Zambia World Wide

Chapter 7

Before writing about the railway, I feel that I should explain why it was necessary. In the past goods had been exported and imported through Rhodesia. After the Rhodesian Government declared U.D.I. ( Unilateral Declaration of Independence ) the Zambian Government decided it would be wrong to continue shipping goods through Rhodesia. This decision was to prove very costly and have an adverse effect on the Zambian economy. Once the border with Rhodesia had been closed the only trade routes open to Zambia which is a land locked country were through Tanzania to Dar-es-Salaam or through Mozambique to Beira ( now known as Sofala ). Unfortunately Mozambique was a very unstable country, with continual civil unrest. Civil wars are not cheap and since there was very little finance available within the country, the money was raised by continual increases in Port and Storage fees. At the time the charges were increasing at the Ports the price of Copper which is the main export from Zambia was falling. After some time it became unprofitable to ship goods via Mozambique. This meant that Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania was now the only economical route open to the Zambian Government. Before the building of the railway, goods had to be transported by road. The Government formed a national haulage company. The company was called Tanzania / Zambia Road Services

( TanZam ). They purchased a large fleet of trucks and trailers the purpose of which was to transport goods between Depots in Zambia and the port of Dar-es-Salaam. The trucks ran day and night and as with any piece of mechanical plant break-downs were inevitable. The route was patrolled by mechanics and service vehicles around the clock. The route was commonly known as the “ Hell Run “, one round trip could take as much as two weeks to complete. Many of the mechanics and drivers made a lot of money on theses runs but most are glad they have come to an end. The roads were rough and both the drivers and mechanics had to camp by the roadside at night. They also had to carry enough food and water to last several days. It was hot, heavy and dusty work. It was during this period that the Zambian and Tanzanian Governments decided jointly to build a railway from Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.

The Chinese Government financed the construction of the railway, they also supplied the engines and rolling stock. An agreement was reached by the three Governments as to the way in which the Chinese Government would receive payment for the construction work plus rolling stock. It was agreed that part of the payment would be in cash and part would be paid by the importation of Chinese goods over an agreed period of time. Walking around the towns it was impossible not to notice the large variety and quantity of Chinese goods for sale. The bicycles were similar to those seen around England when I was a small boy, these were commonly known as “Sit Up and Beg” and of course they had no gears. In Zambia they soon became known as “Flying Pigeons”. Although very basic they were very robust and at a price the Zambians could afford. Another product that I have never forgotten was Mayling canned peas, they were absolutely awful but once again the price was right. There were many other Chinese products on the market but I see no need to mention more. The construction of the railway was an enormous task, the land had to be surveyed and cleared, embankments made, rivers and streams crossed and of course the track layed. Most of the work was carried out by the Chinese, not a great deal was seen of them as they lived in camps along the line of rail and very rarely visited the towns.