By Chaka Zulu
Rufusa Gold & Tsetse fly
I recall about 30 years ago during the summer of 1992 in the Uk, when my friend and I decided to stay over for holidays and prepare for our final GCSE final exams. We got a bed and breakfast joint in Hammersmith on the banks of the Thames.
I would ensure I have breakfast in restaurant every morning and I would meet this oldish not English looking gentleman having coffee and reading a newspaper. We would always greet and go our ways until a week later when he called me by my full names and invited me to have breakfast with him.
I was not very moved by him referring to me by name as it was easy to get from the manager, but I jaw dropped when he shared with me what he’s role was when he worked for the Zambian government during the Kaunda Era.
He told me he was a retired Israeli national and was involved in a urge secret mission in Zambia to protect the lower Zambezi particularly the Rufusa area as there was gold discovered and needed protection. He was a scientist at the time working on tropical insects and how they can be used for war or protection for human movement or habitation
He further shared that most areas that had copper and emeralds, where protected by setting ZNS camps and mission hospitals. Non made sense at the time as I didn’t know much for I was not familiar with what he was telling me as student abroad.
Anyway fast forward to the Rufusa project, he narrated how the Israeli government was engaged to protect the area by introducing a an insect that was under study that would keep humans away by infection and would multiply extremely fast but be managed professionally.
Hence the introduction of the Tsetse flies in the Rufusa area. This flies could spread the sleeping sickness rapidly and effectively blocking human habitation in the area. He further tried to explain to me how the flies could be moved but not exterminated if mass mining was to take place.
I was very scared to listen to such conspiracy theories and excused myself. I avoided the man for the coming days until we left. I now look back and analyze the information he shared and makes so much sense now.
My conclusion is there is a lot Dr. Kaunda did to protect natural resources and preserved for future generations and the time is now for this generation to benefit.
We have Lumwana, Kalumbila and many other mines that have come up so it’s time for lower Zambezi to open up.
