Lake Kariba - Zimbabwe's Inland Ocean

Carrie Hampton found that the spirit of Nyanminyami - the Zambezi River God - is still working its magic at Lake Kariba and she soon became mesmerised into a catatonic state of pure relaxation.

Lake Kariba - Zimbabwe's Inland Ocean
It might have been the heat, which was heading towards a sweltering 38o, but there was something about Lake Kariba that mesmerised me into a catatonic state of pure relaxation. Nothing I saw seemed to make any sense at all.

Nothing Seemed Real
While fishing nonchalantly from a houseboat I noticed a vertical drainpipe drift through the water - perhaps I had drunk one too many sundowner cocktails. It turned out to be an elephant's trunk emerging, attached to a large grey dripping body.

The next day a dark handsome man, who looked as if he had stepped out of the pages of a Wilbur Smith novel, strolled along the same remote sand bank and stared intently at the ground as if searching for something. The hazy heat made me feel as if I was living in a dream and I wondered if anything at Lake Kariba was quite as it seemed.

Kariba's magic is attributed to Nyaminyami, the Zambezi River God who was undoubtedly responsible for the once-in-a-thousand-year flood in 1958 during the building of the massive dam. The river was finally tamed in June 1959 and the lake formed an inland ocean 285kms long and 40kms wide.

Men lost their lives and people their land in the formation of this dam, but more than 40 years on, the new eco-system provides life in many forms. Villagers and their livestock have constant access to water and the fishing is good. Holiday makers flock to the lake for fishing, sailing, game viewing and unadulterated rest & relaxation.

Wildlife abounds and there are so many crocodiles, that to keep numbers down, the National Parks Board allow crocodile farms to collect the newly-laid eggs for their hatcheries. They breed them for their meat and skins like any other domestic animal. This explains the hero-like Crocodile Dundee I saw walking the sandbank. He was looking for crocodile nests to raid - a job with inherent dangers.

Crocodile Dundee
I was to experience these dangers first hand after I persuaded him to take me along on the next foray for eggs. It seems that the female crocodile is quite canny and covers her metre-deep nest so thoroughly, that even an expert finds it hard to locate. A dusting of sand on a rock may be the only clue that a nest lies nearby.

When we found some signs, I had to dig into the soft sand like a dog looking for its bone, until I came across about 40 cylindrical cocoon-like eggs. These I was told to handle carefully, as turning them would kill the developing reptile. Another crocodile peculiarity is that the incubation temperature determines the sex. This bizarre freak of nature produces mostly males at 33°C and almost all females at 32°C.

You might think that the density of man-eating crocodiles would prohibit you from taking a refreshing dip in the cooling waters of Lake Kariba, but luckily many of the houseboats have a swimming cage. Crocodiles are not the only life threatening danger in the lake, hippopotami kill more people in Africa than any other animal.

These giant harmless-looking beasts become very grumpy if you invade their territory, or if you get between them and the water while they are grazing on grassy banks. It would only take one snap of those massive jaws to split you in two, but ironically they are strictly vegetarian, so they would spit you out again in disgust.

Don't worry, you are quite safe as long as you don't do anything really stupid. Just enjoy the wildlife and don't try and make friends with it. Africa equals animals and this one very good reason for you to come.

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Bulawayo and Matobos, Zimbabwe

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe. Wide, tree-lined streets and suburban lawns make it hard to believe that the Kalahari desert lies over the Botswana border at nearby Plumtree. Equally hard to imagine is the blood that has, over the centuries, soaked into this thirsty soil.

Bulawayo's name means 'the killing place,' and executions of rival tribes had long been practiced by the dominant Ndebele. These warlike descendents of Shaka and his Zulus were nineteenth century migrants from South Africa.

The most recent bloodshed was in the early 1980s when President Robert Mugabe, a member of the ruling Shona tribe, violently suppressed Ndebele dissent. But the Ndebele were first defeated by the British. A subsequent gold rush gave the town initial impetus but proved to be short-lived. Finally, Cecil Rhodes, (the English imperialist) and his railway put Bulawayo on the map and it remains a transport hub today.

Bulawayo welcomed the country's first train in 1897 and its Railway Museum traces the last century of rail travel. A model of an historic station complete with period furnishings, and Cecil Rhodes' own private carriage, used to carry his body from Cape Town to the nearby Matobos hills, are some of the attractions.

Railway enthusiasts can arrange to ride the steam locomotives that still puff their way through the city. The National Railways of Zimbabwe publicity officer can be found in company headquarters on Fife Street.

