NOTE!
In the last few weeks, I encountered computer and internet access glitches beyond the norm that constrained making new postings. My apologies for the delay in being able to share the information written during this period. I will post this past material as opportunities permit, starting with this post.
On 23 November, the District Planning Officer, Works Director, Decentralization Advisor and I made our way to the Eastern Province capital, Chipata, to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. Because Petauke is a “district council”, as opposed to a “city council” or “municipal council”, planning authority is largely retained by the Eastern Province Planning Authority, which is staffed by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. (My regrets to those of you who aren’t into planning jargon, but some references to work and the professional side of things needs to be made from time to time.) In addition, a Geographic Information System (GIS) is being developed for the Eastern Province, and we wanted to explore the potential for cooperative efforts in data gathering and management, mapping and other aspects of planning. After numerous postponements, it was nice to finally engage in a face-to-face exchange of information and ideas. Obtaining consistent and reliable data and basic mapping are a significant challenge. |
| Meeting at Ministry of Local Government & Housing in Chipata |
The next day, we attended a meeting of the Eastern Province Planning Authority. The session was also attended by a group from the Lusaka Province Planning Authority, which later participated in a demonstration tour addressing planning issues of mutual interest.
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| Meeting of the Eastern Province Planning Authority |
We proceeded on to the Mambwe District where the rest of the group was staying, and ended up in Mfuwe, the gateway to South Luangwa National Park. This afforded the opportunity to spend the better part of a day and evening in the park, one of Africa’s gems as a wildlife viewing destination. While not the peak time, one could easily spend a week exploring the vast park. This was certainly one of the highlights of my experience in Zambia thus far.
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| South Luangwa National Park |
While paved roads exist in the vicinity of the park, portions of the drive there were over “washboard” conditions that were jarring, to say the least. On the way back, one of the tires failed. The vehicle had a spare, but unfortunately, the jack had been placed in another vehicle. With patience and goodwill from passersby, we were finally able to get back on the road before too late in the day. After reaching the main highway, and cruising back to Petauke, the spare tire blew out around 30 kilometers west of Chipata, and still a good hour and a half from home. Our driver, Mr. Banda, deserves a great deal of credit for remaining calm and keeping the vehicle under control while easing it off to the highway shoulder. This necessitated another vehicle delivering a tire. Late that evening, we finally safely arrived back in Petauke.
While paved roads exist in the vicinity of the park, portions of the drive there were over “washboard” conditions that were jarring, to say the least. On the way back, one of the tires failed. The vehicle had a spare, but unfortunately, the jack had been placed in another vehicle. With patience and goodwill from passersby, we were finally able to get back on the road before too late in the day. After reaching the main highway, and cruising back to Petauke, the spare tire blew out around 30 kilometers west of Chipata, and still a good hour and a half from home. Our driver, Mr. Banda, deserves a great deal of credit for remaining calm and keeping the vehicle under control while easing it off to the highway shoulder. This necessitated another vehicle delivering a tire. Late that evening, we finally safely arrived back in Petauke.
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| First flat tire (of two) |
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