Coincidence? I think not. More on Zimbabwe

Last week a met a man at my flying club who told me he was from Zimbabwe. I had told him that I had recently gone there on a look-and-see trip to find out if it was still as bad as people (including me) thought. I found out that he had lived there, when I did. That was back in 1966, when I was six. We had stayed just six months, living in a thatched cottage not far from what was then called Salisbury. Then he got talking about his primary school - Highlands. The coincidences came one on top the other. He also lived in Highlands. It turned out that not only did he live in the same suburb, he went to the same school and his sister was in my class. Not only that - he lived in the same street - on the same side of the road about ten houses apart. Now why am I telling you this, you may ask?

Because it’s my job to get things right, especially when people’s safety is at stake. This man was a blessing to many a would-be Zimbabwe visitor. He explained that he had travelled from Beit Bridge to Vic Falls, and onto northern Zambia in February this year. (Three months ago) And his story was the polar opposite from my own. It had taken more than US$1000 in bribes to get him through the country. The police would stop them, arrest them without even asking questions, and tell them they had to pay a spot fine or see a magistrate in three days, and while they waited, it would be in a jail cell. The offence was sometimes speeding, when in fact the radar camera was not on display and the actual speed bore no resemblance to that claimed. There were claims that the front reflectors were not the right size and others ridiculous charges. They had also been hijacked in Harare. This I am told (and was warned during my visit) is common practice. In the centre of Harare, gangs will spike a tyre and when you pull over to repair it, you are hijacked and your cameras, wallets and cell phones are taken. The warning is, even if you destroy a tyre – drive on! Even if you wait until the ‘coast is clear’, they wait, hidden and wait until your backs are turned.

So, my conclusions… would I take my family on a motoring holiday through Zimbabwe? I'm not that keen any more.

Zimbabwe is great!

Zimbabwe is, how can I say this without sounding harsh?... a hole. It’s a friendly hole. Even a fairly clean hole. But it seems like a deep dark pit where people live, hoping for the day when someone will come along and relieve the pain.

As a tourist, it was pleasant. Within a few days I had relaxed and felt welcome. The people are friendly, to the point where it’s almost as if they are saying, ‘Hey look… white people. D’you remember them? They were the one’s who brought us work. Wouldn’t it be nice to have them back?’

The lack of white people is staggering. Looking carefully into cars, houses, back yards and streets, I counted a grand total of three; yes three white people who were neither tourists or people working in the tourism industry or scientists or students studying the wildlife. Resident whites are conspicuous by their absence. It’s alarming to say the least. And with them, gone are so many businesses and the life they create.

My travelling companion was Dave Van Graan of Masezane Expeditions, Like me, the purposes of the trip for him were also two-fold. Apart from keeping me company, he wanted to set out a new route for his self-drive tours and also needed to find out if Zimbabwe was a safe bet for his clients. My reasons were to shoot my TV show, and to find out if it is a place I would want to return to.  

Route

We began at Great Zimbabwe near Masvingo, then Matopos, Hwange, Vic Falls, Lake Kariba via Matusadona and Mana Pools. It was mostly tar roads broken by two days of very rough going driving between Vic Falls and Kariba, which required a ‘bush camp’ because the distance and slowness of the road meant it couldn’t be done in a single day.

Security

This was a pleasant surprise. Asking around and it seems as if Harare and Bulawayo are the two hotspots. Do not leave your packed vehicle unattended in these two cities.  (Much like downtown Joburg). Vic Falls isn’t a good spot either, but apart from that it’s relaxed and, we were told, hardly ever and issue.

The Parks

Clean, tidy and efficient, but run-down. I watched the employees, many of whom hardly ever get paid, making great efforts to keep things working; the ablutions clean and the paths swept. They mostly welcome you with bundles of firewood and let you now that if there is anything you need, they will be there. And I didn’t get the feeling that they were just looking for a tip either. It occurred to me that they were trying to make things right again.

Road blocks and police

There are road blocks aplenty, and cops with a speed camera outside of towns. Be very careful how quickly you speed up again after leaving a town. If you get caught, they will likely tell you that you were going to fast to pay an admission-of-guilt fine, and that you’ll have to see a magistrate in a few days time. This provides them a ploy to get some personal payment to let you go. Not unlike our own Joburg Metro Cops. The main difference is, our cops get decent salaries.

Border posts

Avoid the big border posts if at all possible. Beit Bridge is a nightmare even when it’s not busy. We were helped no end by a brilliant article in SA 4x4 Magazine written a few months back. And have all your papers ready. Keep calm, polite and don’t let it be obvious that you’re in a hurry - like all of the Third World, it’s the best way to get border officials to slow down. Be cool to be quick! Avoid going through at night. It makes an unpleasant situation much worse.

Conclusion

I’m frustrated when South Africans look with scornfull eyes at our neighbours. Look at South Africa. Fuel is more expensive, groceries are more expensive, the security situation for the most part is worse than in Zimbabwe! I am happy to announce that Zimbabwe is easy, relaxed and as long as you do a little extra preparation (vehicle paperwork mainly), it’s a great place to take your family.

Highlights

Mana Pools is truly fantastic with animals keeping us awake most of the night, with lions and hynena around the tents and grumpy buffalo in the campsite. Hwange is a great alternative to Kruger, with far fewer people and almost as much game. While Kariba Town is a bit of a dump, the lake is a truly brilliant venue if you’re on a houseboat.

I'll be back soon.

Is Zimbabwe a safe family destination?

