A HISTORY OF KAFUE TOWN: ORIGIN, TRANSFORMATION

AND CONSTRAINTS, 1905 - 2005

BY

MARY MBEWE

A Dissertation Submitted to the University of Zambia in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

LUSAKA
2023

i
 DECLARATION

I, Mary Mbewe, declare that this dissertation represents my own research work and that it has
never been submitted for any Degree at this or any other University.
Signature…………………………………………………………………..
Date………………………………………………………………………….

i
 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL

This dissertation of Mary Mbewe has been approved as partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the award of the degree of Master of Arts in History by the University of Zambia.

Examiner 1………………………………………..Signature………………...Date……………….

Examiner 2 ……………………………………….Signature………………...Date……………….

Examiner 3………………………………………..Signature………………...Date……………….

Chairperson Board of Examiners………………....Signature………………...Date……………….

Supervisor………………………………………...Signature………………... Date………………

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 ABSTRACT

Many scholars and researchers in Zambia and beyond have looked at the history and
development of big cities and industrialisation. Most studies on urban Zambia have not focused
on the history and development of small towns like Kafue and yet some of the small towns have
played an instrumental role in the social and economic development of the country. The neglect
has deprived people from knowing the significance and impact that some small towns like Kafue
have had on the economic development of our country, Zambia. The establishment of industries
had both direct and indirect impact in facilitating socio-economic growth and development of
many towns. This study therefore sought to reconstruct the history and development of Kafue
town from 1905 when it started as a railway siding to 2005 when it celebrated its one hundred
years anniversary. The study sought to investigate why the first Republican President, Dr.
Kenneth David Kaunda chose to transform Kafue town into an industrial hub. It assesses the
social and economic impact that industrial development has had on Kafue and the surrounding
areas. Apart from serving as the engine of the development and growth of Kafue town, industries
created job opportunities and influenced the establishment of other sectors like education, health
and construction. The establishment of industries in Kafue had adverse consequences on the
environment. Industries polluted either the air, land or water which endangered living things. The
emissions and dust from industries might have seriously affected human, animal and crop life if
the Environmental Council of Zambia did not establish standards and regulations for the disposal
of waste. Despite the government’s hope and effort to establish manufacturing industries in
Kafue, they failed to become viable due to a number of reasons. This study therefore discusses
some of the reasons that led to the collapse of manufacturing industries in Kafue.

iii
 DEDICATION

This Dissertation is dedicated to my youngest daughter, Joanna Mweete who really needed my
love and care especially that she was only three weeks old when I started my MA study
programme.

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?

Jeremiah 32: 27

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The completion of this dissertation could not have been accomplished without the
encouragement, advice, criticism, comments and assistance of many individuals in various ways.

First and foremost, I would like to thank God Almighty for making it possible for this work to be
fruitful.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Webby S. Kalikiti, who in
spite of his busy schedule, found time to diligently supervise the writing of this dissertation. His
thought provoking comments, suggestions and advice from the research proposal stage to the
draft chapters made me work extremely hard and write this dissertation in a scholarly way. I
would also like to thank him for encouraging me the time that I was nursing my mother in Kafue
General Hospital.

I am sincerely indebted to members of staff of the Department of Historical and Archaeological

Studies, Professor B. J. Phiri, Dr. E. K. Chiputa and Dr. F. E. Mulenga for laying the foundation
during part one of my postgraduate studies.

Special thanks also go to all lecturers in the Department of Historical and Archaeological Studies
at University of Zambia (UNZA) for their constructive criticism, scholarly advice and comments
that shaped the research proposal.

I am also grateful to different people I encountered during data collection, such as Mr. Bestain
Hampwaya and Mr. Chisale of the University of Zambia Library, the Serials Section and Special
Collection Section respectively. At the National Archives of Zambia (NAZ), am greatly indebted
to Mr. Moyo and other staff for their untiring effort in locating and availing the valuable
materials necessary to my study.

Special acknowledgements are due to the cooperation and hospitality of various informants in
Kafue who allowed me to interview them. I sincerely thank Mr. Charles Chishimba, Human
Resource Officer at Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia for allowing me to interview him and
providing first-hand information. I also sincerely thank some officers at Kafue District Council
for providing first-hand information. I am also grateful to Mrs. Martha Sikazwe of the University
of Zambia for helping to locate Mrs. Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, a Kafue town resident who

v
provided important data for the study through oral interviews. The names of other informants are
too many to be cited here. They are mentioned in the bibliography.

My profound gratitude goes to all my colleagues in the MA class; Caroline Mwiinga, Christine
Chisha, Wilbroad Nachilobe, Robby Wamulume, Twaambo Malelo and Tapiwa Maiba. To
Caroline Mwiinga and Christine Chisha, in particular, I sincerely say thanks a million for the
untiring encouragement they gave me especially when the going became tougher. Despite having
our individual pressures, we all consoled one another.

Mention should also be made of Mr. C. Sampa, the Head Teacher at Mount Eugenia School for
making it possible for me to pursue this postgraduate programme. I am also grateful to my
friends, Betty Makate, Sandra Mutasamba, Clara Chilongo and Getrude Lyainga for their moral
support in times when I had pressure at my place of work. Many thanks also go to all those I
have not mentioned by name, but who in various ways extended a helping hand.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my family, particularly my dear husband,
Gilbert Mweete for his encouragement and support during the course of my study. To my
mother, Loveness Nq’uni, I wish to thank her for the words of encouragement. To my lovely
kids, Innocent, Evelyn, Blessing and Daniel, I wish to thank them for their tremendous patience
and understanding especially when it came to taking care of the baby.

To my nieces, Getrude Michelo and Christine Mweete, thank you for being there for me
especially when the pressure was too much to bear. To everyone, God bless you!

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... i

CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL ...................................................................................... ii

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................. iii

DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... vii

LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................x

ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS ..................................................................................... xi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1

1.1 Introduction and Historical Background .............................................................................1

1.2 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................8

1.3 Objectives of the Study ......................................................................................................8

1.3.1 The objectives of the study are: ...................................................................................8

1.4 Rationale of the Study ........................................................................................................8

1.5 Literature Review ..............................................................................................................8

1.6 Research Methodology .................................................................................................... 15

1.7 Organisation of the Study................................................................................................. 15

CHAPTER TWO: THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF KAFUE TOWN ............. 17

2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 17

2.2 Kafue before the railway line ........................................................................................... 17

2.3 Kafue Town 1905-1964 ................................................................................................... 18

2.4 The Development of Kafue Town after Independence ...................................................... 21

2.5 Socio-economic Base of Kafue ........................................................................................ 22

2.6 Development of Industries, 1966-2005............................................................................. 23

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 2.7 Social and Economic Development .................................................................................. 27

2.8 Labour Recruitment in Industries ..................................................................................... 30

2.9 Development of Infrastructure and Growth of Kafue Town .............................................. 31

2.10 Burial sites ..................................................................................................................... 36

2.11 Provision of Health Care Facilities ................................................................................. 37

2.12 School Infrastructure ...................................................................................................... 38

2.13 Provision of Security Services........................................................................................ 43

2.14 Banking and Postal Services .......................................................................................... 43

2.15 Development of Businesses............................................................................................ 44

2.16 Industries and Population Growth .................................................................................. 46

2.17 Recreation Facilities....................................................................................................... 47

2.18 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 48

CHAPTER THREE: THE IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ON KAFUE

TOWN, 1965-2005................................................................................................................... 50

3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 50

3.2 Impact of Industries ......................................................................................................... 50

3.3 Training and Zambianisation............................................................................................ 51

3.4 Expansion of Businesses .................................................................................................. 53

3.5 Improvements in Health Care Services............................................................................. 54

3.6 Economic Sectors ............................................................................................................ 56

3.7 The Industrial Sector ........................................................................................................ 56

3.8 The Agricultural Sector.................................................................................................... 57

3.9 Fish Farming Sector ......................................................................................................... 61

3.10 Curio and Handcraft Trading ......................................................................................... 62

3.11 Other Income Generating Activities ............................................................................... 63

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 3.12 Recreation Clubs ............................................................................................................ 65

3.13 Industries and the Environment ...................................................................................... 67

3.14 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 69

CHAPTER FOUR: THE COLLAPSE OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR AND ITS

SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ON KAFUE TOWN ........................................................... 71

4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 71

4.2 Performance of Industries before Liberalisation and Privatisation .................................... 71

4.3 Economic Performance of Industries between 1990 and 1992 .......................................... 74

4.4 Privatisation of State-Owned Enterprises in Kafue between 1980 and 2005 ..................... 74

4.5 Socio-economic Impact of Privatisation in Kafue ............................................................. 81

4.6 Livelihoods and Welfare of Kafue Residents ................................................................... 87

4.7 Access to Housing Units .................................................................................................. 88

4.8 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 90

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 92

5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 92

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 95

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Blocks of flats in Kafue Estate.............................................................................6

Figure 3.1: Evidence of good health facilities in factory clinics. ......................................... 55

Figure 3.2: Nitrogen Stars Coach and Player ...................................................................... 65

Figure 3.3: Basketball game at Khosa Stadium ................................................................... 66

Figure 3.4: Football game at Khosa Stadium ...................................................................... 66

x
 ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS

ANC African National Congress

APU Academic Production Unit
BSAC British South Africa Company
CCZ Christian Council of Zambia
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
FNDP First National Development Plan
GCE General Certificate of Education
IMF International Monetary Fund
INDECO Industrial Development Corporation
MMD Movement for Multi-Party Democracy
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
PAM Programme Against Malnutrition
RIF Rural Investment Fund
SAP Structural Adjustment Programme
SOEs State Owned Enterprises
SPFS Special Programme for Food Security
TDP Transitional Development Plan
UMCIL Universal Mining and Chemical Industries Limited
UNFIP United Nations Fund for International Partnership
UNIP United National Independence Party
UNZA University of Zambia
USA United States of America
USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
ZANACO Zambia National Commercial Bank
ZESCO Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation
ZIMCO Zambia Industrial and Mining Corporation
ZNS Zambia National Service
ZPA Zambia Privatisation Agency

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction and Historical Background

Throughout human civilisation, settlements were established according to geographical location,
availability of land resources, water, trade or other reasons that were beneficial for human
habitation. Through time, some of the settlements developed into towns or cities of which some
achieved historical meaning. The development of Kafue town started in a similar way as
industries were established because of the abundance of water from the Kafue River, arable
tracks of land, road and railway networks. This study aimed at reconstructing the history and
development of Kafue town. It mainly focuses on the genesis of the town, the impact of
industrial development and the growth of the town and the collapse of industries and their social
and economic impact on Kafue town. It discusses the changes that took place from the colonial
period to post-independence Zambia. The study covers the period from 1905 because that was
when the development of the town started as a railway siding to 2005 when it celebrated its one
hundred years anniversary.

Even though Kafue town cannot be considered as a new town, viewed from the historical and
global perspective, it acquired some characteristics of what are considered as a ‘new town’ over
time. The development and evolution of global new towns has three characteristics; firstly, under
most circumstances, new towns were located in European and Asian countries with a high
population-land proportion, mainly in Western Europe, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Secondly,
the development of new towns indicated an obvious pattern of spreading from highly urbanised
(also highly economically developed) countries to newly industrialised, and then developing
countries. Thirdly, the patterns of new-town development were quite diverse across the World
and had different goals.

According to a study by Tan Xuewen, a new town is defined as a town or small city located near
a large city. It is preferably constructed to disperse the overcrowded population and industries in
the central city and to promote coordinated development between the central city and its
surrounding regions. This type of a town is located on the periphery of a large city, some
distance from the central city, but accessible in a short time. Examples of central cities that have
such towns include London, Paris, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing. However, the

1
goals of creating new towns were to disperse the overcrowded population and industry of big
cities and promote regional development and special economic balance. The vision was to create
more balanced regional development with both the central city and new towns getting what they
needed.1 Under the United National Independence Party (UNIP) government, Kafue town came
to be looked at as a potential industrial centre, a means to limit the population growth of Lusaka
and as a way of promoting development in another part of the country, other than the
Copperbelt.2

Before the construction of the Kafue Railway Bridge in 1905 and the Road Bridge in 1949, a
wooden pontoon and wooden canoes were used mostly by the migrant workers to cross the
Kafue River when going to and from Southern Rhodesia 3 and South Africa to seek employment
in the mines.