Centenary Park and Central Park are adjacent to each other and make up forty-five hectares of green shade in the city centre. Central Park boasts Zimbabwe's largest ornamental fountain which was erected to commemorate the city's seventy-fifth birthday in 1968.

Along with a miniature railway, an aviary, a botanical garden and the municipal campsite, Bulawayo's theatre and National History Museum are to be found in Centenary Park. You'll find both parks on Samuel Parirenyatwa Street, east of the Bulawayo Publicity Association.

Founded in 1901, Bulawayo's Museum of Natural History is the country's finest museum. It has the largest indigenous mammal collection in Southern Africa and the second largest mounted elephant in the world. Birds, reptiles, fish and insects are also included and, in all, the museum houses 75,000 specimens.

Archaeology is represented in the prehistoric man exhibit as is anthropology in the displays of African and European culture. Geology with its rocks and minerals provide explanations of Zimbabwe's geological features and mining is explored in the replica of a gold mine. The museum is housed in a neo-Colosseum in Centenary Park on the corner of Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue.

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Zimbabwe Safari Lodge

Zimbabwe Harare and Midlands

In 1896, Cecil Rhodes' Pioneer column staked its claim to this fertile high-lying plateau with its mild climate and named it Salisbury after a British Prime Minister. Today, the capital of Zimbabwe is named after an ancestral Shona chief, legendary as 'the one who never sleeps' and on the hill called the Kopje, the flame of perpetual Independence burns where once the Union Jack fluttered.

Harare doesn't quite live up to its name, however, despite the high-rises and teeming construction sites of the city centre. Although it is the most urban and westernised of Zimbabwe's varied landscapes, don't expect twenty-four-hour-a-day city life.

However, there is a vibrant African music scene and the Mbare Market is a traditional African market in stereo and Technicolor. Leave all valuables behind and go with a local - for reasons of security, and to get the most out of the experience. Nightlife consists mainly of dining, drinking and discos.

Harare Activites:
Less noisy pursuits are to be found, however. Harare is a showcase for the distinctive Shona style of sculpture where mythic beasts and rounded women erupt from polished soapstone. The Harare National Gallery is a good place to find out more.

Their outdoor sculpture garden features some of the best examples of the genre. Chapungu Kraal, a few miles from the city centre, offers the chance to meet the sculptors themselves . Along with over three hundred and fifty of the most highly-rated works, there is also traditional music and dance and even a witchdoctor should you need some guidance as to what to take home.

Older examples of indigenous art however lie further afield, in the Chinamora Communal lands some 35km (20 miles) out on the Borrowdale Road. Ancient humans, ancestors to the Bushman or San, once roamed Southern Africa. They left paintings on the rocks and thousands of years later the images remain.

Although there are many paintings at Domboshawa Cave, time and erosion has damaged them. Visit the Information Centre first to make sense of the pictures. Ngomakurira is a second site nearby whose paintings are in much better condition.

Surrounded by game parks, nature reserves and recreational lakes, Harare provides ample alternatives to urban pursuits. There are horseback safaris through the nearby Mukuvisi Woodlands just east of the city or picnic on the viewing platform above the water hole to get a birds-eye view of the small game.

For birding enthusiasts, Larvon Bird Gardens, is an opportunity to get acquainted with over 400 species of Southern African birds. Somewhat further afield, Ewanrigg Botanical Garden has an extensive aloe and cycad collection that is at its best during the winter months of June to September.

Two lakeside resorts complete the list of things to do outside Harare. Lake Chivero, some 35 km (20 miles) out of town, is Harare's favourite watersports playground, complete with small game reserve which stocks giraffe and antelope and a few elusive rhino.

There are a number of accommodation options around the lake. Just beyond Chivero is Manyame Recreational Park, the fisherman's favourite, with few amenities other than camping around the dam and, if you're lucky, African salmon over an open fire.

Chinoyi Caves National Park:
Chinoyi Caves National Park is 71 km (43 miles) north of Harare and makes a pleasant lunch stop on the long hot road to Kariba and the Zambezi. The small park houses a limestone cave formed when the ground collapsed into a sinkhole.

The deep blue pool beneath is known as the 'Sleeping Pool' and to the Shona as the 'Pool of the Fallen' after the many people who, over the centuries, have lost their lives to the bottomless waters. A look at the mysterious blue pool and lunch under the trees at the adjacent Caves Motel should set you on your way again. But, should you want to spend the night, there is a camping site adjacent to the park

The Midlands:
The cooler, high-lying Midlands, south of Harare, is mining territory. Brought to the surface by ancient earthquakes, the mineral-rich deposits of the Great Dyke ensure that commerce and industry is the region's chief preoccupation.

