LIVINGSTONE. Dear All. Lake Kariba from Kariba Town. Very pretty. More later... It doesn t rain but it pours

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1 Dear All Lake Kariba from Kariba Town. Very pretty. More later... LIVINGSTONE It doesn t rain but it pours And then the rain came all in a woosh. Climate Change shows us what s in store. Livingstone is on a ridge and it is sand. The most important aspect of a road is its drainage. Also, I have often commented that residents need to be advised not to hoe their gardens but rather to slash the grass the roots of the grass hold the sand/soil in place. All year round our roads are covered in layers of sand, especially in the rainy season. While driving last week along Kombe Drive there were (fortunately) It is possible to see this photo of the muddy rainwater reaching the drain along the side of the road where it hits a rock in the drain. some workers out clearing the road which was covered in several inches of sand which had wooshed down the road from gardens and the road surface. Here is a bad photo of the rain gushing down from a side path onto Botswana Road. And this was the day after the big storm. The Town Clerk and others climbing along one of our roads, I assume... There was an article in the Lusaka Times about the erosion on some of the roads. Here is a photo from that article. It is amazing what difference a day can make with, from what I was told, 80mm of rain. I wonder if we will learn?

2 Our new Roads It is not only the rain which is damaging our roads. I seem to remember that we have/had a bylaw which prohibited trucks from entering residential areas. Trucks do so much damage to side roads because side roads are not meant for heavy commercial use. More and more I see trucks moving around the town on our new roads and I know that the roads are going to be potholed before too long. Is anyone going to give us new roads again if we don t look after the ones we have? This is the road from the light industrial area to Dambwa. Same road a bit further along. Nice pothole here... one of several... And littering??? Thinking about bylaws, do we have them for littering? I am sure we do but we spend hundreds of kwacha every day paying people to pick up other people s rubbish. Why don t we get a bit more strict on enforcement? Maybe this is a way for Livingstone City Council to earn some money???... Here are the fees for littering in Vic Falls Town: 1. Street littering (bus tickets, food wrappers, cigarette packets etc US$ Littering at picnic spots, lay-bys, parks and open spaces US$ Discharging rubbish from a vehicle US$ Dumping of garden refuse or building rubble were prohibited US$ Dumping of dead animals, fi lth or any substance which is unwholesome, offensive or untidy US$ Dumping of hazardous waste material US$ Affi xing a poster, sign or advertisement of any material to a wall, post, tree US$ Continuing contravention, for each day during which the contravention continues US$100 Another Cost for Tourists and Travellers Instead, it seems that an easy way to make a bit of extra cash is for Council to pass a law on our tourists tourists are always easy meat. From now on tourists coming through the Victoria Falls border will have to pay a levy of: International Trucks/Buses K80 Local Vehicles and Buses K50 Small Vehicles and Buses K25 I remember some years ago when Kazungula passed a similar bylaw and tourists had (and still have to) pay a levy. I am not sure what it is called but the Katima border calls it a parking levy. When I asked our Town Clerk if he would ever put one at the Victoria Falls border, he said never, our tourists give us so much, we don t need to take more... It seems that our present Council feels that our tourists which give us the majority of our employment and most of our income can still pay more... What will we think of next, I wonder.