I first came to Africa when I was six years old, fresh from a country village in Southern England. My first taste of Africa was Rhodesia and the Hwange National Park. It's where I first put the name of an African animal together with its picture. That is, I actually saw one. 'Impala'. Then 'Zebra', and so on. And I even clearly remember memorizing my first African word. 'Sinamatella'. It's the name of a camp in Hwange (Then pronounced Wankie) and after 46 years, I'm going back.

I am off later this week for 14 days in Zimbabwe. My mission is to find out for myself if it's ready for visitors again. I will be travelling the western portion, from Beit Bridge to Motopos, Hwange, Victoria Falls, Chizarira, Matusadona, Kariba and Mana Pools. I am travelling with Dave Van Graan of Masezane Expeditions who will be guiding me. And of course I am also shooting for my TV show.

So there will be no new blog until 29th May. Sorry.

LA Sport, Products-In-Action Show

I'm going to be at the LA Sport, Products-In-Action Show, Pretoria, May 5&6. Look for me. I'll be wandering around with my cameras... Come and say hello. Details: http://www.lasport.co.za/index.php/events

Podcasts. Today's (24th April) podcast asks: is solid axle suspension for off-roaders as good as we think it is?

Podcasts

New 4x4 Discussion Forum about to go live

When I launched 4xforum.com in 1996, one of the first ideas was to build into the website a discussion forum. And I did. But due partly to a lack of moderation (no time) and complexities with the software I used, after only about six years, I closed the forum part of my website. When 4x4community.co.za began a few weeks later, I ‘gave away’, so to speak, my database of users. But the idea of a forum has never gone away.

Back in 1996, Internet discussion forums were a new thing. But today, they’re old hat. But moderators still have problems keeping out the trash. By trash I mean contributors (If you can call them that) who’s main motive for posting comments seems to be to belittle, criticize or demean another's ideas, the vehicle they drive or their opinions. It seems to give them pleasure. The result, when this spreads out of control, is a forum that users eventually tire of and leave. I believe this is a downfall of many, and it’s particularly bad in 4x4 forums. Strangely, some people can’t handle that another likes another vehicle better. It’s almost like a personal insult, and so they begin trading insults.

Apart from containing some unique topics, a heavy hand will moderate the new forum, which will be launched 1st May 2012.

Our mission statement and warning is clear…

This forum is a place of discussion and learning. It is also a place of friendship.
If you insult or degrade anyone because of what they choose to drive, their race or religion, or use profane language, for any reason whatsoever, you will be banned WITHOUT WARNING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!


KEEP IT CLEAN. KEEP IT KIND, LEAVE IT LIKE YOU’D LIKE TO FIND IT

For a sneak preview, go to www.4xforum.com/forum

Like the idea of exploring the Outback? Beware... Danger lurks!

I am convinced that more new vehicle buyers suffer buyers’ remorse in the 4x4 sector than in any other segment of the motor industry.

If I’m shopping for a pick-up, I first look at how much load it can carry, then how much space and then, how much it costs to run and its resale value. With a sports car it’s all about the Kw, torque, 0-100 and accessories. Only then is it the maintenance plan and size of its rims. A people carrier is about how many seats and how much to run. Only then, is safety and space in the garage considered. No buyer needs any specialist knowledge to make a sound judgment based on these plain and simple things. But with 4x4, it’s far from plain and simple.

With almost all 4x4 buyers the decision is based on two things: How good is it off road? And, is it going to be suitable for use as an everyday car? Because most 4x4s are a compromise one way or the other, without a basic understanding of what makes a 4x4 good or bad, on and off road, the buyer has a problem. And the big problem is, most buyers don’t even know that they have a problem.

Enter the troublemaker question… ‘How good is it off road? So few newbies to the 4x4 scene understand what off-road actually means. This is because they get their info from magazine articles written mostly by equally ignorant writers.  (Specialist 4x4s mags do know the difference but it’s the general lifestyle mags that often don’t) This becomes obvious when I read meaningless platitudes like, ‘It can go everywhere’ or ‘It’s diff lock means that it can get out of the stickiest situation’. While these phrases excite prospective buyers, they also confuse them.

So what does the term ‘off-road’ really mean? To some it means, off a tar road. To others it means off any kind of road – on a track or similar.  And to others it means driving over a place where no vehicle has ever driven before.  And there is no right or wrong answer.

So, if you’re sniffing the breeze of the wild and untamed wilderness, and its tempting to you, then in the next three weeks I will be giving you the ten golden rules of selecting a 4x4. Here are the first three…

Rule 1. Not all 4x4s are created equal.

Few 4x4s are really good at everything. Some are good for almost nothing relating to off-road. Every 4×4 is a compromise in some way: some that are good on road should never leave it, and others good off it, are a test of endurance on it. As a buyer, you will need to compromise just as the designers have done. Decide where your compromises are going to lie as you go about choosing a 4×4.

Rule 2. Know more than the showroom salesperson about 4x4s or you may be taken for an unsatisfactory ride.

It has taken years, but salespersons are at last beginning to learn more about the 4x4s they are selling. But this doesn’t prevent them selling you what you do not want. They will always make an effort to tell you what you want to hear, and rarely what you need to hear. The only way to outwit them is to do some homework and to have made a few fundamental decisions before meeting the sale force. The danger lies in that most of us are easily baffled by bull delivered by an experienced salesperson.

Rule 3. Beware of the phrase, “I don’t want to do anything serious”.

If you hear this in your mind, it’s a danger sign because what does serious really mean? It is vital to be clear on what you expect from your vehicle choice and to know if your choice can do it.

More next time…