For the adventurous tourist however, this is an area that is little visited . Isolated lakes like Sebakwe Dam and Ngezi Recreational Park provide angling and boating opportunities for those that like their outdoors undisturbed by modern conveniences. Private game conservancies offer more luxurious surroundings.

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Zimbabwe with my Nephew

by Sarah Anderson

'Travels with my Aunt' sounded appealing. Graham Greene had done it, but would I match up to his fictional Aunt Augusta, or the exotic Auntie Mame?

The telephone rang. “Sarah, it's 96.”

“96 what?”

“96 hours till we go, of course.”

I had been planning to take my eleven year old nephew, Alexander, on safari for months, but had only told him about the trip to Zimbabwe five weeks prior to our departure as I reckoned the excitement factor would have been unbearable to live with had he known any earlier.

'Travels with my Aunt' sounded appealing. Graham Greene had done it, but would I match up to his fictional Aunt Augusta, or the exotic Auntie Mame? Would 'Travels with my Uncle' (although it does not have the same ring) be something that Hugh Grant would have considered in the new film Notting Hill which is set in the Travel Bookshop [the shop I started in 1979], or is he too involved with Julia Roberts to want to travel with a spare niece?

With the final 96 hours somehow survived, Alex (as he was known in Africa) and I found ourselves alone at Gatwick. He told me that he thought travelling with just two people, something he had never done before, seemed promising and we settled down on our overnight flight to Harare. We had been warned that the October heat could be stifling, but the Harare morning was cold and it was not until we arrived at Imbabala, a small family run camp, on the banks of the Zambezi near Victoria Falls, that we began to feel warm. Our first evening was spent drinking sundowners, drifting down the Zambezi on a pontoon absorbing the sunset and watching large herds of elephants swimming across the river supporting their calves in the deep water. After dinner Alex organized a night drive for himself with Gavin Best; I had determined on an early night for both of us, but found my arm being fairly easily twisted by his enthusiasm. I was too exhausted to go, but lay in bed unable to sleep, thinking unimaginable thoughts until his safe return.

During the day, between different safari activities, I found it wonderfully peaceful sitting outside our chalet watching the blue Zambezi flow past, and in the cool of the evening we went on a walking safari with Gavin who was armed with a gun. Walking is the way to feel most at one with the animals; hearing becomes the most important sense and although we did not see much game, having the tracks and spore pointed out was fascinating. There is also the added frisson of danger. We did see a porcupine in the dusk, and on the night drive that evening (which I joined), we saw a leopard, the animal I had most wanted to see, and had a well-camouflaged boomslang snake in a tree pointed out. What the guides are able to see will never cease to impress me, but it is astonishing how one's own eyes develop and start to 'see' after a while on safari. At this stage a warthog, which kneels on its front legs to eat and which is born with callouses on its knees in preparation for a lifetime of foraging, was Alex's favourite animal, because he liked the way it put its tail in the air when it ran.

We spent one day in Chobe National Park in Botswana. We were dropped at the border and picked up the other side; going to Botswana meant that we got extra stamps in our passports. Chobe is renowned for its plentiful game and from the river in the morning we saw herds of buffalo, one of Africa's most dangerous mammals, hippos, giraffe, crocodiles, elephants and a multitude of birds. Because October marks the end of the dry season, game flock to the remaining water, making it an excellent month for viewing. Alex had heard about the Big Five (lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo ) and was determined to try and see them all before we left Africa. He was also keen on seeing predators which produced an unfortunate conflict of interests when we were lucky enough to come across eleven lions by the side of the road no more than six feet from us. A woman at the back of our land-rover was petrified and wanted to move on fast, while both Alex and myself wanted to stay and watch for as long as possible. Her fear won.

Arriving at Imbabala that evening felt like going home. In Chobe we had lunched at a large hotel and it was wonderful to be back at the small camp where everyone knew everyone else’s name (I had my own special memory booster in the shape of Alex who was always on hand to remind me of names of people, animals and places). Shay Best, the manager, told me how refreshing it was to have someone as enthusiastic as Alex to stay, as most boys of his age appear bored and spoilt. I was also profiting from his enthusiasm. He'd constantly ask interesting questions about the animals and their behaviour and about the political situation in Zimbabwe. I am used to travelling on my own and carry some innate British reserve with me, but his ease and friendliness with everyone we met rubbed off on me and I got none of the suspicion that often accompanies a lone traveller.