Kafue town lies in the southern part of Lusaka Province. It is forty-five kilometers from Lusaka,
the capital city. The town derived its name from Kafue River. According to the Zambian
Observer, it is believed that the Tongas from the south discovered iron across one big river in
Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) which was too wide to cross. Fortunately, they discovered a
skeleton of a big elephant which they used to cross this river and named this point kafuwa which
is a Tonga word, meaning a bone. Kafuwa was therefore the original name of Kafue. However, it
is believed that the name changed after David Livingstone, a scotish missionary mispronounced
it as Kafue. It is also believed that the name Kafue came from an Ila term “Kafuwa” meaning
pastoral farming.4

Available records indicate that indigenous communities of Kafue comprised a number of ethnic
groupings. For instance, a survey by the Eccles Commission appointed by the Northern Rhodesia
Government in 1943 showed that the local inhabitants of Lusaka, Chilanga and Kafue comprised
eight ethnic groupings which were the Tonga, Sala, Lenje and Soli people formed the largest and

1
Xuewen Tan, “New-Town Policy and Development in China”, The Chinese Economy, Vol.43, No. 3, (May-June,
2010), pp. 47- 58.
2
D. J. Siddle, “A New National Growth Pole”, Geography, Vol. 56, No. 4, (Geographical Association, November,
1971), pp. 330-333.
3
Emily Godfrey, The Centre for the Study of World Christianity, (UK: University of Edinbugh, 1949).
https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Monday, 7th September, 2020.
4
The Zambian Observer, 14th September, 2017. www.zambianobserver.com. Accessed on Monday, 2nd November,
2020.

2
oldest group. They were pastoralists and agriculturalists. 5 The farmers were engaged in the
practise of subsistence agriculture while those people who lived near the river practised canoe
fishing.6 Hunting and gathering different types of forest products supplemented their diet.7 They
collected wild fruits like ngayi, ntumbulwa and edible roots.

During the construction of the railway line, the British South Africa Company (BSAC) recruited
contractors and transport riders who used ox-drawn carts. Their main job was to lay rails and
transport different materials. 8 The Dutch riders or contractors had experience in farming as most
of them were part of the Boers who lost their land in the second Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902.
When the railway line reached Broken Hill (now Kabwe) in 1906, most of the Boer riders or
contractors decided to settle along the line of rail between Kafue and Lusaka. The construction of
the railway line attracted people from different places to settle closer to it. This was important
because some towns like Kafue began to develop closer to the line of rail and attracted an ever-
increasing population. 9 A lot of white settler farmers mostly of Afrikaner origins were attracted
to settle along the line of rail. They provided food to miners on the Copperbelt. 10

Kafue town has a unique history in terms of genesis and early development. The genesis and
development of the town was in two phases. The first phase was linked to the construction of the
railway line which soon became a pull factor into the town. The second phase was linked to the
development of industries and other accompanying economic activities.11 It is a town that did
not evolve like many other towns but was carefully planned. The early development of the town
started as a railway siding in 1905. It was therefore a beneficiary of the railway line that formed
part of Cecil Rhodes’ “Cape to Cairo” dream. Scholars argued that a railway station was
established in Kafue because of its strategic position, the Kafue River was to provide water
which was needed for the steam engines. Trains at that time were driven by steam generated by

5
NRG, Eccles Report, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1943), pp. 42-43.
6
Wilma Sithabiso Sichombo Nchito, ‘The growth and Function of Urban Centres in Zambia: A Case Study of
Mazabuka and Kalomo’, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Zambia, (2003), p. 1.
7
B. S. Siamwiza, ‘A History of Famine in Zambia1825-1949’, PhD. Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1998, p. 42.
8
Richard Samson, So This was Lusakaas, (Lusaka: Publicity Association, 1959), p. 12-14.
9
Hugh Macmillan and Frank Shapiro, Zion in Africa the Jews of Zambia (London, Tauris, 1999), p. 38.
10
Chileshe Leonard Mulenga, The Case of Lusaka, Zambia, Urban Slums Reports, Institute of Economic and Social
Research, University of Zambia, (2003), p.2 .
11
Nchito, ‘The Growth and Function of Urban Centres in Zambia: A Case Study of Mazabuka and Kalomo’, p. 1.

3
burning coal as they headed north to Katanga region in the Belgian Congo, now the Democratic
Republic of Congo, to transport copper to the seaports of South Africa. 12

Up to 1964, the place where Kafue town lies today was largely still a bush. Meanwhile, Lusaka
town, the capital and largest city of Zambia, had grown fast and had overcrowded population due
to people migrating there to look for employment.13 After Zambia attained independence in
1964, colonial restrictions on the movement of the African population were removed and this
attracted more migrants (men and women) from all around the country into urban centres. The
population statistics showed that between 1963 and 1969, the population of Lusaka grew from
123,146 to 262,425. Also between 1969 and 1980, the population of Lusaka doubled from
262,425 to 535,830.14

In the late 1960s, the Zambian government was compelled to respond to the problem of
uncontrolled increase in the population of Lusaka. Not everybody could be in Lusaka and again
people could not be turned away. Houses for the people had to be built and employment
opportunities had to be created. The solution laid in a significant construction of industries and
other infrastructure in Kafue town. This was guided by the policies in the First National
Development Plan (FNDP) of 1966 to 1971, whose emphasis was on infrastructure
development.15

Earlier, a Zambia National Service (ZNS) camp was established in 1964 by the first Republican
President, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. The camp is about 6 kilometres east of Kafue town and
about 1.5 kilimetres from the main road. 16 Apart from training soldiers, it was intended to be a
centre for agricultural activities. The site had a plain piece of land that was intended to be used
for large scale agricultural production. Agricultural activities included growing of vegetables like
cabbages, onions and rearing broiler chickens. There was also a later attempt to develop rice
production at Chanyanya on the western part of Kafue town. The area had relatively flat lands.

12
Mulenga, The Case of Lusaka, Urban Slums Reports, p. 2.
13
Nchito, The Growth and Function of Urban Centres in Zambia: A Case Study of Mazabuka and Kalomo, p. 1.
14
Adrian P. Wood et al, “The population of Lusaka” in Geoffrey Williams J., Lusaka and Its Environs, Zambia
Geographical Associations Handbook Series No. 9, (Lusaka: 1986), pp. 164-188.
15
GRZ, First National Development Plan, 1966- 1970, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1965), pp. 1-3.
16
Abrahams Diane, et al, Ourselves to Know: Civil-Military Relations and Defence Transformation in Southern
Africa, (Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies South Africa, 2003), pp. 3-6.

4
Power lines were constructed and an irrigation scheme was developed for the project. Kafue was
in a position to start producing rice not only for local consumption but for export as well. 17

The first Republican President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda had big plans for Kafue town.
Manufacturing industries were to be established in order to reduce dependence on the copper
mining industry through the creation of a diversified industrial sector. Therefore, in 1966, a site
was chosen for the development of big industries in Kafue. The industries were to be near the
capital city, Lusaka. Kafue was chosen because of the conducive environment which included
the railway station and Lusaka-Kafue road which enabled easy transportation of goods and
people. Moreover, water for the industries could easily be tapped from the Kafue River. 18

D. J. Siddle, pointed out that the focus of industrial development in that area was to be the
establishment of the “new town” of Kafue. By 1967, Kafue was still a small railway settlement
with a population of about 2,500. It was the last bunkering stop before the train reached the
capital of Lusaka, 45 kilometres to the north. Partly with the aim of reducing the pressure of
urban expansion on Lusaka and partly as a means of bringing development to the southern part
of Zambia, the Zambian government accepted a master plan for a new industrial town based on
textiles and chemicals prepared by the Greek firm of Doxiadis. 19

In 1967, development began. The government through the Industrial Development Corporation
(INDECO) formed a small company called Kafue Estates Limited. The company acquired 11,
000 acres of land north and west of present Kafue town. Experts from Yugoslavia, Italy, Israel
and Japan were brought in to help with the construction of Kafue Estate. Siddle states that about
200 million (British) Pounds was made available for housing and 2,100 houses were
constructed.20 Kafue Estate was one of the most advanced residential areas in Zambia. It was
intended to house workers who were expected to be employed in the emerging industrial area.

17
Interview with Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, Nangongwe, Kafue, 27 th January, 2022.
18
Lioyd Himaambo, Kafue town; giant evidence of MMD gangsterism, Zambian Watchdog, 3rd July 2010.
www.zambianwatchdog.com. Accessed on Monday, 2nd November, 2020.
19
Siddle, A New National Growth Pole for Zambia, Geography, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 330-333.
20
Siddle, A New National Growth Pole for Zambia, Geography, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 330-333.

5
Figure 1.1 Blocks of flats in Kafue Estate

Source: INDECO Annual Report 1982, p. 14.

A number of Zambia’s industries among others, the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ),
which was the largest and meant for the manufacturing of fertilizer and chemicals for the mines
was set up. The Kafue Textiles of Zambia (KTZ) was another large industry that was established
in Kafue. The industry had capacity to manufacture and supply clothing material to some
countries in Southern Africa. The Zambia Concrete, a company that was aimed at the
manufacturing of railway slippers and other concrete products was also established in the area.
Other industries that were envisaged or set up in Kafue were; Kafue Breweries (a chibuku
making plant), Bata Tannery, Lee Yeast, a plastic boat making company for making boats of all
kinds for the fishing industry and the steel industry which was to be set up near the river. These
projects were all part of the development plan for Kafue town. This development was not found
in other small towns around Lusaka Province. 21 The industries mentioned above made Kafue to
gain its status as a potential industrial hub. Kafue transformed into a model town in terms of
African development and it had the amenities of a town in the British Isles. 22

21
J. Hardoy and D. Sattertuwaite, (eds.), Small and Intermediate Urban Centres: their Role in National and
Regional Development in the Third World, (1986), p. 36.
22
Zambia Daily Mail Limited, Wednesday, 28th March, 2018.

6
The establishment of industries in Kafue in the late 1960s attracted labourers from different parts
of the country and this affected the development and growth of Lusaka Province and Kafue in
particular. There was housing shortage in the town of Kafue and a satisfactory solution to the
problem of squatters had to be found.23

Therefore, between 1968 and 1973, a project to improve conditions of life of squatters was
conducted jointly by the Government of the Republic of Zambia, Kafue Township Council and
the American Friends Service Committee (an American voluntary agency). The area of Kafue
town where the project was located was Chawama, meaning “A Good Place” in Cinyanja
language. Chawama was a residential area located on the eastern part of Kafue town. The
objective of the project was not only to provide acceptable housing units with suitable amenities
but also to develop patterns of cooperation among the residents which would create conditions of
a viable and harmonious community. The government of the Republic of Zambia and Municipal
engineers drew up plans for providing water to Chawama residential area, thus responding to the
most pressing need for improved living conditions. 24

Furthermore, in the early 1970s, Kafue Municipal Council constructed a number of low cost
houses for its workers. The residential area was called “Location or Nangongwe”. According to
the Kafue town municipal profile, the official schemes could only satisfy a fraction of housing
demands leading to an enormous growth of squatter settlement. The majority of the settlers chose
to live in the squatter settlements in Kafue such as Chanyanya, Chawama, Zambia Compound,
Soloboni, Shikoswe, Kabuchende (now called ‘Kalundu View’) and Chimwemwe.25

In addition, over time the government and the private sector provided other community
infrastructure developments such as schools, clinics, police posts, banks, post office, beer halls
and markets. The facilities provided social services to the community. The establishment of
industries, residential areas and provision of social services contributed not only to the
development and growth of Kafue town but also to its population. However, contrary to
expectation, Kafue town did not become a significant industrial hub and it was not able to
produce any rice. Why this turned out to be the case is one of the issues this study will discuss.

23
NAZ, ZIMCO SEC 1/2/39, Minutes of Board of Directors, 3rd November, 1967.
24
American Friend-Service Committee, Chawama Self-help Housing Project, Kafue Zambia, 1975.
25
Interview with Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, Nangongwe, Kafue, 2021.

7
1.2 Statement of the Problem

Most scholars and researchers in Zambia have not looked at the history and development of
small towns like Kafue. Most studies on Urban Zambia have almost exclusively focused on the
development and social-economic impact of the copper mining industry. This neglect means that
little is known on the significance and impact that a small town like Kafue has had on the
economic development of Zambia. The establishment of industries in Kafue had a direct and
indirect impact in facilitating socio-economic growth and job creation. This study therefore
sought to fill this gap by investigating why the postcolonial government set out to transform
Kafue town into an industrial hub but also assess the social and economic impact that industrial
development has had on Kafue and surrounding areas.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.3.1 The objectives of the study are:
1. To reconstruct the history of Kafue town,

2. To discuss the industrial development and growth of Kafue town, and

3. To examine the social and economic impact of industries on Kafue town.

1.4 Rationale of the Study

The subject of town development has been an area of inquiry for scholars in the social-sciences
and social and cultural geography. However, few historians have written on this subject. This
study is therefore a contribution to historical literature on the development of towns and on the
social and economic impact industrial development in small towns in Zambia has had. It is also
hoped that the study will stimulate further research of a similar nature.

