brush always reminds me of Morgan when he would put one on each foot and then go skating across the highly polished cement floors.

We later moved into a newly completed government house at 30 Yorkminster (Unity) Way Parklands It was here that Pauline fell pregnant with our daughter Christine.

In the beginning I was employed to do fitting and faults in and around Kitwe. I did the cabling and telephone installations for both the Kingstons and the O.K. Bazaars buildings. They were then the biggest building projects under construction. With both these projects there were many different nationalities. Fortunately we could communicate by using Chikabanga, which is a mixture of different Bantu dialects, English, Afrikaans and Portuguese. The contractors for the O.K. Bazaars brought a squad of Zulus with them. Most of them stayed in Buchi Compound and it was not long before some of them got beaten up for interfering with married woman. The Zulus took revenge and created such havoc that they were all deported except for the Foreman.

Towards the end of my employment here I was asked if I would take over the construction staff. The reason being that they could find no one to replace Arnold Lodge who had been transferred to Salisbury to further his studies. It was during this stint that I earned the nickname of Kalulu (Rabbit) as I was up and down the length of the construction taking place.

It was with the building of an open wire route to Itimpi that Sammy informed me that the Rhodesia Congo Border Power Corp. would like to interview me for a vacant post in their Light Current section. After my interview with Sid Moore he informed that the post is mine if the Federal Gov. was prepared to release me before the 1^st April. At the time there was a gentleman’s agreement between the Mines and the Gov. They would only employ someone if the present employer agreed to release the applicant. Stan Stollard at first refused to release me but fortunately he later agreed to accept my resignation for the 30th March 1959. On applying for a post in Botswana I must say he gave me an outstanding testimonial.

An incident I will never forget while employed with the Fed. Gov. was the day

I was introduced to the Matabele Ant. Can you imagine being requested to assist the cable jointer

and before you even start you are told that you are an idiot in no uncertain terms. I soon realized what had upset Bob Dunbar as the overwhelming stench of the Matabele Ants filled the air. I had trampled on as many as possible on entering the dugout thinking I was doing good. Believe me Bob was no midget.

African knowledge of Western Civilization in the Fifties

I like many others regarded them, as having an inferior knowledge for some of the following reasons. I had a labourer and he firmly believed that by pushing against the dashboard of our panel van he was able to prevent the vehicle from being stuck in the mud. Every time he would push against the dashboard I would depress the accelerator and of course if he stopped pushing I would release the pressure on the accelerator. Seeing someone busy sawing the branch of a tree but sitting on the side that is being cut off to me was mind-boggling. Then there was an electrician’s assistant who after lengthy training could wire a house on his own. He started taking home the necessary to provide his residence with electricity. With all the switches on he could not understand why nothing worked as he was under the impression that the main circuit breaker supplied the power. Recruits for the mines were taught to use a spade. The list can go on and on.

After working with a construction gang and at times employing up to fifty additional temporary labourers I realized that I could not judge others by using my norm as a yardstick.

Wrong impressions

District Six (Zonnebloem) a suburb of Cape Town that was demolished in the sixties. To day possibly still one of the most hotly debated topics. In 1952 I worked there for the six months. During that six months tools were stolen from my truck, I worked in a brothel with its entrance concealed behind clothing in a Dry Cleaning shop, watched gambling in the back lanes with the smell of Dagga in the air, seen young girls sitting on the pavement displaying their wares to act as a decoy, saw the biggest fight ever between two rival gangs that brought the traffic to standstill in Hanover Street and some of the balconies were no longer in use as they were near collapsing.

With this type of information one would support its demolition, but if we flip the coin the picture changes. The earnings of the coloured community in District Six were very low which can account for the badly neglected buildings. Not once did I feel threatened even when working there after dark. They not only had a great respect for the police but the nurses working shifts at the hospital would have their bags carried to and from Cape Town Station. The houses were clean inside and you were always offered something to drink. Their shops were owned by Malays, Jews etc. with the greatest respect for each other and were also renowned for their bargains. The crawfish legs sold at their fish market in Hanover Street those years were thicker than your finger. They had a language of their own which kept you entertained for hours. They also gave us the Coon Carnival celebrated every year on the 2^nd January. The craftsmanship that went into the construction of most of the buildings is something of the past. I maintain that if these buildings were restored District Six would have been one of Cape Town’s biggest tourist attractions.

Getting to know more of the African culture.

My interest in African Culture I do believe started when I saw their craftsmanship for the first time at Shasi Station in 1953. Then there was my interest as to why only one particular race was prepared to clean the African toilets. This particular race would file their teeth until they were shaped like pencil points. Some of the Africans believed they were cannibals. My enquiries revealed that a pecking order existed in the African Culture.