3 Farmer s Generous Christmas Present to Rescued Sable at Munda Wanga From HWPO ZAMBIA With the small amounts of rain we have been receiving, the nutritious grasses that normally grow at this time of year were in short supply for all the animals at the Munda Wanga Sanctuary, just outside Lusaka. With the seven baby sable that were rescued from being smuggled out of Zambia last October now also living at Munda Wanga, edible grasses were quickly being over grazed. On hearing this, The Lusaka Honorary Wildlife Police Offi cers (HWPOs) put out an appeal just before Christmas, and the Central HWPO Unit came to the rescue, organising generous donations of hay, molasses and game pellets from David Reeve, Ian Robinson, Dave Clayton and Doug Cantlay of Kapinga Farms. Having looked around the enclosures, it was realised that the little grass that is growing is quickly being eaten by the baby sable, zebra, antelopes and other grazers. So, the HWPO Central Unit is now regularly delivering the kindly donated hay and fodder to keep the animals well fed and it was decided to help Munda Wanga to re-seed the already over-grazed enclosures so that all the animals will have enough fresh grasses in the months to come. To do this they will need to buy in grass seed and hire in more workers to help sew and re-plant grasses. The seven sable are now about nine months old, and will be living at Munda Wanga for the time being, so it is an ideal time for you to visit them, and to also see the other rescued animals at the Sanctuary. Thank you to all our donors for their generous Christmas present to Munda Wanga, and if you would also like to make a donation towards food for the young sable, or fi nd out more about the volunteer work that the HWPOs do across Zambia then please contact us at wildlifeconservation.zambia@gmail.com or you can contact us through our FB page. The Northern Circuit and... Tourism in General Always in the newspapers we hear all about how the government is promoting tourism by adding infrastructure to Zambia. But, I know, and most other people know, that tourism is not working as it should in Livingstone. How is it going to work in Northern Zambia? Here again from The Times, we are repeating the mantra of government: There is no region in Zambia that has a high concentration of attractions compared to the Northern Tourism Circuit comprising Northern, Luapula and Muchinga provinces. In order to improve access to the Northern Tourism Circuit, the Government has embarked on infrastructure development starting with Kasama Airport.... The article goes on for a long time extolling the attractions of Northern Zambia... but we know that the airport will be rarely used and there will be few visitors. Sad, but true... Here is a case in point why tourism cannot work as it should: ZESCO The electricity tariffs were hiked at the end of last year. The reason put forward was that if we pay more for electricity, private companies will come in to fi ll the enormous gap in production. Power generation has gone down because of the low levels in Kariba (apparently, only 2metres left to use). The new tariffs lasted for about a month when the President intervened on behalf of the residents (voters?) of the country who had complained. The residential rates were returned to the original tariffs. The commercial and industrial tariffs were left high. The bills have just started to come in for businesses in Livingstone and there is an outcry from business owners. Here is a bit from The Post: ZAMBIA Tourism Council chairperson Alex Munthali says tour operators are split between raising product pricing and cutting jobs in the industry due to high electricity tariffs. And Livingstone Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Miles Daka says high electricity tariffs are causing tour operators to hold back on investments. Munthali, who is also the Livingstone Tourism Association president, said the tourist capital risks having many jobless people if nothing is done to reduce the cost of doing business in the tourism industry. And from a Livingstone farmer: re the Zesco tariffs Farmers are again being hit. The Zesco tariff for us is a massive 350%. This is going to bankrupt a lot of farmers, and those others will just not plant anything that needs irrigation. We cannot recoup this money as times are very bad. With the power cuts, and drought, and now this, it is drastic. With us we cannot put up our prices as our customers will just stop buying, so I don t know how we will survive.