1.5 Literature Review

Although there is not much literature of historical nature on the development of towns in
Zambia, this study largely depended on the available multi-disciplinary literature. The study
engaged with other scholarly works on the development of industries, the growth and
development of urban areas. Some scholars argue that there is a link that exists between the
development of industries and the growth of urban areas. Most of the literature available
demonstrated that most towns began to thrive after the development of industries as people
started migrating from rural areas to economic and industrial zones.

8
J. L. Hanson, 26 Geoffrey J. William27 and Christopher M. Musampa 28 collectively provided this
study with useful information on factors that influenced the location of industries. Hanson
indicated that proximity to raw materials was an important factor in determining the location of
industries. In the case of Kafue town, the Kafue River and its proximity to the railway line
(railway siding) was one of the major reasons for establishing industries in the area. Even though
Hanson’s work did not discuss the development of towns in Zambia, it provided this study with
useful background information on factors that influenced the location of industries.

G. J. Williams and G. W. Howard also provided basic background information on factors which
made Kafue an economically justified location for the establishment of industries. Their work
demonstrated that the line of rail was one of the factors that influenced the establishment of
industries in the area for easy transportation of both raw materials and finished goods. 29 Though
their work did not discuss the transformation of Kafue town, it was relevant to this study because
it examined factors that made Kafue to be in the best position for the establishment of industries.

The work of E.J. Hobsbawn explored and discussed in detail how industrial development in
Europe contributed to the rise of urban living. Hobsbawn’s work explored the origin and course
of Britain’s industrial revolution and its influence on social and political institutions. His work
analysed how the development of primary extraction and manufacturing industries in Britain
contributed to the development of urban areas as the population increased because of
employment opportunities. 30 This work was important to this study because it demonstrated that
there was a link between industrial development and the development and growth of urban areas.

Shula Marks and Richard Rathborne have also shown that the development of the gold and
diamond mines in South Africa contributed to the growth of urban areas. Marks and Rathborne’s
argument is based on the mineral revolution in South Africa and the thriving of industries and
towns. All the construction works such as road networks, railways, housing and other

26
J. L. Hanson, Economic Aspect of Industry and Commerce, (London: Macdonald and Evans Limited, 1966), p. 83.
27
Geoffrey J. William (ed.), Lusaka and Its Environs: A Geographical Study of a planned capital city in Tropical
Africa, (Lusaka: Geographical Association of Zambia, 1986), p. 86.
28
Christopher M. Musampa, ‘Factors affecting the location of the Cement Industry in the Third World’, MSc
Dissertation, London School of Economics, (1986), p. 9-12.
29
Leo M. Van Den Berg, “Industrialisation in the lower Kafue Basin,” G. J. Williams and G. W. Howard (eds.),
Development and Ecology in Kafue Basin in the nineteen seventies, (Lusaka: University of Zambia Press, 1977).
30
E. J. Hobsbawn, Industry and Empire: From 1750 to the Present Day, (London: Penguin Group, 1968), p.13.

9
infrastructure contributed to the development and growth of urban areas. 31 Their work was
therefore important to this study because it showed how the development of industries played a
significant role to the growth of some towns in South Africa and how they provided employment
opportunities.

Andrei Simic32 and Wilbert E. Moore33 discussed the social and economic impact of industrial
development on indigenous communities. As people migrated from the rural to urban areas in
search of new economic opportunities, they abandoned their traditional value systems and
became urbanised. Simic’s work demonstrated that the period of industrial development
worldwide brought social and cultural changes to the local communities. His work showed how
agriculture was affected in Serbia when the people migrated to urban areas. The people became
urbanised because there were some adjustments in their language, dress code and other lifestyles.
This work was therefore relevant to this study because it provided useful information on how
development of industries and urban growth brought about social and economic changes in
developing countries. The work of Simic was also used in this study to assess how much change
took place when the industries were established in Kafue and how the people’s lifestyle was
impacted upon.

Moore further argued that industrialization brought about social and cultural changes. As people
moved from different places to the places of employment, cultural diffusion took place. People
from different localities interacted and there were changes that resulted from these interactions.
Moore’s work was important to this study in that it provided a basis for investigating the social
and economic changes that might have taken place in Kafue town as a result of the establishment
of a number of industries.

Although the work of Winmore Kusena, Nyashadzashe Shoko and Thomas Marambanyika
analysed the socio-economic impact of cement manufacturing industry on a local community in

31
Shula Marks and Richard Rathborn (eds.), Industrialisation and Social Change in South Africa: African class
formation, culture and consciousness, 1870-1930, (London and New York: Longman, 1982), pp. i-iv.
32
Andrei Simic, The Peasant Urbanites: A Study of Rural-Urban Mobility in Serbia, (Belgrade: Seminar Press,
1972), pp. 1-5.
33
Wilbert E. Moore, Industrialisation and Labour: Social Aspects of Economic Development, (Ithaca and New
York, 1951), pp.166-197.

10
Zimbabwe34, it is important to this study because it helped examine the social and economic
impact of industries on the development and growth of Kafue Town. According to their study, a
cement manufacturing company transformed the local community socially as well as
economically. The company helped to improve social services such as health facilities,
education, infrastructure and income for the local people. The work of Kusena, Shoko and
Marambanyika was relevant to this study because it helped this study examine the social and
economic impact of industries in Kafue town.

The work of Ackson M. Kanduza looked at customs tariffs and railway freight rates as
significant constraints on import substitution industrialisation under the BSA Company rule
during and also after the Second World War. Although Kanduza’s work emphasised on how the
rating system of the Rhodesia Railways and the Customs Agreement affected the development of
settler and cattle farming along the line of rail in Northern Rhodesia, 35 it added value to this
study because it provided related information on white settler farmers in the area between Kafue
and Lusaka. The Rhodesia Railways attracted people from different places to settle closer to it
and this led to the development of some towns like Kafue.

Lewis H. Gann’s work provided information on early industries in Zambia and how the township
of Lusaka which is currently the capital city of Zambia began in 1913 at a farm settlement of G.
M. Marrapodi who was an Italian immigrant.36 Marrapodi was granted an extensive farmland to
the north and north east of the railway siding by the Northern Copper Company. Although
Gann’s work did not provide this study with information on the genesis and development of
Kafue town, it provided related information on how Lusaka Township began and on the
development of industries in Zambia.

Similarly, Richard Sampson’s work, in ‘So This was Lusaakas’ also provided this study with
information on how Lusaka was founded as a European settlement. There were no provisions for

34
Winmore Kusena, Nyashadzashe Shoko and Thomas Marambanyika, ‘Socio-Economic Impact of Cement
Production at Sino-Zimbabwe on Hozheri Community, Gweru, Zimbabwe’, Journal of Sustainable Development in
Africa, Vol. 14, No. 8, (2012), pp. 94-101.
35
Ackson M. Kanduza, The Political Economy of Underdevelopment in Northern Rhodesia, 1919-1960, A Case
Study of Customs, Tariffs and Railway Freight Policies (Boston: University Press of America, 1986), p. 20.
36
Lewis L. Gann, A History of Northern Rhodesia: Early Days to 1953, (London: Chatto and Windus, 1964), p.
131.

11
a large scale African population. 37 Although Sampson’s work is about the early settlement
patterns and the planning for the development of the Capital city, it was of great value to this
study because it provided information on the early industrial development in Lusaka.

The work of T. Dietz, A. Van Haast Recht and R. Scheffer collectively provided information on
the importance of water in the economy of Zambia. The work demonstrated Zambia’s critical
dependence on water for both economic and social development.38 Therefore, though their work
does not provide this study with detailed information on the development of Kafue town, it is
important to this study because it helps to appreciate the role that water from the Kafue River
played in the development of industries in Kafue which contributed to the growth and
development of the town.

The work of Wilma Sithabiso Sichombo Nchito on the development and growth of small towns
in southern Zambia showed that the growth of urban areas was in phases. That is, the initial
phase was linked to the construction of the railway line. 39 In the second phase, it was the
development of industries and other economic activities which attracted people from rural to
urban areas. Although Nchito’s work did not discuss Kafue town but mainly analysed and
focused on the growth and development of urban areas in southern Zambia, Mazabuka and
Kalomo in particular, it was important because it demonstrated that the construction of the
railway line and the development of industries led to rural-urban migration. Her work also
demonstrated that growth of urban areas was in phases and that immigrant labourers contributed
to the growth and development of urban areas, as in the case of Kafue town.

Joy Host Kalyalya’s work on the development of Nakambala Sugar Estates in Mazabuka,
discussed the social and economic impact of industrial development. 40 Though the study by
Kalyalya focused on the sugar plantation and factory, it was significant to this study because it
showed the social and economic impact that industrial development had on the people in the area
and the surrounding communities through the creation of employment opportunities. As was the

37
Richard Sampson, So This Was Lusaakas, (Lusaka: Publicity Association, 1959), p.1.
38
T. Dietz, A. Van Haast Recht and R. Schefter, “A Final Report on local Effects of two large-scale industrial
projects in the Kafue-Mazabuka areas in Zambia: Kafue Estates and Nakambala Sugar Estates”, Nijmegen, January,
1977.
39
Nchito, ‘The Growth and Function of Urban Centres in Zambia: A Case Study of Mazabuka and Kalomo’, P.1.
40
Joy Host Kalyalya, ‘A History of Nakambala Sugar Estate,’ 1964-1984, MA Dissertation, University of Zambia,
1988.

12
case in Kafue, the creation of employment by the sugar plantation and factory, and provision of
other social services like schools, clinics, police services and recreational facilities for the local
community and surrounding areas, improved the standards of living of the people of Mazabuka
town.

In relation to Kalyalya’s work, Chilala Habeenzu’s work on Chilanga Cement Factory focused
on the social and economic impact that the establishment of the factory has had on the people of
Chilanga and its surrounding communities. Habeenzu’s study demonstrated that the
establishment of cement factory led to the growth and development of Chilanga Township
through its creation of employment opportunities and provision of social services such as
education, health and recreation facilities. Chilanga Cement Factory served as the engine for the
development of Chilanga Township. 41 Therefore, Habeenzu’s work was relevant to this study as
it demonstrated as was the case in Kafue, how the establishment of the cement factory led to the
development of Chilanga town and the social and economic impact it had on the local
community and the surrounding environment.

Norman C. Rothman’s study noted that most of the studies on the industrial development in
Zambia, and to be specific on the Copperbelt, laid emphasis on the relative influence of rural
patterns in urban situations. Although Rothman’s work focused on the development of Lusaka
town during the colonial period, it benefited this study because it demonstrated that whereas
agricultural activities were the main economic activities for most of the ‘towns’ along the line of
rail, it was also in those same areas where industrial development and urban growth took place. 42
The establishment and development of industries led to permanent settlement as people began to
seek money based employment. This study also benefited from Rothman’s work because it
demonstrated the social and economic transformation such as the growth of townships and other
economic activities that took place as a result of the establishment of industries in Lusaka and
other surrounding areas.

41
Chilala Habeenzu, A Historical Study of the Impact of Chilanga Cement Factory on Chilanga Township, 1949-
1995, MA Dissertation, University of Zambia, (2016).
42
Norman C. Rothman, ‘Africa Urban Development in the Colonial Period: A study of Lusaka, 1895-1964’, Ph.D.
History Dissertation, North Western University, (1972), p. 4.

13
Like Rothman, L. G. Butler also demonstrated that where agricultural activities were the main
economic activities for most of the ‘towns’ along the line of rail, it was also in the same regions
where industrial development and urban growth effects were recorded. Although Butler did not
mention Kafue, his work was important to this study as it demonstrated that the growth of
industries around Lusaka paved way for the rise of urban areas. 43

This study also benefited from J. H. Dales’ work on pollution property44 because there could
have been some industries in Kafue that could have been polluting the environment. Therefore,
his work was of great value to this study because it helped in examining whether the
establishment of industries in Kafue had negative effects apart from the positive ones which
included a shift from a typically agrarian economy to a money based one. Negative effects that
were examined included deterioration in the natural environment such as air pollution and
stunted growth of crops in areas like Soloboni and Chilumba.

J. Clyde Mitchell and Siddle’s work on the development and growth of small towns, provided
good and detailed analyses on the population dynamics of Chilanga and Kafue. 45 Statistical
examples highlighted by the two authors were focused on small towns with a population size of
between 5000 and 20,000 or more people. The work of Mitchell and Siddle added more value to
this study as they provided statistical information on the gradual rise in the population of the
settlers around Chilanga and Kafue areas. There was a clear indication that an important “growth
pole” would have emerged in the region (Kafue) which had greater long-term potential than the
Copperbelt. Their work provided a basis for appreciating urban growth.46 Both the work of
Mitchell and Siddle therefore stimulated this study to further research on what led to the collapse
of industries in Kafue.

