The Waterfall Tour - 2002

From Great North Road

The Waterfall Tour - 2002

I think this is the last lot of photos from the waterfalls trip although I still have to check through them all and see if there are any that I have missed. In the queue after these is the Kafue National Park, perhaps a couple taken a few weeks ago in the Lower Zambezi, possibly some on the Zambezi below Kariba and then finally Tanganyika.

Lupupa Falls

Lupupa Falls.

Our guide.

These falls a much like Kalambo Falls, tall and narrow. Very few people know about these falls and the road is not a road at all; it's not even a bush track. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there as we were running very late and still had the Mporokoso Kasama road ahead of us (this is probably the worst road in Zambia). Thus we didn't climb down to the bottom - that will have to wait for the next trip.

I have also included the photograph of our guide. We stopped at the last village before the falls and he rushed off to his house to change his hat before we could set off.

von Lettow-vorbeck Monument

This is the place where World War I officially came to an end at 7.30 am on Thursday 14 November 1918, a few days after the signing of the Armistice. von Lettow-vorbeck was the only undefeated German General in the War and he surrendered to Hector Croad who was the District Commissioner in Kasama at the time.

von Lettow-vorbeck and his troops crossed into North Eastern Rhodesia near Fife and made their way south to Kasama, not following the telegraph lines, but via footpaths to the east of the line. When they reached Kasama, the armistice had already been signed, but word only got to the British troops about 24 hours later.

However, during these 24 hours, the German troops were moving very quickly southwards and only stopped when they reached the Chambeshi River, where the last few shots of the War were fired.

Hector Croad was a surveyor by profession and spent a lot of time in the bush, accurately mapping North Eastern Rhodesia. The Africans, with their ironic sense of humour and always giving a name of opposite meaning, called him 'Chandanseka' which means 'he who walks with a smile'.

It was expected that von Lettow-vorbeck would make straight for Abercorn after entering NE Rhodesia, but he flummoxed the British by making for Kasama. Croad evacuated all the women and children to Mpika and on 10th November, Croad, together with a Sergeant Rumsey (of Mbesuma Ranch) returned to Kasama where they blocked the road with felled trees. Following that, they climbed one of the hills overlooking Kasama after which Croad said 'I can now tell the government that the Germans have entered Kasama', and they returned to the Chambeshi.

At the Chambeshi, a handful of Europeans (nine in total) prepared to make a stand. They set up two Maxim guns but no one knew how they worked. One of them, Charlie Simpson, buried £ 10,000 in his goat pen as he believed that the trampling of the goats would hide any traces of digging and that the Germans would probably be more interested in the goats than the money. The money was government money or money taken from the stores and shops in Kasama.

The story goes that Croad received a telegraph in the early hours of the morning of 12 November stating that the Armistice had been signed on the 11th but he was to carry on until he got further instructions from General Van Deventer who was trying to catch up with von Lettow-vorbeck from the north. However, everyone in Broken Hill got so drunk when they heard about the Armistice that it was not until midday on the 13th that Croad got the telegraph from van Deventer telling him to get in touch with von Lettow-vorbeck and inform him of the Armistice. By this time, the German advance guard had reached the Chambeshi and opened fire with machine guns on the rubber factory.

The telegram that was handed to von Lettow-vorbeck from General van Deventer read as follows: 'Please send the following to General von Lettow-vorbeck under a white flag - The English Prime Minister sent notice that on 11th November an Armistice was signed and that the fighting on all fronts should cease on 11th November at 11 o'clock. I order my troops to end hostilities as from now and I expect you to do the same. General van Deventer'.

von Lettow-vorbeck Monument.

There are two plaques on the monument. The one in English reads 'On this spot at 7.30 am on Thursday 14th November 1918, General von Lettow-vorbeck, commanding the German forces in East Africa, heard from Mr Hector Croad, then District Commissioner Kasama of the signing of the Armistice by the German government, which provided for the unconditional evacuation of all German forces from East Africa.

The plaque in Bemba reads Ilibwe ili liatulanga kuti epo banashishye Germani lintu baingile chalo pankondo ya 1914-18. Twapela umuchinshi kuli boonse abashipa abalwile munkondo iyi - 'This stone has shown us where Germany was rested after they started the war of 1914-18. We give respect to all the strong who fought this war'

Chambeshi River

In 1979, the Chambeshi River was again the scene of a war. This time the Rhodesian War and it involved Kevin Shone's brothers, Butch and Mike.

Chambeshi River.

Chambeshi River.

Chambeshi River.

A contingent of Rhodesian Selous Scouts were dropped into Zambia with the intention of destroying the Chambeshi Bridge. Butch and Mike Shone, together with Butch's nine year old (I think) stepson, Neil, were travelling to Kasama in two trucks. Butch crossed the bridge but after a while realised that Mike was not behind him, so turned back to see what had happened. Mike had been stopped by the Rhodesians as they needed his truck to make it to their pick up point. So they bundled Butch and Neil into the truck as well, blew up the bridge and proceeded to the pick up point, where they waited for a few days until they were picked up by helicopters. Butch, Mike and Neil were kept in a safe house in Salisbury for six weeks after which they returned to Lusaka via Johannesburg. On arrival in Lusaka, they were immediately taken to 'the Red Brick Building' but finally released. This was because after weeks of interrogation the Zambian authorities realised that Neil could not have kept telling the same untrue story over and over again.

The road bridge was rebuilt slightly upriver, but the remains of the original bridge can still be seen just in front of the rail bridge

Kasama Some of the old buildings in Kasama

Kasama.

Kasama.

Kasama.

Erythrina Abyssinica

July to August is the time when these trees flower. Between December and March, the flowers are replaced by pods which contain 'lucky beans'. The Bemba, Nyanja and Tonga name is mulunguti, the Lunda name is chisunga and they do have another name which is not politically correct, but starts with a K and ends in the word 'boom'

Erythrina Abyssinica.

Erythrina Abyssinica.

Erythrina Abyssinica.

The Great North Road and the colours of the bush in August

The Great North Road.

The Great North Road.

The Great North Road.

Commerce on the Great North Road - Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes.

A Bushfire

Bushfire.

Bushfire.

Kazembe Luapula Province

Kazembe Luapula Province.

Kazembe Luapula Province.

Kazembe Luapula Province.

Kazembe Luapula Province.

Praying Mantis

Praying Mantis.

A Zambian Wedding

Shortly before crossing the Chambeshi River, we came across this wedding party. I acted as their official photographer and have posted their photographs to them.

A Zambian Wedding.

A Zambian Wedding.

Contributed by Heather Chalcraft

October 2002