4 From the Zambia Weekly Small vehicles begin to pay road tolls The National Road Fund Agency has started collecting road tolls at Manyumbi between Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi and at Kafulafuta between Kapiri Mposhi and Ndola, targeting all motorists under the second phase of the National Road Tolling Programme. The fi rst phase, which levied heavy-duty vehicles at points of entry into Zambia and at weighbridges, raised K800 million between 2013 and 2015, reported the Daily Mail. The funds are meant to be ploughed into road programmes. The two new sites are equipped with temporary toll booths, awaiting the completion of proper toll plazas by March All vehicles will have to pay, except those belonging to the president, vice-president, security and emergency vehicles. Small vehicles are paying K10, mini buses K15, light trucks K25-K40, heavy-duty trucks K60-K80 and abnormal loads K160-K250. Motorists have asked the agency to speed up the payment process to prevent delays, reported the Times of Zambia. Foreign investors must partner with locals The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) is in the process of reviewing the ZDA Act of 2006 to include, among others, a clause that will compel foreign investors to partner with Zambians. The aim is to empower local entrepreneurs, ZDA Director General Patrick Chisanga stated when he presented the Act to the parliamentary Committee on Estimates. The revised Act is scheduled to be tabled in parliament in August If passed, foreign investors must hand over a certain percentage of their shareholding to locals to access investment in that particular area. Formal employment drops! Formal employment has dropped to 629,626 people, down from 847,420 people in 2012 (511,338 people in 2008), according to the 2014 Labour Force Survey from the Central Statistical Offi ce. However, when including informal employment, a total of 5,859,225 people are employed (5,499,673 in 2012), equivalent to an unemployment rate of 7.4%, Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda announced. The survey also put Zambia s population at million, with a total labour force of 6.3 million people (working age population of 8.12 million). The PF government did not comment on the negative development, although it goes against its promise of more jobs, less tax and more money in your pockets! As government employs about 120,000 civil servants, it means that the private sector only employs about 500,000 people. Even worse, some commentators believe the mining sector in Zambia has slashed more than 10,000 of its 60,000+ jobs in 2015, meaning that formal employment has dropped even more since these fi gures were compiled. No more incandescent bulbs Government has banned import, sale and manufacturing of traditional incandescent bulbs and energy-ineffi cient lighting devices in an effort to address the national shortage of electricity. The ban on import took effect on 1 January 2016, while shops have up to 30 June 2016 to get rid of any light bulbs in stock, in preparation for a complete ban on incandescent bulbs by 31 December ZESCO will procure and distribute an additional 5 million energy-saving bulbs (compact fl uorescent lamps - CFLs) with the aim to reduce electricity consumption by 200 MW. CFLs use up to 75% less energy than ordinary bulbs. Zim rangers in gun battle with Zambian poachers Eleven Zambian poachers have exchanged fi re with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority in Zambezi National Park by Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The poachers, identifi ed as speaking a Zambian language, though unspecifi ed, escaped, the park s spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo told the Herald of Zimbabwe. 22 elephant tusks, 458 bullets and food were found at the poachers campsite.

5 News from the Boma Saf Par This month we d like to introduce you to one of our elephant handlers at Zambezi Elephant Trails. Rachael Tembo grew up in Livingstone s Ebenezer Orphanage. She is a Junior Handler and has been with Zambezi Elephant Trails since late She is particularly loved by all of the smaller elephants. Perhaps it s no coincidence that her surname is Tembo, which also means elephant in our local language! We believe Rachael to be the fi rst and only female elephant handler in all of Southern Africa. We re also having regular sightings of elephants on the island across from Victoria Falls Waterfront, and just outside our gates too. Zambian Poachers I commented in the last issue of the newsletter about Zambian poachers being found in Zimbabwe and Botswana. I wondered whether we really did have a lot of criminals in our country. I say criminals because poaching is a crime whether it is in our country or another one. We see in the news from the Zambia Weekly that more poachers have been found in Zimbabwe poaching. I also had an about a company which has taken over a GMA in Zambia to turn it into a conservancy which will provide employment for the people and will give an income to the government as well as protecting our environment and the wildlife which inhabits it. One snare can catch an animal which will not be killed straight away. It will be in pain for a long time and then die a horrid death. I suppose the lucky ones are found by the poacher and killed. Generally, though, snares kill wildlife in a most inhumane way. We should be ashamed of ourselves that it has become part of everyday life in parks and wildlife estates and that snare collection is a daily chore. The photograph shows 780 snares which were collected in one GMA during a 3-week period.

6 Siavonga and Kariba Town I travelled to Siavonga last week. Nice journey apart from the road between Mazabuka and the Turnpike which is becoming a bit potholed. The escarpment was beautiful - all green. Escarpment road - all green A casualty along the escarpment road to Chirundu At Eagles Rest the bay behind the lodge is completely dry, We are all so concerned about the lack of electricity, no-one, so the houseboat is moored in front except maybe me, has pointed out how beautiful the lake is right now. Islands are emerging from the water, fi shing is excellent and all those dead trees are still there and showing themselves after many years of being drowned. From Eagles Rest we could see right over the lake to Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe and, although, it was very far, we could see elephants walking along the shoreline. New Marine Unit boat The lake from Eagles Rest Marine Unit boat at work As has previously happened when the lake is low, the populations of buffalo and other plains game will increase massively because there is a lot of exposed grassland. As the buffalo numbers increase, so will the lion population which feeds on the buffalo. Once the water starts to refi ll the lake (if we are lucky), the buffalo population will decrease, followed by the lion population. Nature at Work. An interesting sight was one of our new boats for the Marine Unit. I am told they were donated to Zambia... don t know if this is true. I found it parked in the harbour near Lake Safari Lodge and later I saw it in action on the lake. I was told that the boat has three 250 motors on the back and that it can go like a bomb along the lake. The only problem is, of course, is that it chews fuel and often there is no money for fuel.