The literature reviewed above did not only help in better appreciating the nature and contribution
of my own study to studies on urban development but also provided context and helped in
situating the current study within a wider body of knowledge.

43
L. G. Butler, ‘A Lusaka African Community: Chilenje’, in W. V. Brelsford (ed.), The Northern Rhodesia Journal,
Vol. lll, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1959), pp. 442-448.
44
J. H. Dales, Pollution, Property and Prices: An essay in policy-making, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press,
1968).
45
Clyde J. Mitchell, Cities, Societies and Social Perception, A Central African Perception, (Oxford: Clarendon
Press, 1987), p. 19.
46
Siddle, A New National Growth Pole for Zambia, Geography, Vol. 56, No. 4. pp. 330-333.

14
1.6 Research Methodology
This study adopted a qualitative research methodology. Data for the study came from both
primary and secondary sources. Collection of data was done in phases. The first phase involved
consultations of both primary and secondary sources at the University of Zambia Main Library,
particularly the Special Collections Section. Some of the sources of data included books,
government documents, newspapers, MA dissertations, Ph.D. theses and INDECO annual
reports (magazines).

The second phase involved collection of data at the National Archives of Zambia (NAZ). NAZ
provided various primary sources of data such as government documents, correspondence
between government officials and managers of various industries in Kafue, newspapers,
government gazettes, annual reports and district notebooks.

The third phase involved collection of data from written unpublished sources at Kafue District
Council Offices and Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia. Additional data came from oral interviews
with former employees of Kafue Textiles of Zambia, current employees of Nitrogen Chemicals
of Zambia and selected people of about 40- 70 years old who have lived in the area (Kafue town)
for some time. Consent for participation in the study through interviews was obtained from the
informants beforehand. Hand-written notes were taken during oral interviews and were used to
supplement and affirm data from written sources.

Data collected from various sources which included written and oral data was analysed
qualitatively, compared and contrasted before organising and using it in writing of the
dissertation.

1.7 Organisation of the Study

The study comprises five chapters. The first chapter is the Introduction. It briefly addresses the
theme of the dissertation, provides the background to the study and attempts to review some of
the scholarly works relevant to the study. It also states the research methodology used in the
collection of data.

The second chapter discusses the history and development of Kafue town. The chapter examines
how the construction of the railway line and a railway station near the Kafue River contributed to
the growth and development of the town. It also discusses the industrial development and growth

15
of Kafue town.The chapter also highlights other developments like infrastructure which also
contributed to the development of the area.

The third chapter discusses the industrial development and growth of Kafue town. The chapter
addresses factors which precipitated the growth of Kafue town. It further demonstrats how
industries and development of different infrastructure were key factors in the growth of the town.
Furthermore, the chapter discusses both the social and economic impact of industries on the
development and growth of Kafue town and the negative impact industrial activities had on the
environment from 1965 to 2005. The chapter also highlights guidelines that were outlined by the
Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) in order to protect the environment. The fourth chapter
examines how the liberalisation of the economy and privatisation of industries negatively
contributed to the down fall of Kafue town.

The fifth chapter of the study is the conclusion. It is a reflection of each chapter. It reflects on the
main outcomes of the establishment of industries in Kafue, the social and economic impact of
industries on both the growth and collapse of the town.

16
 CHAPTER TWO

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF KAFUE TOWN

2.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses the history of Kafue town from its inception. The chapter traces the
development of Kafue town in terms of its indigenous communities and how the construction of
the railway line contributed to the development of the area. Thereafter, it discusses how the
establishment of industries after 1964 contributed to the population growth of Kafue town
through the creation of a permanent labour force. The chapter also highlights other developments
such as the provision of social services like health care centres, educational infrastructure, postal
service facilities, security services (police stations), trading enterprises and recreation facilities.

2.2 Kafue before the railway line

Available records indicate that the indigenous communities of the area now called Kafue town
comprised a number of ethnic groupings. A survey by the Eccles Commission appointed by the
Northern Rhodesia Government in 1943 indicated that the local inhabitants of Lusaka, Chilanga
and Kafue comprised eight ethnic groupings of which the Soli people formed the largest and
oldest group.1 Using statistical evidence of 1960, the Soli population was estimated to be at
24,192 while the Sala speaking people were at 4,105.2 To protect themselves from enemies,
some Soli leading personalities were appointed as chiefs to occupy the surrounding areas. These
lived in demarcated sections and were ruled by the appointed chiefs. For instance, Chief
Kabwata of the Soli wa Manyika speaking people who at the time of writing this dissertation
were under Her Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomesha Mukamambo II. Others were
Soli wa Shamifwe under Chief Bunda Bunda, Soli wa Futwe of Chief Mumphansha and Soli wa
Malundu under Chief Shikoswe. It should be noted that these Chiefs were in some way related to
Chief Bunda Bunda who happened to be the first head of Basoli.3 In addition, Marvin Miracle

1
Northern Rhodesia Government, Eccles Report, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1943), pp.42-43.
2
Northern Rhodesia Government, African Affairs Annual Report for the year 1960, Annexure, p. vii.
3
P. C. Manchishi, Basoli of Lusaka Province, Zambia: A Reflection on Re-appraisal of their Traditional Culture,
(Lusaka: University of Zambia, 2019), p. 3-4.

17
noted that the dominant ethnic composition of the area between Kafue and Lusaka included the
Tonga, Sala, Ila, Lenje and Soli speaking peoples. 4

The larger part of Kafue district is hilly and mountainous. The main economic activity of the
local inhabitants of Kafue area was predominantly subsistence agriculture. They reared domestic
animals as well as grew different crops. Those who lived near the Kafue River, practised canoe
fishing. The agricultural economy was dominated mainly by maize, sorghum, millet, groundnuts,
pumpkins, cassava, and other indigenous crops, all of which were cultivated in small fields that
were less than two hectares in size.5 This was the case in most areas in colonial Zambia.
Dwellings or shelters were made of grass, poles and mud. Their fields surrounded the shelters
(huts). This settlement pattern however, was disturbed due to pressure of the new modern
conditions introduced by white settlers.

2.3 Kafue Town 1905-1964

Kafue town was one of the pre-independence towns in Zambia that existed in the early 1900s.
The town started as a railway siding. Its genesis and growth was enhanced by a railway station
which was established near Kafue River in 1905. Kafue became an important stopover for the
refilling of the steam engines with water and coal as they headed north to Katanga region in
Belgian Congo, presently the Democratic Republic of Congo, to transport copper back to ports in
South Africa.6

Kafue was seen to be suitable for white settlers. It was for this reason that the colonial
government encouraged white settlement in the area. Permanent settlement started in 1905 when
the construction of the railway line from Southern Rhodesia into Northern Rhodesia, which is
today Zambia, to Katanga reached Kafue. Many people were drawn in the emerging economy as
railway workers. Railway construction needed transport riders and contractors and they mostly
came from South Africa. Most of the white settlers were Afrikaners from South Africa who were
employed on the construction of the railway. The train crews, firemen, drivers and other railway

4
Marvin P. Miracle, ‘Apparent Changes in the Structure of African Commerce in Lusaka, 1954-1959’, in W. V.
Brelsford (ed.), The Northern Rhodesia Journal, Number 2, Vol. V, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1963), pp. 170-
173.
5
B. M. Fagan ‘A Collection of 19th Century Soli Iron Work from the Lusaka Area of Northern of the Royal’,
Anthropological Institute xc, ii, 1961, pp. 228-250.
6
Mulenga, The Case of Lusaka, Zambia, Urban Slums Report, p. 2.

18
employees settled in Kafue. Employees of the railway line company provided an impetus for
settlement. Available records indicate that Kafue township was established in 1906. 7

Although the main traditional occupation of the people of Kafue was predominantly subsistence
farming, a number of dotted commercial farming could be seen in diverse places in the area
between Kafue and Lusaka. With the development of the railway, large tracts of land along the
line were opened up for settlement by British soldiers from the First World War. Settler farmers
began to alienate land north from the Kafue River to the Lusaka plateau. Land was sold at low
prices by the Northern Copper Company when it could not find substantial copper reserves in the
Lusaka belt. For example, the price of land in Lusaka before 1910 was one sterling and six
shillings per acre for land within 20 miles of the railway. 8 This encouraged more European
settlement in the area. Most of the farmers settled along the railway belt in Northern Rhodesia
(now Zambia), the area between Kafue and Lusaka to be specific.

Commercial farming was mainly done by Europeans between 1914 and 1939. They practised
mixed farming, that is, they were engaged in crop and animal husbandry. Different crops such as
maize, cotton, groundnuts and other crops were cultivated and animals like cattle, goats and
chickens were reared. A small agricultural community was established in Kafue area by 1920.

The European population of early settlers comprised the Dutch (Afrikaners or Boers), the British
and others.9 Although an exact breakdown of the ethnic origins of agricultural settlers in
Northern Rhodesia and Kafue area in particular is unknown, it is however indicated that the most
numerous groups of early farmers were Afrikaans-speaking from South Africa who were
employed to construct the railway line while the rest were made up of former British South
Africa company (BSAC) officers or those of the British colonial administration, including the
retired armed forces.10 Among the Dutch farmers were Gueldenhuys, Oosthuizen, Uys, Carinus,
Spence, Rodgers, Botha, Helberg, Colliers and Van Coller. Among the British farmers were
Gibbons, Robertsons, Wilks, Irvine, Cope, Brown and Mullen. Italian farmers included
Marrapodi and Torrend. Other farmers were M. E. Neethling, L. N. Strauss, W. A. Turner, J. J.

7
Williams, Lusaka and its Environs: A Geographical Study of a planned capital city in Tropical Africa, p. 318.
8
F. Carpenter, ‘The Introduction of Commercial Farming into Zambia and its effects to 1940’ in Robin Palmer (ed.),
Zambia Land and Labour Studies, Vol. 1, (Lusaka: 1973), p. 3.
9
Williams, Lusaka and its Environs: A Geographical Study of a planned capital city in Tropical Africa, p. 318.
10
L. H. Gann, A History of Northern Rhodesia: Early Days to 1953, (London: Chatto and Windus, 1964), p. 131.

19
Potgieter,11 Foster, Sheleni Kaseba near Nangongwe Compound, Mr. Johnson in Chipapa and
Peter Miller, who worked as a District Maintenance Engineer for the Rhodesia Railway line
company. Miller spearheaded the establishment of the North-Western Rhodesia Farmers’
Cooperative Society in 1928.12 The Cooperative helped in marketing the European Farmers’
produce such as maize to the Copperbelt and Katanga in Belgian Congo.

Settler agriculture was important as it ensured a stable and cheap food supply for the urban
population.13 Agricultural products not only became an important source of food for the workers
on the Copperbelt, but for the growing population of Kafue Township and the surrounding
communities such as Lusaka. The Northern Rhodesian government depended on commercial
farmers for food security in urban mining centres.

According to Gann, it was not only European settlers who engaged in agriculture but Africans
along Mazabuka and Chilanga railway belt also began to produce maize for the Copperbelt and
other markets within Northern Rhodesia. There was economic competition between Zambian and
non-Zambian farmers. Both foreigners and local farmers cultivated for their own consumption
and for the market economy. 14 Macmillan and Shapiro further demonstrated that there were
many opportunities which the line of rail offered, especially among African farmers. The
conglomeration of the African farmers, white settler farmers and traders transformed the line of
rail into a central economic zone in Northern Rhodesia. Apart from cultivating consumption
crops, they also cultivated cash crops such as cotton and sunflower. They became successful
peasant farmers who utilised the new market for their produce.15

When agriculture thrived in Kafue, it became a venue for all agricultural shows in Northern
Rhodesia (the present day Zambia). However, the Agricultural Society agreed that the 1935

11
NAZ, MAG 2/21/40, Central Province General, 1950-1955, Lilayi Regional Conservation Plan in the Chilanga
Intensive Conservative Area of Northern Rhodesia, 1955.
12
Geoffrey J. Williams, The Peugeot Guide to Lusaka, Lusaka: Zambia Geographical Association Occasional Study
number 12, 1984, p. 23.
13
Williams, Lusaka and its Environs, p. 320
14
Gann, A History of Northern Rhodesia: Early Days to 1953, p. 221-222. Also see,
NAZ, MAG 2/7/13, European Land Settlement, 1951-1956.
15
Macmillan and Shapiro, Zion in Africa the Jews of Zambia, p. 38.