We were both sad to leave Imbabala where we had felt so welcome and where wild water-buck had come up to our chalet, but the sight of Victoria Falls was so spectacular that we had little time for regrets. If we who have seen the Falls in films and photographs can still find the sight amazing, how much more amazing must it have seemed to David Livingstone in 1855 who would have heard the roar long before he sighted the water? It was here that I had my second panic attack. At some of the vantage points round the falls the barriers are flimsy and knee-high. I suffer from dire vertigo, but have learnt to cope with it on my own by not going anywhere near the edge. Alex had no such fear, going right up to the brink; I was already rehearsing the telephone call to my sister...

At Elephant Camp we helped wash and groom four of the resident elephants: Miz Ellie, Jumbo, Jock and Jack before riding them, sitting behind a groom, in the evening. The elephants are orphans from a cull and are unquestionably well-treated, but both Alex and myself felt slightly uncomfortable when the elephants were asked to perform tricks even though we were assured that this was only to ensure their continued obedience. As we were having dinner, jackals, kudu and bushbuck (kinds of antelope) wandered in and out of the floodlight, and on our elephant ride the next morning we were lucky enough to see a wild dog.

Our next camp was Jijima, on the edge of Hwange National Park where the rooms were tented chalets with thatched roofs. This was a slightly bigger camp than the previous two but we were welcomed with the same friendliness we had found everywhere. We had arrived just too late for the afternoon driving safari but when they noticed our disappointment we were immediately offered the chance of a walk. Jijima has a resident tame orphaned impala named Maa, an antelope with beautiful markings aged six, who walked with us. I felt that if she were with us we would be alerted to the danger of lions or elephants, but evidently she thinks of herself as human and only flees from wild dogs. There was a long drive into Hwange National Park the following morning, and at the pan (water-hole) in the middle of the park where we had breakfast we saw several herds of elephants, zebra, wildebeeste, a warthog with babies, impala, giraffe, baboon and buffalo. Giraffes have an endearing way of drinking: the majority spread their front legs wide apart and lower their necks into the water, but a few bend their front legs. It was these drinking poses which enabled the giraffe supplant the warthog as Alex's favourite animal.

We spent one night at Induna Lodge on the outskirts of Bulawayo and because of limited time there had to make the difficult choice of either going to the Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage or to the Natural History Museum. Rob Macdonald our host advised the museum, partly because it was so often robbed that if we were ever to come back there would inevitably be less to see. It was a good decision; by now we had seen so many animals (some at quite a distance) that to be able to see them at close range was satisfying and the displays of insects and the history of Cecil Rhodes were extremely well done.

By now we had seen four of the Big Five, but still had the hardest to find. The black rhino had been poached almost to extinction, but there are now 73 in the Bubiana Conservancy our last stop. After an hour's flight south-east from Bulawayo in a small plane we arrived at Barberton Lodge situated in the middle of the conservancy and built out of the side of a granite hill. There are only four bedrooms, each with its own particular view, and the open circular dining room which is up a flight of steep stairs has a stupendous outlook to distant hills. We arrived, the only guests, in the heat of the day, and went for a drive with our guide Liesel Crooks when it had cooled down. The next morning I could hardly believe the change in the weather; it was cold, grey and wet. Was I really still in Africa? This was also bad news for seeing game, as the animals, like us, tend to hunker down in the cold. Time was running out for rhino-spotting. Liesel took us on a walk to see some Bushmen Paintings which have only recently been discovered and are anything between 4 and 10 thousand years old. The paintings, done with a mixture of animal fat, ochre and blood, are of people and animals, about five inches tall and extremely lifelike. We picked out a pregnant woman, a man with a bow and arrow, a zebra, a sable-antelope and people dancing.

I had barely ridden since school but was determined to try the following morning. I was given what was said to be a quiet horse, but was warned that it might try to jump anything jumpable. Alex, who rides at home, expressed his concern that I looked somewhat unrelaxed but we did not go faster than a walk and I found riding a particularly enjoyable way of absorbing the landscape. The weather had improved by the evening and we watched the sunset, drinking cocktails from a boat on the reservoir. The following day, our last, was Alex's 12th birthday and our last chance to see that elusive black rhino. The conservancy employs 55 scouts to check on the rhinos’ whereabouts and to catch poachers. When a scout has sighted a rhino he radios the camp and interested parties then drive and walk to where the [usually sleeping] rhino has been seen.

