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Pioneering in Botswana - Page 12
Written by Frank Leslie Boswell   
Friday, 02 September 2011 14:08
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I told Don if we can get through the next 20kms or so we will be OK as I could make a detour to Tsessebe and from there use the main road to Francistown. Don was surprised to hear that conditions were going to get worse. With large flooded sections where I was not sure of the depth I would remove the fan belt. At times we traveled in water not knowing where the track was until some locals would help us back on track. At one place we got horribly stuck with water running through the cab and fortunately by manipulating the aluminum ladder under the water we managed to get out. By now Don was starting to panic so I told the boys not to mention the bridge, which was still to come.

As I suspected the bridge was flooded. The river was close on forty-five metres wide at this point with the bridge somewhere in the middle. The bridge had no side pillars and was about 15metres in length and about 3 metres above the river bed. I spoke to my labourers and told them what I had in mind and one of them agreed to take up the challenge. When I told Don what the plan was he nearly wet himself. I thought it was a big joke but if I think back I now realize that the older you get the more cautious you are and Don at the time was no spring chicken. I tied the labourer to the Land Rover using a length of insulated wire. He was given a pair of pliers to cut the wire in case something went wrong and a survey rod to determine the condition of the road surface and to make sure where the sides of the bridge were as the water was very muddy. Stripped down to his under clothing we started our crossing. We estimated that the depth of the water over the bridge was around 600mm. What really worried me was the fact that the current was fairly strong. Before crossing the bridge the labourer had to first check the entire length of the bridge to ensure that the track on the other side of the bridge had not washed away as reversing back over the bridge would create a problem. We were lucky as every thing was still intact. Going over the bridge the water came in the cab. This is without doubt the longest 45metre stretch I have encounted. Luck was with us as the river we had to cross with our detour to Tsessebe was not in flood. I do believe Don will always be remembering this trip as he swore he would never go out on a farm line again when it rains.

Between Tsessebe and Ramaquabana:-

Christine and Stephen were in Marula boarding school. It is situated between Plumtree and Figtree in Rhodesia and catered for the farming community children up to grade eight. It had about fifty pupils. The school was later closed due to possible terrorist attacks. As a matter of interest Plumtree High School up to the early 1970’s was recognized as the best high school in Southern Africa. With one of the school holidays it was our turn to collect some of the children from Francistown also attending school in Marula. As Murphy would have it, it was during our rainy season and Pauline had to go on her own. Somewhere near Tsessebe on the main highway to Rhodesia she got horribly stuck in a real muddy section of the road. With help from some of the locals they managed to get the car out of the mud. The police at Ramaquabana who then acted as Immigration and Customs officials took her shoes and cleaned it for her without being asked. It must be said that we were always treated with the greatest respect when going across the border. They knew that I liked what we called “Snot Apples” (excuse the name but it was some wild fruit and the name used describes its sweet flesh) and when it was in season they would always put some aside in case I came by.



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