20
National Agricultural Show was to be held in Lusaka. Thereafter, venue for the National
Agricultural Show was returned to Kafue until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.16

In the 1930s, Kafue was granted Township Management Board Status. In 1936, the first Asian
trader established himself at Chipapa. Business boomed over the next 20 years. Between 1956
and 1959, more shops were built along the Great North road to service the needs of farmers,
travellers and railway employees. 17

Kafue was one of the pioneer settlements that supported a number of foreign enterprises that
were important to the local economies. According to residents who were interviewed during the
course of researching, most shops in Kafue were owned or run by whites before and after
Zambia gained independence. Some of the Indians who owned shops in Kafue town included
Pondoliko, Kanjombi, Yosuf Badat, Neggat, Shah and G. M. A. Lunat.18 References obtained
from ZIMCO Board Meeting Report, confirmed that Lunat had conducted a satisfactory account
with Barclays Bank, Kafue branch for ten years. 19

After Zambia attained political independence in October 1964, the first chapter in Kafue’s
history ended while another began. This first part of the chapter has looked at the history of
Kafue from before the days when the town was just a small railway township with a population
of about 2,500 to 1965 when Kafue’s administrative status was upgraded to that of a Town
Council. 20 The second part of the chapter looks at the developments that took place in Kafue in
the period 1966 to 1990.

2.4 The Development of Kafue Town after Independence

The attainment of political independence from Britain in 1964 brought to power the United
National Independence Party (UNIP) under the leadership of Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. The
UNIP government had a number of development objectives which were outlined in the First
National Development Plan (FNDP) in 1966. 21 Discussions and evaluations of the plan were

16
Richard Samson, So This was Lusaakas: The Story of the Capital City of Zambia 1956-1960, (Lusaka: Publicity
Association, 1971), p.62.
17
Kafue District Council Strategic Plan Analysis, 2014-2016.
18
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.
19
NAZ, SEC 1/2/125, 20th Board Meeting Report, 1970.
20
Siddle, A New National Growth Pole for Zambia, Geography, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 330-333.
21
Government of the Republic of Zambia (1966a).

21
presented by R. Jolly, J. Fry and M. Bell. The outlined objectives included diversification of the
economy so that the country was not reliant solely upon the mining industry. It was determined
in 1966 that the most suitable location for three of the major manufacturing industries; Kafue
Textiles of Zambia, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia and iron and steel, was the small railway
township of Kafue.22 It was during this period that new industries were established while old
ones continued to expand. 23 The satellite town of Kafue started taking shape as an industrial
centre.24

2.5 Socio-economic Base of Kafue

The key actors in the socio-economic base of Kafue town between 1965 and 2005 were
classified in three clusters. These clusters were the industrial workers and civil servants, business
men and women and a retired population. The industrial workers and civil service were
composed of government workers and uniformed workforce (uniformed personnel included
Zambia National Service, Zambia Police and Medical Staff). Business men and women
comprised a number of people who owned shops, restaurants, motels, clubs, bars, butcheries,
farms and all those people who were involved in petty trading. The retired composed of people
who retired from different ministries and the industrial establishments that were once active in
Kafue such as Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Zambia Railways, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Bata
Tannery, Nkwazi, Zambia Concrete and Kafue Breweries.

The need to spead up the creation of employment opportunities for the indigenous people was
one of the ideals which prompted Kaunda to introduce state involvement in the management and
control of the major economic institutions after independence. The Industrial Development
Corporation (INDECO) was established as a state institution to promote industrial development.
The Zambian government secured control of INDECO in August 1964 when arrangements were
conducted for the purchase of shares held by the Anglo-American Group, the British South
Africa Company (BSAC), the Commonwealth DevelopmentCorporation and the Roan Select

22
The Industrial Development of Zambia Limited: Seventh Annual Report 1966, p. 18.
23
R. Jolly, “An Evaluation of Zambia’s First National Development Plan”, in Smonis, H. and U. (eds.),
Socioeconomic Development in Dual Economic: the example of Zambia, (Munchen: Wertforum Verlag, 1971b).
J. Fry, “The Zambian Economy”, in Tordoff, W. (ed.), Aministration in Zambia, (Manchester: Manchester
University Press and University of Wisconsin Press, 1980).
M. Bell, The Decline and Fall of Planning in Zambia, Birmingham: University of Ashton Management Centre,
Working Paper Series No. 213, 1981, p. 5-18.
24
Williams, Lusaka and Its Environs, p. 247.

22
Trust (RST) Group. INDECO’s objectives at this stage were specific and included promoting
Zanbian businesses, issuing loans, liasing between government and private sector, promoting
investment, holding and managing and financing government investment in industry, and
holding shares in and or managing certain industries such as fertilisers, explosives, beer, cement,
textiles, leather processing, building materials and iron and steel. 25 During this period, the
Zambian government established a number of manufacturing industries in Kafue to promote
rural industrialisation and diversification. They were designed to utilise local raw materials in the
production processes in order to meet local demand. 26 This increased labour demand in the
industrial sector and saw a rise in the flow of labour from the informal to the formal sector. It
must be pointed out that the purpose of establishing industries in Kafue, was to create a new
town which would contribute to the development of other sectors, thereby contributing to
regional prosperity.

The post-independence period marked a significant milestone in the history of Kafue town and
the nation’s development towards a stronger and more stable economy. Independence itself was
a trigger for a period of development and growth which was employment led. The United
National Independence Party (UNIP) administration implemented the Transitional Development
Plan (TDP) in 1965 to accelerate development, create employment and diversify the economy
away from copper.27 Promotion of industrial growth was one way of diversifying the economy.

2.6 Development of Industries, 1966-2005

UNIP led by Kaunda, decided to make Kafue the industrial capital of Zambia.28 Industries were
seen as the driving force for economic development. Economic growth stimulated urbanisation.
Therefore, in 1966, a site was chosen for the development of big industries in Kafue. Kafue was
specifically selected for location of industries for comparative advantage reasons. The
geographical location of Kafue was a positive factor for the growth of manufacturing industries.
Located close to Kafue River, the area was also endowed with abundant water resources,

25
Clarence Chongo, “A Hostage Economy: The Impact of Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence on
Zambia, 1965-79” Southern Journal for Contemporary History 47, 2 (2022), pp. 4-29.
26
UNIP1/3/3, Speeches by His Excellency, the President Dr KD Kaunda, “His Excellency the President, Dr.
Kaunda’s address to the UNIP National Council at Mulungushi, 9 November 1968”.
27
Central Planning Office, An Outline of the Transitional Development Plan: 1965-1966, Central Planning Office,
Lusaka Zambia, 1965.
28
Kafue Town Council: The Urban Study, 1998. www.kafuecouncil.gov.zm. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March,
2021.

23
essential for industrial development. This gave Kafue an economic advantage because it was able
to produce industrial goods. Kafue was located along the main road and the railway line
connecting to Lusaka the capital city and the Copperbelt in the North as well as to the Southern
part of Zambia, which enabled it to receive supplies of raw materials such as coal from Maamba
and therefore produce industrial goods. It also meant that the goods that were produced could
easily be transported and distributed to other parts of the country and even abroad. 29

In addition, Kafue town was an important ZESCO electricity distribution centre. The
construction of Kafue Gorge and Kariba North Bank hydroelectric power stations in 1972 and
1976 by Yugoslav and Italian firms respectively, contributed hugely towards meeting the energy
needed by industries. This enabled most industries in Kafue to have easy access to electricity
because a Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited power distribution sub-station that
supplied industries with electricity was within the town.30

It was on account of the above advantages that a number of manufacturing industries were
established in Kafue town. These included the Kafue Textiles of Zambia (KTZ), Nitrogen
Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ), Nkwazi Twin Company, Kafue Breweries, Bata Tannery, Central
Boat Builders, Zambia Concrete and Lee Yeast.

Kafue Textiles was constructed on a 50-acre site in Kafue Estate Industrial area. It was
completed at a total construction cost of 7 million Kwacha, unrebased currency. 31 It was one of
the oldest and biggest industries that was established in Kafue in 1966, primarily for employment
creation and production of chitenge material, which was fast being recognised as a national dress
for women. It used local supplies of cotton as raw material from the Lusaka ginnery. The
industry had capacity to manufacture and supply chitenge material to some countries in Southern
Africa as well. At its inception, Kafue Textiles of Zambia had a total labour force of 960 32 and at
its peak between 1980 and 1990, the company had more than 3,500 employees.33

29
Interview with Charles Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue Estate,
Kafue, Thursday, 6th May, 2021. See also, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Training Centre Document, Kafue,
(2018).
30
Third national development plan, 1979-1983, pp. 253-255.
31
The Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia Limited: Eighth Annual Report, 1967, p. 26.
32
The Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia Limited: Eight Annual Report, p. 26.
33
Kafue District Council Strategic Plan, 2014-2016.

24
NCZ was incorporated as a state owned enterprise in 1967. It was one of Zambia’s largest and
most important industrial ventures outside the mining industry. At its inception in 1968, it had
about 600 employees34 and at its peak in the 1990s, it employed more than 1500 employees.

The construction of Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia was done in three phases. Kobe Steel of
Japan was engaged in the construction of phase one of the project which consisted of factory
units intended for the production of ammonium nitrate required for the manufacture of
explosives. A substantial part of the necessary finance was provided in form of long-term
machinery supply credit from Japan and guaranteed by the Zambian government. The factory
units were officially opened on 27th May, 1970.35

The second phase in the construction of NCZ was as a result of government’s desire to start local
production of fertilizers to enhance agricultural production. A consortium of German companies
were engaged in the construction of additional structures. The official commissioning of the
expanded units took place on 20th October, 1981. Kobe Steel of Japan was re-engaged in the
phase three construction of the Sulphuric Acid Plant. The Plant was aimed at localising
production of ammonium sulphate which is one of the raw materials in the production of
compound fertilizers. NCZ was commissioned on 28th September, 1983.36

Bata Tannery was another vibrant industry which was established in Kafue in January 1975. The
project was completed at a total cost of about K1.5 million, unrebased. The establishment of a
tannery was another step forward along Zambia’s road to self-sufficiency in processing of raw
materials. 37 It was located west of Kafue town opposite Kafue Textiles of Zambia. The Tannery
produced leather for Bata Shoe Company mainly from the cattle hides supported by cattle
keeping farmers.38

The Bata Shoe Company, was part of the world’s largest shoe-manufacturing organisation in
Zambia in the 1970s. The company occupied a monopolistic share in the production of footwear,

34
The Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia Limited: Eight Annual Report, p. 25.
35
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia Limited, Kafue Estate,
Kafue. Thursday, 6th May, 2021.
36
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia Limited, Kafue Estate,
Kafue, Thursday, 6th May, 2021.
37
INDECO, Enterprise Magazine Number 3, 1976, p. 25.k2
38
Interview with Louis Cheelo, Former Employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia Limited, Nega-Nega, Mazabuka,
Wednesday, 25th May, 2022.

25
hand-bags and other leather products. The company produced approximately 2,865,000 pairs of
shoes a year. There was no need of importing leather as Zambia’s estimated annual production of
100, 000 raw hides from cattle, goats and game were processed by the tannery. That saved the
country over K1 million a year in foreign exchange through the gradual reduction, and in time,
the elimination of imports. The project was an integral part of the government’s policy aimed at
progressive integration of the leather industry and was implemented in the context of the Second
National Development Plan. 39

The existence of a tannery industry in Zambia, Kafue in particular, increased the potential for
development of allied industries which utilised the leather itself like Bata Shoe Company. The
project constituted substantial expansion within the Kafue development complex. Kafue tannery
enabled Zambia to enter the export market for semi-processed leather. For instance, in July 1975,
the Zambia Bata Shoe Company exported to the United Kingdom 1, 950 pieces of leather
weighing six tones as a trial order. Several other overseas orders were in hand and enquiries
continued to be received from European customers. In Zambia, the company was able to satisfy
the total demand for mining footwear and boots of different types. 40

Nkwazi Twin Company was established in the 1980s in Kafue. It was the only net manufacturing
company in Zambia. In mid 1982 the company met all the fishing net requirements of the
country. Management substituted imported raw materials with local ones in the manufacturing
processes. For instance, nylon was substituted with local cotton in the manufacture of sports nets,
mealie bags sewing twine while paper and polythene tubes were substituted with hollow reeds
from the Kafue River in the manufacture of tubes for winding on yarns. 41 This industry enabled
some people to earn a living through fishing for commercial trade as well as for subsistence
purposes while others were employed by the company.

Kafue Breweries, a chibuku making plant, was among the parastatal industries that were
established in Kafue during the post-independent period for the manufacture of chibuku, a local

39
INDECO, Enterprise, Number 3, 1976, p. 25.
40
INDECO, Enterprise, p. 25.
41
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/481, Nkwazi Manufacturing Company Limited 18th August 1987 Board Meeting Report, p. 4.