After riding again on the morning of our last day, a scout rushed into the camp (his radio batteries had failed) to say he had seen the rhino called Alfie. Liesel went to retrieve her gun and we were given instructions about what to do if he charged. We set off firstly by car and then on foot through the bush; we walked for about twenty minutes and the closer we got the slower and quieter we had to be until the scout leading us took off his shoes and we had to almost hold our breath. Suddenly there he was, only about twenty yards away. It was both exciting and frightening. While he was lying down he looked exactly like a rock, but then he got up, having sensed us and we glimpsed his unique horn before he ambled off. We had seen the Big Five.

Alex had not minded at all not seeing anyone of his own age on the trip and when someone suggested that maybe we should do a series of 'Travels with my Aunt Round the World', I said I'd need to win the lottery and he crossed his fingers expectantly. My young Boswell helped my memory with this article which I said I needed to write while it was fresh in my mind. He told me not to worry 'as it would always be fresh in his.'

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Zimbabwe Safari Lodge

Victoria Falls - The Adventure Capital of Africa

“Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight” – quote by David Livingstone

Victoria Falls, known by the locals as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ which means ‘the Smoke that Thunders’, is regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Victoria Falls span some 1700 m across making it the largest curtain of water in the world during high water. It drops about 100m over a sheet of basalt rock rumbling and crashing like thunder into the Zambezi Gorge below. The vast cloud of mist that it creates can reach 400m high and be seen from 40 km away.

Remarkably preserved in its natural state, Victoria Falls inspires visitors as much today as it did David Livingstone in 1855. The Victoria Falls and the surrounding area have been declared National Parks and a World Heritage Site, thus preserving the area from excessive commercialisation. The continuous spray creates a rainforest ecosystem, a nature sanctuary rich in fauna and flora.

You may ask what the best time of the year is to see Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls and its spectacular flow of water can be enjoyed throughout most of the year. The volume of water cascading over the falls is entirely dependent on the rainfall in the catchment area of the Zambezi River.
High water is from February to mid July:
The Victoria Falls is at its highest and most spectacular, thundering over the edge and creating its thick cloud of mist. Prepare to be drenched when viewing the falls! River rafting and river boarding down the Zambezi River is sometimes closed between mid March and early May because the river becomes unsafe. I believe this is the best time to enjoy a scenic helicopter and microlight flight over the falls to get the full appreciation of the Zambezi’s immense power.

Low water is from July to end January:
Low water season has its advantages too as visitors are able to fully appreciate the geological formation of the falls as visibility will be clear. This is also of course when river rafting and river boarding is at its most adventurous, rushing adrenalin through your body like no other activity has ever done or will ever do! Regarded as the world's greatest white water rafting adventure, rafting down the mighty Zambezi is an experience like none other.

Victoria Falls is not renowned as Africa’s Adventure Capital for nothing! The adventure activities available to you here are endless. We’ve mentioned white water rafting and river boarding down the mighty Zambezi and helicopter and microlight flights over the Victoria Falls, but there is plenty more such as canoeing safaris on the Zambezi, kayaking, walking with lions, horse-back and elephant-back safaris, game drives into Zambezi National Park, gorge swing, bunji jumping (111m drop!), sunset cruises, jet boating, abseiling and fishing. There are also guided tours of Livingstone and Victoria Falls town as well as day safaris to Chobe National Park in Botswana and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. So I would recommend a minimum of 3 nights in Victoria Falls to experience what it’s all about.

To fully appreciate the Victoria Falls experience you have the option of staying on either the Zimbabwe side or the Zambian side. The Zambezi River forms the border between these two countries. The view of the Falls is more magnificent from the Zimbabwean side but the Zambian side does offer some truly unique, beautiful, all-inclusive luxury lodges right on the waters edge. Victoria Falls town on the Zimbabwean side is more geared for tourists than Livingstone is on the Zambian side, offering a large range of accommodation options suitable for various budgets. Victoria Falls offers a vibrant, welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

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Top Tourist Attractions

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls, shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, is a prime safari vacation destination, an adventure seekers delight and a honeymooner’s paradise!

Roughly a mile (1.7 kilometres) wide when the Zambezi River is in flood, and 420 feet (128 metres) high, Victoria Falls is the largest sheet of falling water on earth. For millennia the waters of the Zambezi have carved a huge chasm into a fracture of the bedrock resulting in the most breathtaking vistas imaginable.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls is certainly Zimbabwe’s most popular tourist destination.

