Thursday, 19 June 1986: Harare Rotary President Commits Major Faux-Pas

 June 29, 4:00PM home of Abe & Vera, Lusaka, Zambia

Another week, another country – Zambia makes six so far since April.  I’ll be heading down to Victoria Falls before returning to South Africa via Botswana.  I phoned the University of Botswana Environmental Science Department chairman last night, and he seems to be satisfied with my application and recommendations for the job at UB.  He says the appointments committee will meet in a week or two to decide on me, but knowing Africa, it could take longer.  Being the only applicant for the job will help.  I’ve had good luck in the past getting jobs when I’m the sole applicant. 

Part of me is really homesick (probably more for my friends than for Colorado itself).  Another part doesn’t care if I ever go back.  There is so much of the world to see and experience.  Also, I feel I have changed somewhat for the better.  I seem more mellow, relaxed, and friendly than when I arrived in Africa nearly three months ago.  Part of it is the warmth and friendliness I get from strangers here (especially the black people outside of South Africa).  Their smiles are contagious.  The dry-season, winter weather is wonderful.  Sunshine with a high of about 70°F nearly every day.  Nights are cold – that’s OK as long as I have a space heater and/or plenty of blankets.

After my trip to the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, I went back to Harare for eight days before flying to Lusaka three days ago.  While in Harare, I attended a Rotary luncheon where I met some nice chaps.  After lunch, the local club president rose from his seat to offer a toast.  The poor fellow didn’t have his brain turned on and said, “To our country:  Rhodesia!”  That drew a chorus of moans from both whites and blacks in attendance.  He was visibly embarrassed since Rhodesia became Zimbabwe six years ago!  We exchanged banners with me once again bringing greetings from North America’s highest Rotary Club (Summit County, Colorado).  By the way, the racial balance at Rotary meetings continues to improve the further north I travel.  There were about ten Africans out of the roughly fifty Rotarians at this lunch. 

As I was leaving the meeting, the club president, Charles (I forgot his last name), asked if I needed a lift anywhere.  I accepted the short ride down to the post office to deposit a bundle of U.S.-bound envelopes containing my latest scribblings.  Charles is white, probably early 60s, and runs an auto assembly plant.  Nevertheless, he was driving an old Peugeot.  It was parked in a lot right next to the street to make it harder for a car thief to go unnoticed.  Before we got in, Charles opened the boot (trunk) and shut off the burglar alarm.  Once in the car, he opened the steering wheel lock.  Charles explained that Peugeots are popular with thieves.  This car had been stolen before, and when it was later recovered, it had been stripped of a number of parts.  Because of the scarcity of spare parts in Zimbabwe, steeling “spares” can be a lucrative business.

Peugeots like this 1978 504 sedan are popular with thieves in Zimbabwe.  In 2013, the Los Angeles Times called the 504 "Africa's workhorse."  Photo source:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/1978_Peugeot_504_Ti_Automatic_2.0_Front.jpg

 

Charles told me that new autos are also difficult to get here.  One often spends a year or two on a waiting list for certain models.  His plant can assemble forty cars per day but are currently only putting out seven.  The reason – once again, a lack of foreign exchange to bring in the components from Japan, etc. for assembly.  Charles believes in a mixed economy.  Railroads and other services that have to be run at a loss need government ownership.  However, he decried Prime Minister Mugabe’s communist rhetoric which he said scares off foreign investment.

When I phoned the president of the Lusaka Rotary Club last week regarding accommodations in Lusaka, he urged me to get over here as soon as possible.  Rotary District 920 (southern Africa) was having its annual conference in a few days.  I didn’t hurry figuring it would be a bunch of boring Rotary old-boy shit.  Wow, have I been pleasantly surprised – more later.