26
brew. This industry used local supplies of raw materials such as maize and water from the Kafue
River for the production of the beer.42

Various plans were formulated over the years to establish a steel producer in Kafue. The
possibility was explored in 1968 by the Zambian government but the project never came to
fruition. In 1980/81, the INDECO group of companies approached the Indian conglomerate Tata
and evaluated the commercial case for manufacturing steel from scrap, but again the project did
not come to fruition. 43

In 1988, the Zambian government approached the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR) to explore the issue and a detailed feasibility study was prepared. An
agreement appeared to be in sight, however, change of government from UNIP to Movement for
Multi party Democracy (MMD) in 1991 and the privatisation programme which the new
government pursued, led to the plan to be dropped. The feasibility study described an integrated
project involving iron ore extraction through a rolling mill. The project was to be located in
Kafue or Kabwe. The plan set out in the study was to form the basis of Universal Mining and
Chemical Industries Limited (UMCIL’s new venture). The UMCIL was incorporated in 1989 as
a joint venture with Universal Bakeries Ltd.44

In 2001, the partners decided to embark on their venture in steel making. UMCIL acquired land
in Kafue from the National Housing Authority (NHA), with finance raised from the Trade Kings
group. Collection and accumulation of a store of scrap steel began in 2004. The construction of
the Kafue Steel on the site began in 2005/2006, with a steel making plant, including a rolling
mill, sourced from India.45

2.7 Social and Economic Development

The state implemented an import substitution industrialisation programme. This saw many jobs
created in state-owned enterprises. The extension of the state enterprise sector across the country
was followed by the establishment of industries in Kafue, and this was important in setting the
context in which the Zambian state enterprise sector operated. It was expected to fulfil a variety
42
Interview with Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, Nangongwe, Kafue, Thursday, 27th January, 2022.
43
John Sutton and Gillian Langmead, An Enterprise Map of Zambia, (London: Hobbs the Printers Ltd, 2013), p.
154.
44
Sutton and Langmead, An Enterprise Map of Zambia, p. 154.
45
Sutton and Langmead, An Enterprise Map of Zambia, p. 154.

27
of objectives including the supply of goods at affordable prices and increasing employment.
Particular attention focused on its capacity to reinvest its profits in the creation of a diversified
industrial structure. This was because after the attainment of independence, Zambia inherited a
strong mining-based economy which started deteriorating in the mid-1970s due to a sharp
decline in copper prices and compounded oil shocks.46 This compelled the state to consider
investing in manufacturing industries. Therefore, the establishment of industries and
development of different infrastructure played an important role in social and economic
transformation of Kafue town and the country as a whole because there was need to reduce the
country’s dependence on the mining sector.

Most of the major industrial enterprises were placed within INDECO. The state extended loans
to the private sector through INDECO group. During the period between 1964 and 1968,
INDECO expanded its loan portfolio to private firms from about K2 million in 1964 to K16
million in 1967. Unfortunately, there were few Zambian entrepreneurs and they were
marginalised. Only a few had the skills, capital and experience needed to establish successful
businesses. 47 To address the poor performance of state owned enterprises, the government
regularly reorganised them in one way or the other. For example, Zambia Industrial and Mining
Corporation (ZIMCO) was added as a second holding company to relieve pressure on INDECO
in 1970. ZIMCO controlled principal companies relating to every major industrial activity in the
country, including consumer goods, manufacturing, finance, transportation, agriculture and
energy.

Alongside the establishment of industries in Kafue, the Zambian government inherited some
companies and statutory boards, some directly from the colonial government of Northern
Rhodesia and others created from the splinters of divided federal institutions. The Mulungushi
Reforms of 1968 provided for INDECO to take up a majority shareholding in certain foreign-
owned companies. INDECO became a central agency for the expansion of the state’s industrial
base. During this post-independence period, the takeover of existing enterprises appeared to offer

46
World Bank, Zambia Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2002, p. 16. http://poverty.worldbank.org. Accessed on
Friday, 29th June, 2021.
47
R. J. Craig, State Enterprise and Privatisation in Zambia, 1968-1998, PhD Thesis, University of Leeds, UK,
1999.
See also, World Bank, Zambia: Industrial Policy and Strategy, Report No. 4436-ZA,World Bank, Washington D.
C.,1984.

28
the government a more direct role to influence the development of the economy. 48 Examples of
inherited companies included Utility industries such as Northern Rhodesian Railways, which
came to be known as Zambia Railways, electricity, which became Zambia Electricity Supply
Corporation Limited (ZESCO), agricultural finance and marketing boards and an Industrial
Development Corporation (INDECO).

The Zambian government through INDECO undertook a number of investments.49 Other

companies such as Zambia Railways and ZESCO had an impact on the establishment and
development of industries in Kafue town. For instance, ZESCO was important to the acceleration
of the construction of industries in Kafue. It secured a stable supply of electric power for the
industries in the area. Zambia Railways enabled easy transportation of raw materials to the
industries and finished products from industries. Another company within INDECO which
contributed to the development of Kafue town was the wholly owned subsidiary Kafue Estate.
The company owned a large estate which comprised residential houses and flats, shops, offices
and market stalls for rent. It catered mainly for the needs of employees of the Nitrogen
Chemicals of Zambia and Kafue Textiles of Zambia.50

Apart from industries, other establishments were created following the decision of the
government. There was a substantial amount of capital expenditure which was projected for the
productive sectors of industry, mining, agriculture and land. Different sectors were to be pursued
within the context of a mixed economy in which there was to be room for private, state and co-
operative enterprises. The idea was to substitute imported goods for locally manufactured
goods.51 Alongside this, offices for the Departments of fisheries and forest were established in
Kafue town. The fisheries office was established to regulate fishing in the Kafue River while the
forest office was in charge of a variety of nurseries which produced seedlings for sale to other
parts of the country. These projects were all part of the development plan for Kafue town which
were not found in any other similar small towns in the country. The establishment of industries

48
M. Faber, “The Development of the Manufacturing Sector”, in Elliot, C. (ed.), Constraints on the Economic
Development of Zambia, (Nairobi: Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 315-318.
49
S. Johns, “Para-Satal Bodies in Zambia, Problems and Prospects”, in Simonis, H. and U. (eds.), Socioeconomic
Development in Dual Economic: the example of Zambia, (Munchen: Wertforum Verlag, 1971), p. 221-222.
50
INDECO Annual Report, 1979/80, p. 39.
51
UNIP1/3/3, Speeches by His Excellency, the President Dr KD Kaunda, “His Excellency the President, Dr.
Kaunda’s address to the UNIP National Council at Mulungushi, 9 November 1968”.

29
transformed Kafue into a small industrial town making it one of the centres of economic
activities in Zambia. It accounted for most of the industrial establishments in the southern part of
Lusaka with the exception of Livingstone.

2.8 Labour Recruitment in Industries

In order to meet the increased production in industries, professional and technical staff were
recruited to manage both skilled and non-skilled tasks. There were three categories of workers in
industries, namely; professional and technical staff, skilled staff and general workers. The first
category comprised top management or administrators, such as directors and general managers.
Since some industries or companies like NCZ and ZESCO were wholly owned by the Zambian
government, the top management were appointed by the President of the Republic of Zambia.
There was a mixture of Zambians and expatriates as top managers. For instance, at the time
Collins Nyendwa a former KTZ employee joined in 1989, the general manager was an
expatriate. The second category of employees comprised accountants, technicians, engineers,
mechanics drivers, machine operators, clerks, typists and telephone operators. The third category
comprised general workers. These industries drew many young professionals and non-
professionals from all parts of Zambia.52

Depending on the category of workers, salaries were also structured into three categories. These
were: confidential, unionised and non-unionised salary scales. The top management were in
confidential salary scale. Unionised workers or represented staff were in the unionised salary
scale while non-unionised workers were in the non-unionised salary scale and these were mainly
general workers or casual workers. These salaries were paid according to the conditions of
employment.53

In order to ensure that Zambian personnel took up most job positions in industries or companies,
the policy of Zambianisation was pursued in 1969. The policy aimed at training and placing
Zambian personnel in positions of management and technical services. Zambianisation was a
difficult task because of the limited number of school leavers with suitable academic
qualifications of at least ‘O’ level standard required to train in the technical, supervisory and

52
Interview with Collins Nyendwa, former employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Kasaka, Kafue, Monday, 5 th
April 2021.
53
Interview with Nyendwa, former employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Kasaka, Kafue, Monday, 5th April 2021.

30
managerial fields. Training Zambians for the three broad categories previously mentioned was
the key to Zambianisation in these three spheres of competence. Visits to the University of
Zambia, colleges, schools and other training institutions were, therefore, made with the purpose
of selling INDECO and its subsidiaries to the potential employees. 54

Between 1969 and 1971, Zambianisation created vacancies which were to be filled by properly
qualified Zambian personnel. Most Zambian workers who were previously employed as semi-
skilled and unskilled employees could improve their skills through training. Thereafter, they took
up more challenging and increasingly responsible positions in many companies. Those who
acquired managerial skills were appointed to higher profile positions. They took up management
positions as directors, managers, accountants, technicians, engineers and mechanics. Managerial
positions and technical services were gradually being filled by Zambian personnel. In 1970, for
example, Kafue Textiles of Zambia sent Mr. Wisamba to Uganda in East Africa, at Mwanza in
Tanzania, Kenya and Nyakio Textiles near Nairobi to train in textile sales skills. 55

2.9 Development of Infrastructure and Growth of Kafue Town

The attainment of political independence in 1964 brought significant construction of different
infrastructure in Kafue town. Development of industries and other accompanying economic
activities such as the construction of a road network, housing units, health care facilities,
education facilities and office buildings contributed to the growth of Kafue town. This was
guided by the policies in the First National Development Plan of 1966 to 1971, where emphasis
was placed on development of infrastructure.56 The capital investment planned for the period
1966 to 1970 was as follows: 38 percent was allocated to infrastructure and transport, 18 percent
to social infrastructure and seven percent to administrative infrastructure.57 Infrastructure
development was one of the key elements in the transformation of an area into a town or city in
the creation of jobs throughout an economy. The developments that took place, therefore, played
a significant role in accelerating the growth of the town in attracting labour from elsewhere in the
country.

54
NAZ, ZIMCO 03/006, Confidential Report: Zambianisation and Training, 8th May, 1970.
55
NAZ, ZIMCO /03 Confidential Report 4th November, 1970.
56
GRZ, First National Development Plan, 1966-1970, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1965), pp. 1-3.
57
Calculated from Republic of Zambia, 1966a, p. 12, Table III.

31
2.10 Construction of Housing Units

When the railway station was established in Kafue in 1906, the colonial government started
constructing housing units for its workers. The construction of housing units for employees
promoted labour stabilization. The housing units were built in categories, that is, single quarters
for general support staff while detached houses were for management staff. Housing units for all
those who were in management had big residences (locally known as yard). The housing units
were constructed on the eastern part of the railway station and this residential area was called
Railways Compound. Other housing units for white settlers who worked for Northern Rhodesia
Railways were constructed near Kafue Post Office and they also had big residences.
Construction of housing units took place between 1906 and the 1930.58

Further, in the 1950s, the Northern Rhodesia Government constructed housing units at the police
camp to accommodate the European police officers. The construction of housing units for
workers was easily enforced because of the enactment of the Urban African Housing Ordinance
of 1948. The ordinance made it mandatory for employers to provide accommodation for both
married and single employees. 59 The police camp was located on the eastern side of the Kafue-
Lusaka road.

On the western side of the railway station, where “Zambia Compound” is situated today, was
barely a bush before Zambia gained independence. After independence, there were two Zambian
groups for Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (UNIP) and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula of the African National
Congress Party (ANC) who used this area as a battle field (they were fighting from there). After
settling their political conflict, there were two shanty compounds that sprang up there, Lumumba
and Mtendere. Mtendere means peace in Cinyanja. These compounds are still there though under
Zambia compound. 60

To further address the accommodation needs, the government through INDECO continued with
the construction of housing units in Kafue Estate in 1976. A master plan for Kafue Estate was

58
Interview with Chibale Sinyangwe, Kalundu View, Kafue, Lusaka, Sunday, 6 th June, 2021.
59
NAZ, SEC. 1/1/320. The African Housing Commission Report, 2nd September, 1968.
60
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Nelly Moyo and Anna Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26 th March, 2021.

