
It is probably a good time to talk about traveling in Zimbabwe. The simple matter of getting into a car to get from A to B. And since I am covering significant distances during this trip, it is obviously an important issues in the successful delivery of this project.
I should best start by saying that,despite some similarities, it is very different to the UK or most other countries. And we will start at the bottom. There is a longstanding joke here: What do you call a driver who drives in a straight line? Answer: Drunk! Welcome to the world congress of Potholes, where they gather in vast numbers, all shapes and sizes (and depths) to rip the heart and soul out of your vehicle.
Driving Zimbabwe roads requires an ability to make split second decisions on negotiating a length of road pockmarked like a WWI battlefield. Do you straddle a pothole, go through it, avoid it entirely by driving on the dirt shoulder or the other side of the road? And that's just if there's one. Then we have the linked holes, the staggered holes, a lattice of bomb creators, or the ultimate: simply a trench across the road.
And then we must deal with oncoming traffic, also swerving and swearing, and overtaking taxis, and schoolchildren and donkeys on the side. Finally, to make it really interesting, we must do it in the rain. So a section with puddles ahead could be minor puddles, or hiding a full scale crater. And you only find out by entering it and finding your front wheels have disappeared into a gaping chasm.
So driving requires these special skills which must include predicting what the cars around you could do, as they negotiate the crowded intersections and fragmented roads, and being prepared for almost any manoeuvre.
On the highway, with an apparent clear run of tar, it is easy to be enticed to high speeds...at last. But never be fooled. It's not just the inevitable pothole waiting to rip the suspension off the car, it could be a wandering cow deciding that standing in the centre of the road is just where they want to be. Or, worse, a frisky goat which springs out, and half way decides to turn around and scamper back. It's not going to live long! Part of the reason for not travelling at night.
Then we have the buses. Ah, a law unto themselves. Potholes are for little cars, not trucks and busses, who merrily continue at 100kph whatever the road conditions. How they survive is one of the Zimbabwe mysteries.
On the rural dirt roads, we have all the above plus the challenge of slip sliding on mud and crossing flooded rivers. It is not possible to grade the rural roads in the wet, so this time of year all the dirt roads are in horrendous condition. We need to travel to Gokwe on Friday to visit 2 of the newly completed boreholes. The current report is that the low level crossing of the Sebakwe River has been washed away, but is passable with care. Hmm. My vehicle is a tired Toyota pickup, not 4 wheel drive, and the crossings I've managed with her have been difficult. We will make that assessment on Friday, but the alternative route via Kadoma is an extra 200km on poor dirt.
For the moment I'm happy to be safely in Masvingo. Tomorrow I will meet with the Bishop and the local Dean to discuss the project. Matthias will join me then to visit the two Masvingo borehole sites and we will end in Gweru to meet with Darlington and Bishop Ignatius, the most senior cleric. I suspect that my nice clean white Toyota and my new trainers are not likely to be bright and clean by that stage.
Thanks for reading and your support.
Sandy Elsworth 22 January 2025
Worse than driving round Kent at the moment, then Sandy 😟😁