Zambia World Wide

Gas

While in Orapa the mines offered me residence in house D41 which was fully furnished with air conditioning. The only hassle was that the stove and hot water cylinder worked on gas which then did not meet the safety standards of today.

In the early hours of the morning things went horribly wrong. The permanent flame below the hot water cylinder went out for some unknown reason. Since there were no safety measures in situ, the gas supply was not cut off. The bedrooms were soon filled with gas as they were isolated from the rest of the house to ensure that the air conditioner worked efficiently. We can consider ourselves lucky that we woke up in time as we just managed to find our way out of the house. After turning off the main gas supply we had to spend a considerable time outside before we could just venture back inside the house to open all the windows and doors. After that we still had to stay outside for quite awhile. It was just as well that no one was around as two groggy people in their pyjamas would certainly have passer-bys thinking. The mine management on hearing of the incident immediately started replacing the existing hot water cylinders for something that was more reliable.

Lion encounter.

This encounter took place at the time I was assisting the United Nations with the marking out of suitable sites for future microwave and VHF towers between Kasane and Nata. A detailed version of the survey is covered in my article titled “Pioneering in Botswana” We had camped near Nata. It was in the middle of winter and to compensate for the cold nights, we used the vehicles to haul down huge dead Mopani trees. Preparing and enjoying a nice meal around a huge camp fire was always a wonderful way in ending the day. Track suits served as pajamas. The labourers would only use blankets to sleep under. They felt that a sleeping bag restricted their chances of a quick get away in cases of emergency.

In the early hours of the next morning I awoke on hearing a sound coming from the fire. Thinking it was one of the labourers I decided to join him, as I too had a penny to spend. I grabbed the torch and hurriedly made my way towards the fire. To my surprise there was no labourer but a lion lying close to the smouldering fire meters from me. As I turned around with the intention of making a dash for the tent I saw a second lion coming in my direction. Without thinking I again turned around and headed straight for the fire. The lion that was still lying next to the fire probably got the biggest fright of his life seeing a man running towards him. As the lion jumped up it sent sparks flying in all directions. Without thinking I once more turned around and started running towards the tent again but only to see the second lion still coming in my direction. Fortunately my reflexes were not as good as that of the lion. Before I could react the lion made a 90degree turn sending a spray of sand in my direction. If the Springbok rugby coach saw the dive I made on entering the tent I would no doubt be a firm candidate for selection. Nobody would believe me until the lions started roaring nearby. Only once two of the labourers and I got the Colman lamps burning and the fire blazing away did everyone venture out of the tents. The labourers collected any empty container they could find in case there was another call from Mother Nature.

The next morning on seeing the imprints left by the lions and myself I realized how lucky I was to still be alive. I can only think of two reasons why I was not attacked by the lions. Firstly I do believe the lions ran off as they got the impression that I in fact was charging at them. Secondly it could be that they were not hungry.

When out in the bush we normally slept under the stars but the UN officials after their first visit insisted that the Botswana Government supplied them with tents in the future. They complained that although I had a rifle it meant nothing as I snored right through the night. After this incident they would only sleep where they felt safe. This slowed down the surveying a lot as we spent a lot of time traveling backwards and forwards. At the time there was only one Lodge between Kasane and Maun.