Working with the construction gang I became aware of their close association with nature. Picking mushrooms they knew which were edible and who can forget the size of some varieties. I ate flying ants and grasshoppers with them but I drew the line when it came to some worm that they roasted in the flame of a blowlamp. I doubt if it was the Mopani worm found in Botswana. If your mouth was dry they would remove a piece of bark from a certain tree. After chewing it for a few seconds your mouth was filled with saliva and you would then spit it out immediately. They made their own axes both with vertical and horizontal fitted blades, which was far more practical for their use. These axes were basically the only tools used with their wooden carvings. We would remove honey from beehives in trees and anthills. With my last bee sting my leg was so badly swollen that I could hardly get my shorts on. I was warned to be careful, as with the next bee sting it could be serious. The prediction was right and it will be revealed under the sub title “ Cheeseman’s Farm” in Episode four. They knew the name of every tree and I was told that all their tree names begin with an “ M.” On one occasion I was challenged to see who could chop down a tree the quickest. Normally I would not of accepted the challenge as they could wield their homemade axes with such accuracy which made tree felling look like child’s play. The difference here was that my tree was only about fifteen centimeters in diameter and my competitor’s was at least sixty centimeters in diameter. Within five minutes I knew I had been conned as I had only penetrated the bark. I later learnt that the contractor who cleared the bush for power lines would build a fire around this tree as chopping it down was out of the question. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of tree

They would always demonstrate their sense of direction after we had spent some time in the bush looking for mushrooms and pinpoint the direction to our vehicle. Without them I probably would still be walking in the Zambian forests. They would never enter the bush on their own. They believed that there were many Congolese citizens in the bush. According to them these Congolese would kidnap anyone found on his own and then sold as a slave.

I put their built in radar to test when I was required to construct a telephone line of approximately eight kilometers to a mission station on the Kafue River. The missionaries requested me to build the telephone line as straight as possible to the main road as they intended straightening out their present meandering bush track. The average speed on the existing track was approximately ten km/hr due to all the bends. They could then use the telephone line as a reference. Back on the main road the labourers indicated the direct line to the Mission Station. Placing survey rods in the indicated direction we started bush clearing and further surveying of the telephone line. It was only on the third day that we could see the mission station as we had a lot of bush, trees and grass to clear. To my amazement we were within the predefined position with our last pole.

My encounter with African Beliefs

A labourer approached me and in his hand he held a rolled up leaf, which represented the human body and in it were sticks inserted to represent the arms and legs. He informed me that this was found on his doorstep, which meant he was being bewitched. I then recalled an article I read of a young doctor who went to practice among either the Maoris or Aborigines. Arriving at a settlement he found a crowd preparing for a burial. On making some enquiries he learnt that a young man lay on deathbed as someone had thrown the bones at him. On examining the young man he showed no signs of any threatening illness. He informed the young man that he too possessed super natural powers. He would give him something so that when he dies he will be able to bring him back to life. After administering some Chloroform his patient fell asleep. He went outside and informed the inquisitive crowd that his patient had gone into a deep sleep but would soon recover. On recovering from the Chloroform the young man was convinced he had returned from the dead. It was not long before he was back on his feet. I decided that I would take a similar approach and informed the labourer that I would bring something to work the next day that would soon end the curse placed on him. At home I proceeded in making a similar object but on a larger scale using a mango leaf. The difference was that I had stuck a pin in the region of the abdomen. The next morning I gave him this Voodoo Doll and told him to keep it in his pocket and if anyone he encounters complains of stomach ache he will know that he is responsible for placing the curse. This paid off and I had gained a certain amount of respect from the Africans.

Between my flat and the sanitary was a fair sized open patch. I decided I would plant mealies in the space although this was not allowed as the mosquitoes bred in them. Chances that the mealies could be stolen were great. I decided to take a gamble by telling Morgan to inform the other houseboys that I had placed a spell on the mealies. Everything went well until one afternoon coming home from work there was Morgan waiting for me. He informed me that one of the houseboys had taken ill and he was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. When I enquired if he had stolen any mealies Morgan’s immediate response was “No”. I informed him that it is a pity as I could of removed the spell. Morgan immediately went to some of the houseboys waiting in the sanitary lane. After consulting with them he returned and informed me that he had only stolen one. I instructed him that he and some of the other houseboys must go visit the victim at hospital and inform him that he is forgiven.

The above one can associate with ‘Mind of matter” as we all know how powerful it can be and what’s more the culprit was back at work the next day. From then on not one mealie was stolen. The next incident however paints another picture.

One of our drivers entered into an argument with the clerk over his logbook. When he realized that she was proving him wrong he became very abusive. I then decided to intervene and told him to stop using such abusive language when addressing a lady. As he was walking away it was my turn to be on the receiving end. When some distance away he shouted that he was not scared of my Umtakati. I shouted back that before lunchtime he would regret what he had said. What made me say this I don’t know? Before lunch he was in hospital with severe burns. Petrol he had stolen was somehow set alight. Is this coincidence? To be honest I am not sure as I now began to feel that I was dabbling with something that is best left alone and promised myself to call it a day. This promise I made I however broke when I was in Botswana. It all started when three of my labourers died within months, as they believed that a spell was cast on them. Imagine a healthy person telling you that he is going to die because of a spell cast on him. A few days later you are helping financially towards his funeral. After the third person died I decided to intervene. Doctor Pearl Mashalaba informed me that no reason could be found for their death. When the fourth person Dozen Chawalani came to me with the same story I decided to use the same approach as with my first time. Believe it or not it put a stop to the deaths.

Then there were the trackers in Kasane that made use of bones to look into the future. Taking their advice after they had thrown the bones was always to our advantage. My interest in the bones caught the attention of a Chief near Kasane. With one of my visits to ask him for a tracker he questioned me on the interest I had in the bones. After some questioning and a short initiation ceremony he gave me a set of bones made from warthog teeth. I had some stunning results with these bones. I once again decided to call it a day for the same reason as above. This decision also only lasted for a few years. Holding the bones in my hand again I realized that the vibes normally present were gone. My thoughts that the vibes, which were always present after the bones had been thrown, would still be there was soon shattered. After many fruitless attempts I threw the towel in. Today these bones are part of my memorabilia.