Hwange National Park

Located in Zimbabwe within easy driving distance from Victoria Falls on the southbound road to Bulawayo, Hwange National Park is one of Africa’s renowned game reserves – world famous for its giant African elephant herds.

Hwange boasts 9 100 square miles (14 600 square kilometres) of superb diverse habitat. Teak forests, granite koppies, mopane woodland, thornveld, floodplain and grassland support over 100 species of animals and 400 species of birds. The diversity and number of animals congregating around waterholes in the mid-year dry season is astounding – a photo safari highlight.

Harare

Harare is the administrative and commercial capital of Zimbabwe. Tobacco, maize, cotton, citrus and other fruits as well as textiles and steel formed the basis of the economy. A good selection of international standard hotels is available to choose from and the airport is located about 20 minutes from the city centre.

Harare is often used as a base when exploring the mystical Great Zimbabwe Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Leading article: We can give Zimbabwe hope

The Hide | Zimbabwe Safari Lodge

Sunday, 30 November 2008

The last that most people in this country knew of Zimbabwe was that a power-sharing deal had been done between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader. Some of us might have been aware that the implementation of the deal had become a bit sticky, and we might have wondered what had become of Mr Tsvangirai in recent weeks.

The truth is that Mr Tsvangirai has been spending a lot of time in South Africa, engaged in tortuous negotiations over the allocation of ministerial posts. Progress was made last week, for example, in agreeing amendments to the constitution to put the deal into effect. But the allocation of cabinet posts has not yet been settled, with Mr Mugabe trying to hold on to all those responsible for security. The campaign of obstruction waged by the old despot ensures that the agreement will take a long time to yield practical benefits. And there is hope in the long view, because Jacob Zuma, the leader-presumptive of South Africa, promises a more active engagement by the regional power – and not least because of the inauguration of an American President of part-Kenyan descent in seven weeks' time.

While all this is going on, the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe continues to worsen. Millions of Zimbabweans have fled the country, most of them to South Africa, a few to Britain, where, to our shame, the Home Office is trying to send them back. The economy of Zimbabwe, including the rural economy, is so tattered that, of the population that remains, half will need food aid in the coming month. One of the best-known numbers in the world must be the average life expectancy in the country, reduced from 60 just two decades ago to 34 now.

As our special correspondent in Zimbabwe reports today from Zimbabwe, the cash economy has ceased to function, with the speed of inflation testing the limits of theoretical mathematics at a rate of 2.8 quintillion per cent a year. "Doctors and teachers whose monthly wage does not buy one square meal are leaving their jobs to forage for food like everyone else," he reports. "The first sight that greets visitors who fly into Harare is that of people tilling public land beside the airport."

Now cholera has taken hold and is spreading.

That is why The Independent on Sunday has chosen Save the Children in Zimbabwe for its Christmas appeal this year. The situation in that country is one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the world today. More than that, it has two features that make it particularly deserving of our attention.

One is that something can be done. Even the most hard-faced sceptic about the efficacy of development charities would have to accept the case for help here. Zimbabwe is capable of feeding its people, but the collapse of the state and society makes it temporarily impossible. Nor does it take much to keep children alive. Nor does it require a huge additional logistical effort. Save the Children has worked in the country for 25 years. It is one of the functioning institutions still in good shape after the ravages of Mugabe over that time. It can deliver food directly to children who need it at very little cost.

The other feature of the Zimbabwe crisis is that we in Britain retain a vestigial responsibility to the people there. It is 28 years since the Thatcher government signed the Lancaster House Agreement, granting independence to Rhodesia under its African name. Of course, Mr Mugabe, then admired as a democrat and national liberator, bears the prime responsibility for the wrecking of one of the most prosperous and fortunate of African nations. And he has exploited our colonial history ruthlessly to portray Britain as the external enemy, in such a way as to make it impossible for Britain to play much part in putting international pressure on his regime. But, people-to-people rather than government-to-government, there is still much that we can, and should, do.

That is why we are asking our readers to respond generously to help make a difference. Please, use the coupon with this article and use the Gift Aid tax concession to reclaim and donate any tax that you have already paid.

We urge you to read our report from Matabeleland North in our news pages. Although the long-term prospect for Zimbabwe is hopeful, the political deal made in September and ratcheted another notch forward in South Africa last week will bring its desperate people no succour in the short term. As our correspondent concludes in his personal despatch: "If they are to be given any hope this Christmas, it will have to come from us."

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http://www.independent.co.uk/