Hot in Chirundu

From Great North Road

Drip, drip, drip

- these photos come to you dripping with sweat, both from the temperature in Chirundu and because they really are hot off the press (oops, my mother always told me ladies never sweat, they perspire, so I suppose you could say I'm not a lady)

Chirundu - 2001.

Chirundu is not as many people will remember it. It used to be a small border town with very little traffic and most of that traffic was private vehicles. It is now the border post that handles the bulk of our imports from the south and has approximately 400 trucks passing through there everyday (I shall have the exact statistics on Thursday) Brasso said to me yesterday that his memories of Chirundu are crickets and flies.

Chirundu - 2001.

Nowadays it is trucks, diesel fumes and currency dealers. But they are all making a living and that is good. Traffic volumes are projected to grow at a rate of 5% per year. The Zambian side of the border post was upgraded about 5 years ago and there is more upgrading going on so that it can handle this traffic.

Otto Beit Bridge.

Otto Beit Bridge.

Zambezi.

The original bridge over the Zambezi is the Otto Beit Bridge, which was erected in 1939. The plaque on it reads 'This bridge was erected by the Beit Railway Trustees out of funds bequeathed by the Late Mr Alfred Beit and at the request of the people of Rhodesia was named The Otto Beit Bridge in recognition of the services rendered to the country by the Late Sir Otto Beit'. Ralph Freeman were the engineers.

Zambezi.

Zambezi.

There is a new bridge being built about 50 metres upriver from the existing bridge, and once this is completed, the existing bridge will be for pedestrian use and all vehicles will use the new bridge.
Contributed by Heather Chalcraft.

October 2001