7 Going over to Zimbabwe via the dam wall was a mission. It took about 2 hours. The Zambian side was OK but slow. Then we headed towards the Zimbabwe border. The border building was being renovated so the border offi cials were in a tent. No signs. Immigration, when we located the correct offi cer, was fi ne and then we were directed to Customs. The Customs offi cer had a lot going on and seemed to be teaching another offi cer how to use a computer. After waiting a while, he told me to go to CID for car clearance. We found two offi cers (no uniform) peering into the engine of a car (there were lots of imported cars at the border... why via Kariba, I thought). I waited patiently. Finally it was my turn. We did the whole paperwork thing and then the Downstream from the dam wall Dam wall Water intake at the dam wall - notice the lines showing where the water once was CID lady said I had to buy her lunch... I have never been good at this sort of thing so I uttered something unintelligeable and walked off as she told me she would see me in a while for her lunch. At Customs the whole car paperwork issue was repeated with the Customs offi cer. So why do we have a CID lady who needs lunch? Another offi cer took the payment and then we were allowed to proceed. The CID lady had her head into another engine when I returned to my car so I quickly got in and headed off to the gate. I got through that gate as quickly as I could. Then there was another stop a few metres from the gate to pay for the Road Toll. Zimbabwe and Zambia are equal in their attempts to frustrate visitors. Marineland harbour In Kariba Town things were fi ne. I found a new place selling Lone elephant in Kariba Town yummy ice cream something I needed after my meeting with the CID lady. We only found one elephant along the roads on the powerline road and we did not see zebra, as usual. There had been some rain so I am sure the wildlife had dispersed into the nearby forests. The town was quiet it is that time of year.

8 ZIM-ZAM UNI-VISA - LATEST Wild Zambezi ZIMBABWE Following on from recent reports that the US$50 Uni-Visa introduced in 2014 to ease travel between Zimbabwe and Zambia had been suspended, the KAZA TFCA UNIVISA PROJECT issued the following statement on 7th January 2016:- We, the Republics of Zambia and Zimbabwe, two Partner Countries of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), participating in the pilot phase of the KAZA UNIVISA Project wish to advise our valued stakeholders of the following regarding the KAZA UNIVISA Project: 1. The Pilot Phase of the KAZA UNIVISA PROJECT which was launched on 28 November 2014 for an initial period of six months to 31 May 2015 and subsequently extended by the Ministers responsible for KAZA TFCA for a further six months to 31 December 2015 has come to an end. 2. While the Pilot Phase has come to an end, issuance of the UNIVISA will continue while Zambia and Zimbabwe address challenges faced during the pilot phase in preparation for inviting the other KAZA Partner Countries i.e. Angola, Botswana and Namibia to join the UNIVISA PROJECT as was directed by the Ministers responsible for KAZA TFCA. 3. The UNIVISA will continue to be issued in the same format as in the Pilot Phase and among the challenges to be addressed will result in the reduction of the time it takes to issue the visa. 4. We would like to inform our valued stakeholders and customers that, KAZA TFCA Partner Countries are desirous to easy movement of tourist across the fi ve Partner Countries and increase tourist arrivals and length of stay in the region, therefore we would like to recognize stakeholder s role in publicizing the KAZA UNIVISA. 5. We therefore wish to thank all our valued stakeholders and customers who participated in the Pilot Phase and call for your continued support to make the UNIVISA a reality fi rst in the KAZA TFCA and subsequently in the SADC region. Rain Required From The Herald Traditional leaders from Kariba and Hurungwe districts have conducted an appeasement ceremony in the resort town in the hope of fi nding answers to dwindling water levels in Kariba Dam.... Traditional leaders, including Chiefs Nyamhunga, Nebiri, Mudzimu, Matau, Nematombo, Mola, Dandawa and Negande, gathered at Nyamhunga open area in Kariba town for the ceremony. Drums, singing and traditional dance started just before midnight on Monday and continued throughout until day-break on Tuesday. Mediums of at least fi ve spirits in the area were also present together with some nephews who are recognised traditionally as representatives of the chiefs. The nephews went into the dam by boat at around 4am on Tuesday to a place called Kariva (from where the name Kariba was derived) and cast black and white cloths into the water....