32
prepared by Doxiadis Associates of Athens.61 The master plan provided for an eventual Kafue of
100,000 population, and it was anticipated that by 1971 when INDECO’s industrial ventures
were in operation, the town’s population would have reached 20,000.62

In 1976, Kafue Estate Company (KEC) embarked on the construction of more housing units in
Kafue Estate because of the shortage of accommodation which soon became an acute problem.
There was an increase in population because of job opportunities and this led to an increase in
housing demands. Construction of new housing units in Kafue was therefore, one of the
significant projects undertaken by the Zambia Industrial and Mining Corporation (ZIMCO) after
the establishment of industries. This was in view of the anticipated increase in the number of
Zambians who were to be employed by KTZ and NCZ. As at 31st March 1976, nine houses out
of thirteen were completed and occupied. During the 48th Board meeting held at ZIMCO House
on 13th May 1976, it was reported that the contract to construct 423 houses in Kafue Estate had
been awarded to two contractors. These were Appollo Construction Company Limited and Titan
Builders Limited. High cost houses and some of the medium cost houses were built by Appollo
while Titan Builders concentrated mainly on the low cost houses. In all, 2,075 housing units
comprising 1,484 low cost, 494 medium cost and 97 high cost, were built in the Estate from the
time the project began in 1966. This was one of the biggest projects that absorbed the jobless in
Kafue. By March 1976, 110 people were employed in house construction, a number that rose
significantly over the years of the project.63 These added up to the already employed people.

Kafue Estate was divided into sections, namely; C5, C6 and C7. The housing units were built in
categories of high, medium and low cost. There were houses for directors, managers, supervisors
and general support staff. Among the housing units built were detached, semi-detached and
quarters. Parastatal industries paid rentals for their employees to INDECO for accommodation.
Initially, only employees for parastatal industries were accommodated in Kafue Estate. However,
in 1971, housing units in Kafue Estate were put on rent to anyone such as workers in ministries

61
The Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia Limited: Seventh Annual Report 1966, (Lusaka: Century
House Cairo Road, 1966), p. 18.
62
D. J. Siddle, A New National Growth Pole for Zambia, Geography, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 330-333.
63
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/238, 48th Board Meeting held on 13th May, 1976.

33
of education, health and the Zambia National Service among others. 64 Renting a two bedroomed
flat in Kafue Estate was K50 per month in the 1970s. 65

Apart from beautiful residential houses and flats, there were additional amenities that were
established such as tared roads with street lights, recreational facilities such as Nkosa stadium,
offices, shops and market stalls, 66 clinics, banking services by the Zambia National Commercial
Bank (ZANACO) and Barclays Bank, Police post and schools. Kafue Estate was one of the most
advanced residential areas in Zambia. It had almost everything, it was like a town on its own.67

Kafue Township Council continued with the construction of housing units for council workers in
1970 in Nangongwe on the southern part of the town. The council earmarked K150, 000 to ease
its housing shortage. The money was used to build 262 houses, part of it was used in the site-
and-service scheme. The money was divided as follows: K84, 000 was used to build 42 single-
storeyed houses for rent and K24, 000 on building 20 low cost houses. The sum of K25, 000 was
spent on “normal” site-and-service scheme houses and K7, 000 on “basic” site-and-service
scheme while K10, 000 was used to improve the already existing houses. Improvement of
existing houses included introduction of independent water supplies to every house. This helped
to cut down the expenditure on water consumption.68

By 1968, there were six houses already built in the Nangongwe site-and-service scheme. This
was on a low scale basic scheme and had only 38 plots. About nine houses were nearing
completion while others had reached window level. 69 The housing units were in categories.
There were detached and semi-detached houses. This residential area had shops, two taverns, a
clinic, school, market, butchery, welfare hall, local court and stadium called “Matanda” named
after the first Member of Parliament for Kafue constituency, Francis P. Matanda.70

64
Interview with Chishimba, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue Estate, Kafue, Thursday, 6 th May, 2021.
65
NAZ, ZIMCO /03, Confidential Report, 4th November, 1970.
66
INDECO Annual Report 1982, p. 14.
67
Interview with Jessica Ngulube, Former teacher at Nakatete Primary School, Kafue Estate, Kafue, Wednesday, 7 th
April, 2021.
68
NAZ, Zambia Mail, 10th December, 1968, p. 4.
69
NAZ, Zambia Mail, 10th December, 1968, p. 4.
70
Interview with Richard Sinyama, Council Worker Retiree, Chawama, Kafue, Tuesday, 6 th April, 2021.

34
Apart from construction projects, other developmental projects were also undertaken within
Kafue town, by the Zambian government. For instance, in 1971, the construction of the fire
station and Kafue street lighting were both financed by Kafue Township Council. 71

In order to find a satisfactory solution to the problem of squatters in Kafue, a meeting of the
Board of directors of Kafue Estate was held at Century House in Lusaka on Friday 3rd
November, 1967 at 10. 00 AM. As a matter of urgency, Scotiniotis and Matanda, chairman of
Kafue Township Council by then, were to find a satisfactory solution for squatters.72 Therefore,
in 1968 a self-help housing project was jointly launched by the Zambian government, Kafue
Township Council and the American Friends Service Committee (an American Voluntary
Agency). This project saw the establishment of Chawama residential area which was located to
the east of the Great North Road, about one mile south of Kafue Town. In 1969, the Zambian
Housing Board allocated K60, 000 to Kafue Township Council for capital costs of developing
the site. The objective of the project was not only to provide acceptable housing units with
suitable amenities but also to develop cooperation among the residents of this community.
Between January 1970 and July 1973, 20 construction groups organized and built 228 housing
units. The Zambian government and Municipal engineers provided water to this area and roads
were constructed. This improved living conditions for Chawama residents who earlier settled on
the area where the treatment plant for Kafue Water and Sewerage Company was to be
constructed.73

In other surrounding areas of the town, an informant Elenia Tembo, who has lived in Kafue since
1959, narrated that unplanned settlements such as Kaseba compound sprung up in 1972. This
was the former Sheleni Kaseba farm. On the western side of Kafue town, there was Soloboni
near Kafue Estate and Chilumba which sprung up as sugar cane growing areas. On the north of
the town, there was Shikoswe and Kabuchende, which is now Kalundu View. 74

On the eastern part of Chawama compound was another settlement which was called Kasengele.
This residential area shared boundaries with Pensulo, Hajanika and Mpulamasaka farms. The

71
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/125, 26th Board Meeting held on 25th June, 1971.
72
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/39, Fourth Meeting of the Board of Directors, 3 rd November, 1967.
73
American Friend-Service Committee, Chawama Self-Help Housing Project, Kafue Zambia, 1975.
74
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.

35
farms shared boundaries with Foster Farm. It was on this land where Muchuto Compound and
Muchuto Primary school were established. Muchuto was a compound where waterworks workers
for Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company were accommodated. This residential area was near
Kafue Boys’ Secondary School.75

Kafue became a constituency in 1973 during the one party state. During his first term in office,
honourable Francis P. Matanda embarked on a robust development plan for Kafue which
transformed it from being a railway siding to a developing peri urban town. It was during his first
term in office that the current Kafue Civic Centre building, Kafue Estate market, Ciawa Rural
Health Centre, Kasenje primary and Chipapa Primary Schools were built. By 1975, a good
number of planned residential areas and other infrastructure were established in Kafue District.76

In 1983, honourable Matanda was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Kafue Constituency.
Other developments undertaken by him during his tenure as Member of Parliament for Kafue
included: construction of Kafue Local Court, Mungu, Nangongwe and Gota-Gota Primary
Schools, Chikupi Clinic and upgrading of roads in Kafue Estate. Despite being a member of
parliament for Kafue twice, honourable Matanda lived in Nangongwe compound. He died on
10th July, 1985 after being shot at by criminals at Railway Club while having a drink. Apart
from a stadium which was named after him in Kafue town, there was also a ward called
“Matanda” in Kafue constituency. 77

2.10 Burial sites

There were a number of burial sites in Kafue. For instance, between 1905 and 1968, the
indigenous people who settled on the west side of Great North Road on the land where the Kafue
Water Treatment Plant was later constructed, had their burial site near a hill. There was another
burial site where three Europians who died in a plane crash on 28th April 1906 were buried. This
site is situated near Kafue Main Post Office. The victims of the plane crash were Mr and Mrs
Colac and their child. Colac was a senior executive in the BSAC and was on company business
when he and his family met their fate.78 When Chawama compound was established south of

75
Interview with Nelly Moyo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.
76
Kafue Times, 12th October 2020. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
77
Kafue Times, 12th October 2020. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
78
Joseph Matabishi, Kafue’s oldest graves, https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Thursday, 16th February, 2023.

36
Kafue town between 1968 and 1971, another burial site on the east side of the same road was
opened. The Chawama site was managed by Kafue Township Council. However, this burial site
was gradually closed between 1993 and 1997 following the depletion of burial spaces due to
expansion of Chawama Compound. In 1998, the burial site was moved to a place that was called
Jonase (Jonas) which was a white man’s farm. 79

There was yet another burial site for the local people in Kafue in Muchuto area near Kafue Boys’
Secondary School. People still bury their loved ones at this site. The latter was used by both
Zambians and foreigners. In addition, some European settlers who worked for Northern
Rhodesia Railways were buried in Lusaka while others were cremated at a place where Shah’s
house was later built in Kafue town. Hindus for their part, carried out their cremations near the
European residential area close to the post office. 80

Although the burial site which was near Chawama was closed, there were some people who
bought family portions for burial. Mr. Kazule, a former Nkwazi employee was one of those who
bought a portion where his family members were buried. For example, one of his daughter’s was
buried there in 2015/2016. Another family member was buried in 2018 on the same family burial
portion. Another example, was Mandevu’s wife who was also buried in 2016 at the old burial
site on the family land which was near Shankombo’s Guest House.81

2.11 Provision of Health Care Facilities

The provision of health care facilities was important to the growth of Kafue town. The health
services were to meet the needs of employees, their families and the surrounding communities.
During the construction of the Railway compound in 1906, a clinic which is called Railway
clinic was also constructed. This was situated on the eastern part of the Railway Station, near the
Railway Single quarters.82 Kafue Mission Hospital was constructed by the Primitive Methodist
Missionaries in about 1918. It was situated near the Native Training Institute because it was
mainly to cater for the staff, their families and students. However, the Mission Hospital also

79
Interview with Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, Nangongwe, Kafue, Thursday, 27 th January, 2022.
80
Interview with Loveness Ng’uni, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Monday, 15 th November, 2021.
81
Interview with Precious Siyowi, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Friday, 19 th November, 2021.
82
Interview with Moyo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.

37
offered services to the surrounding communities. Other health centres that were opened between
1975 and 1984 included; Nangongwe, Chikupi, Kafue Estate and Ciawa Rural Health Centre.83

In addition to the already established health centres, the management of Nitrogen Chemicals of
Zambia also provided health services to meet the needs of its employees and their families. It
was mandatory that medical facilities be provided because of the nature of work at the industry
and also in the residential area, Kafue Estate. There was a clinic (still in operational) within NCZ
premises and another NCZ family clinic in Kafue Estate. These medical facilities had trained
nurses and medical officers who offered services to patients who were not admitted. They
handled different cases of patients and referrals were made to either Mtendere Health Centre in
Ciawa or University Teaching Hospital (UTH) if cases could not be handled in Kafue.84

A bigger hospital was needed in Kafue as early as 1968 when the area began to emerge into an
industrial centre to cater for employees and other people who went to settle there. The available
clinics could not provide services to people who had serious cases. 85 For a period of 30 years
from the time industries were established in Kafue, there was no district hospital. Therefore, the
local people decided to build a district hospital in 1998. They did not want to wait for external
help. They formed a committee which organised for fundraising ventures. The money raised
from fundraising ventures and contributions from people helped towards the construction of the
hospital. Though it was the community’s initiative to start the construction of the hospital, they
later received support from the government in form of finances, equipment and human resource.
In 2003, Kafue district hospital now Kafue general hospital was opened although it still referred
patients to the University Teaching Hospital. 86 The establishment of health centres was a positive
indicator towards the growth of Kafue town.

2.12 School Infrastructure

The provision of school infrastructure was another important development that contributed to the
growth of Kafue town. Available records indicated that there were schools that were established
in Kafue before Zambia gained its political independence from Britain in 1964. Examples of

83
Kafue Times, 12th October, 2020. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
84
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue Estate, Kafue,
Thursday, 6th May, 2021.
85
Zambia Mail, 2nd April 1968, p. 13.
86
Zambia Daily Mail, 12th August 2017. www.daily-mail.co.zm. Accessed on Sunday, 18th April 2021.

38
such schools included; Kafue Training Institute, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School and Kafue
Primary School (now known as Kafue Day Secondary). These schools were constructed the time
of the colonial period.