9 TANZANIA Tanzanian President Newly elected Tanzanian President John Magufuli has scrapped Independence Day celebrations to spend the money on a cleanup campaign, an offi cial statement said. The president has instead decreed that on that day everybody should pick up their tools and clean their backyards. It is so shameful that we are spending huge amounts of money to celebrate 54 years of independence when our people are dying of cholera, Magufuli said in a statement read on state television late Monday. Last weekend the Tanzanian parliament was going to open and there was a state dinner planned for all guests that was going to cost about 300million Shillings. President Magufuli cut the budget to 25million Shillings and ordered that the rest be taken to buy hospital beds for Muhimbili they got 300 beds and mattresses and 600 bed sheets from that money. On Saturday 21st November 2015 a group of 50 people were about to set off for a tour of commonwealth countries but President Magufuli cut that list down to 4 people, saving government 600m shillings in tickets, accommodation and per diems.... I hear there is a new verb: To Magufuli Road Tolls for South Africa on Normal Roads SOUTH AFRICA As with most African governments, South Africa is looking for ways to get more money from its people. The problem is that in order to keep the unemployed and poor masses happy, the tax collection has been minimal among them. There is, therefore, a huge hole in the government funds to fi x things. Faced with an ageing road and rail network, which has been largely neglected since Independence the government is now proposing toll roads. Here is a bit of an article about the uproar from Civil Society. Take note of the last sentence... and think about Zambia. NO TO OPEN ROAD TOLLING GAUTENG PAYS MORE THAN ITS FAIR SHARE The Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in October 2011 expressed Governments clear intention to now focus on national infrastructural spend over the next three years by allocating just over R800bn. Areas highlighted include a key focus on the desperate need to tackle the aging rail network and plans to support both national and provincial road network upgrade programs. The details of the road network investments will help give clarity to the division of roles and responsibilities between central Government, Province and its citizens.... The parties opposing Open Road Tolling (ORT) (excluding most of Government) are unanimous about the need to consider more seriously the national fuel levy as an exponentially more administratively effi cient method of both collection and funding. SANRAL s own research conducted by the Graduate School of Business in Cape Town concedes that paying for roads through taxes or a dedicated fuel levy is simply cheaper than imposing tolls on a road even if this is through an ORT system. The cost of collection is far lower because it does not incur the cost of the toll collection system. In terms of effi ciency, as a benchmark, SARS s cost of revenue collection is just over 1% unlike the proposed ORT collection process which is expected to be around 35%....

10 WEATHER Min Temp Max Temp 21 C (70) 34 C (93) EXCHANGE RATES US$1 K11.25 P11.45 Nam$15.85 THE SMILE You know it s hot in Africa when... The best parking spot is determined by shade, not distance Hot water comes out of both taps You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron The temperature drops below 32 degrees C and you feel chilly You know that in January and February it only takes two fi ngers to steer a car You discover you can get sunburnt through your windscreen You develop a fear of metal door handles You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7am You realise that asphalt has a liquid state Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to prevent them from laying hard boiled eggs You catch a cold from having the aircon on full blast all night long You realise that Shopping Centres aren t just Shopping Centres - they are temples where we worship Air Conditioning Sticking your head in the freezer and taking deep breaths is considered normal A cup full of ice is considered a great snack A black out is life threatening because your aircon and your fans no longer work. No one cares if you walk around with no shoes on You keep everything in the fridge, including potatoes, bread and clothing People have enough left over beer cans to make a boat and compete in a regatta. The effort of towelling yourself off after a shower means you need another shower right away. Have a good two weeks Gill