Kafue Boys’ Secondary School is one of the oldest boarding schools for boys in Zambia. It is a
grant aided school run by the United Church in Zambia (UCZ). The school is located about 10
kilometres south of Kafue town and about 2.5 kilometres from the main road. According to
available records, the history of the school dates back to about 1900.87

The Primitive Methodist Missionaries in Northern Rhodesia drew up plans for building a
Teacher-Evangelist Institute in 1910. A site was chosen near Kafue River and in 1916, Charles
and Marthar Clixby of England donated one thousand pounds for the land which is present day
Kasaka Fisheries. The land came to be known as Clixby Estate and it was on this same land that
Kafue Training Institute was built. It was also called the Native Training Institute. The institute
was opened in 1918 and it trained students in evangelism, teaching methods, carpentry, farming
and animal husbandry.88 The first intake for Kafue Training Institute enrolled 19 students. By
1924, there were about 66 students who were enrolled at Kafue and they became
teacher/evangelists for the growing network of preaching centres and schools in the Primitive
Methodist Mission in Central Africa. 89 However, the Kafue Native Training Institute was
relocated to a place where Kafue Boys’ Secondary School is situated today. The Institute was
relocated because it was too close to the river and therefore, it was continuously troubled by
aquatic animals. Hence, in 1938 a new site was proposed and approved by the colonial
government. The new Institute was officially opened in 1941. It continued training teachers,
90
evangelists, carpenters, builders, agriculturalists and craftsmen.

Further, a Junior Trades School was built in 1956. This institution trained students in different
crafts, carpentry, building and agriculture. The institution was built on the land where the
Zambia National Service (ZNS) is located today. 91

87
J. H. Bwalya, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School, 1999. http://kafueboys.school.zml. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th
March, 2021.
88
P. D. Snelsonk8, Educational Development in Northern Rhodesia 1883-1945, (Lusaka: Neczam, 1974), p. 57.
89
T. J. Jones, Education in East Africa, (London: Edinburgh House Press, 1924), p. 262.
90
Bwalya, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School, 1999. http://kafueboys.sch.zml. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
91
Interview with Loveness Ng’uni, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Thursday, 20th May, 2021.

39
Secondary education in Kafue started in 1958 when the first form ones who were about 30
reported. In the same year when secondary education started in 1958, more dormitories and
classrooms were built. In 1959, the Teacher Training Institute ceased in Kafue and students were
sent to David Livingstone Teachers’ Training College in Livingstone. Therefore, Kafue Training
Institute became Kafue Boys’ Secondary School under Reverend J. P. K. Byrnes. In 1960, the
first Form II examinations were written and the first Form III class started in 1962. The first
Form 5s wrote their G. C. E. examinations in 1964, the year Zambia gained independence.92

In 1965, the Methodist Church, London Mission Society, the Parish Mission Society, Church of
Barotse Land and the Church of Scotland formed the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). From
that time, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School became a property of United Church of Zambia. In
1975, Mr. L. A. Chibutu became the first Zambian Headmaster of the School. Mr. Chibutu was a
pupil at Kafue Boys’ Secondary School. After completing Standard 6 Upper (Form II), he trained
as a teacher at Kafue Training Institute. After training, he taught at Kafue Boys’ Secondary
School and later became the Headmaster at the same school. 93

There are some notable people who passed through Kafue Boys’ Secondary School and these
are: Harry Mwanga Nkumbula (the late veteran politician), Robinson Nabulyato (Former
Speaker of the National Assembly), Sikota Wina (politician) and Wynter Kabimba (politician).94

Still on school infrastructure, Kafue Primary School which is the forerunner of today’s Kafue
Day Secondary School was founded in 1949 as a school for children of the elite and white
settlers who settled in Kafue before Zambia gained independence. In 1992, Kafue Primary
became a Basic School. Seven years later, the school was upgraded to a Secondary School which
is now Kafue Day Secondary School. The Secondary School had its first grade 10 intake in
1998.95

Naboye Secondary is one of the biggest and oldest day school in Kafue Town. The school is
situated in Kafue Estate and was established in 1970. It was named after a nearby stream which
is located on the eastern side of the school. It was built by the government to expand secondary

92
Bwalya, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School, http://kafueboys.sch.zml, Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
93
Bwalya, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School, http://kafueboys.sch.zml. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
94
Bwalya, Kafue Boys’ Secondary School, http://kafueboys.sch.zml. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
95
Kafue Times, 14 July 2019. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Wednesday, 31st March, 2021.

40
school enrolments. In its early years, Naboye Secondary School had both Zambian and expatriate
teachers from different parts of the world. For instance, the first Headmaster was Mr. H. S.
Chiko. Mr. Sam Nesamoney was one of the deputy Headmasters from India. Some expatriate
teachers included, Mr. Turner from the United Kingdom, Mr. Ivanyuk from the then Union of
Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR), Mr. Patel from India, Mr. Rangs from Holland, Mrs
Mennon from India and Mr. Jones from the United States of America (USA). Naboye Secondary
was a co-education School.96

Apart from secondary schools, there were also a number of primary schools that were
constructed between 1966 and 1970. This was indicated in the Zambia Mail of 1965 where the
Ministry of Education planned 250, 000 school places as shown below:

The Ministry of Education’s expansion programme between now and 1970 envisages
6,077 new primary classrooms-nearly 250,000 school places- and a teacher’s house for
every new classroom between 1966 and 1970. It envisages a tenfold increase in Form
Four and Form Five places by 1970, a ninefold increase in Form Three, a more than
fivefold increase in Form Two, and a sixfold increase in Form One. 97

The expansion programme by the Ministry of Education was extended to Kafue District.
Nakatete Primary which started as a community school in 1971 was one of the schools which
benefited from the programme. When the school started in 1971, it had only two classroom
blocks which were built by the people of the community. The government of the Republic of
Zambia through the Ministry of Education constructed new classroom blocks and one staff house
at the school. In the late 1990s, the school was upgraded to a Basic School. There were also other
primary schools that were constructed by the Government of Zambia and these included
Nangongwe, Shikoswe, Kasenje, Soloboni, Chikupi, Mungu, Chipapa, and Muchuto Primary.98

Alongside government schools, there were also private schools such as Malundu, Josephine
Fogg, Bethel and Agape. Malundu School is found within Kafue town along Unity Drive road.
The school was started by four businessmen in 1979. It was later sold to an Italian Non-
Governmental Organisation (NGO) in the year 1992. The organization later entrusted the

96
Mubanga Lumpa, Kafue Times. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Monday, 5th July, 2021.
97
NAZ, The Northern News, Wednesday, 13th January 1965, p. 1.
98
Interview with Elenia Tembo and Nelly Moyo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26 th March, 2021.

41
management to the Catholic Sisters in 1995 as Managing Agents. Currently, the school runs from
Pre-School to Grade 12.99

Josephine Fogg School was established in 1984 in Kafue Estate and it was run by Nitrogen
Chemicals of Zambia. The school was named after the wife of Mr. Ronald Fogg, who was one of
the expatriate managers at Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia. The school started as a nursery, then
it was upgraded to primary and later to secondary. 100

In addition to the construction of primary and secondary schools, welfare halls were also
constructed. Prior to introduction of Pre-schools, sub-primary learning for some local children
used to take place in welfare halls. In Kafue town, there were two welfare halls (community
halls), one was located in Nangongwe compound near the local court, commonly known as the
Bet Hall, while the other one was situated in Kafue Estate. The community hall and children’s
play grounds in Kafue Estate were completed in 1971.101 Welfare halls provided sub-primary
education to Zambian children before proceeding to primary schools. These assisted children
who lived in the nearby compounds and surrounding communities.102

Both primary and secondary schools provided education to children who lived nearby as well as
those who came from distant places. Kafue Textiles of Zambia and Nitrogen Chemicals of
Zambia had buses which assisted mostly families of their employees. They were used to ferry
children and dependants of their employees from Kafue Estate to schools that were far like
Malundu, Kafue Day, Nangongwe and Nakatete Primary. They were also used for other social
services such as funerals and games.103

The establishment of schools was another important development that contributed to the growth
of Kafue town. The construction of schools created employment opportunities and therefore,
people from other places began to settle in Kafue.

99
Malundu School, 2018, http://malundu.sch.zm. Accessed on Tuesday, 22nd June, 2021.
100
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Kafue Estate, Kafue, Thursday, 6 th May, 2021.
101
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/125, 26th Board Meeting Report, 25th June, 1971.
102
Interview with Nelly Moyo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26 th March, 2021.
103
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Kafue Estate, Kafue, Thursday, 6 th May, 2021.

42
2.13 Provision of Security Services
In 1911, the British colonial administrators formed the Northern Rhodesia Police, a force that
had both military and civilian functions. Increased settlement along the line of rail from
Livingstone to the Copperbelt necessitated the creation of a more modern police force. The
modern Zambia Police traces its origin to the late 19th century police institutions that were
created during colonialism. From its founding until 1964, all police executive officials were
expatriates, but independence brought indigenisation of the officer ranks for the new Zambia
national police.104

Police posts were established in all towns, and each displayed a uniformity in appearance that
made them easy to identify. In order to meet the security requirements after 1964, more police
officers were trained at the government Police Training School in Lilayi. The main police station
in Kafue was constructed on the northern part of the town in the mid-1960. Then a number of
police posts were also established in residential areas in the 1990s. For instance, there was one in
Kafue Estate, Shikoswe, Zambia Compound and Nangongwe. This led to more police staff to be
employed in order to provide the security required for the growing town. The government built
more housing units at the old place camp to accommodate more police officers. 105

2.14 Banking and Postal Services

Before Zambia attained political independence, the colonial government provided money order
and telegraph offices. The main telegraph and telephone route lied alongside the railway line
from the Victoria Falls to the Belgian Congo border. There was a daily mail service by rail
between post offices on the line of rail. Post offices off the line of rail received and dispatched
mail at least once a week.106

As Kafue town was growing in terms of different infrastructure and development of other
businesses, Kafue Post Office was established in 1965 to provide postal and telephone services.
It was an important institution for communication purposes and therefore promoted permanent
settlement of non-Zambians in Kafue town because of a stable communication network.107

104
NAZ, “Zambia Police Annual Report for the Year 1970”, p. 16.
105
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.
106
Interview with Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, 26th March, 2021.
107
Interview with P. Siamayuwa, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Sunday, 6th June, 2021.

43
Banking services were mainly accessed from Lusaka before the establishment of Barclays and
ZANACO in Kafue. Information obtained from the 26th Board meeting report for 25th June, 1971
confirmed that Barclays Bank offered services in Kafue in the 1960s. By February 1971, G. M.
A. Lunat, a general dealer, had conducted a satisfactory account with the same bank for ten
years. 108 This therefore, confirms that banking services were made available to the people of
Kafue and the surrounding communities.

2.15 Development of Businesses

The establishment of industries contributed to the establishment of trading areas in Kafue town.
The social services offered by both the government and private sector such as housing units,
health and education, enabled expatriates and other support employees to reside either in Kafue
Estate, other residential areas within Kafue or the nearby communities. Those people therefore,
relied on Kafue for goods and services, a move that encouraged retail chains and service
providers to move to Kafue town. These were influenced by the employment opportunities
created by industries and other ministries. This was another development that contributed to the
growth of the town. Marvin Miracle, for example, in his writing on the emergency of African
commerce in Lusaka between 1954 and 1959, noted that new trends in African commerce
encouraged other ethnic groups to migrate and establish permanent settlements. The new market
opportunities contributed to population growth.109 Hence, the sprawling of shanty compounds or
unplanned settlements such as Zambia Compound, Soloboni and other compounds. This was one
of the characteristics of urban growth. 110

In 1970, the ZIMCO Board at their 20th meeting approved the allocation of the seven shops to
the successful applicants. Among the applicants was G. M. A. Lunat who was a general dealer.
He promised to stock a full range of shoes, clothing, groceries and other items. He had 13 years
of business experience and had sufficient capital to run the shop. However, Lunat’s shops were

108
NAZ, ZIMCO 26th Board Meeting Report- 25th June, 1971.
109
Marvin P. Miracle, ‘Apparent Changes in the Structure of African Commerce in Lusaka, 1954-1959’, in W. V.
Brelsford (ed.), The Northern Rhodesia Journal, Number 2, Vol. V, (Lusaka: Government Printers, 1963), pp. 170-
173.
110
Alan J. Simmance, Urbanisation in Zambia: An International Urbanisation Survey Report to the Ford
Foundation, USA, Washington, pp. 19-20.

44
taken over by some Zambians after the Mulungushi Economic Reforms of 1968 before he
became a Zambian citizen. 111

Wholesale trade was restricted to Zambian citizens in the 1970 Import Declaration. This initially
had a negative impact on the town because it had a considerable number of foreign traders with
retail and wholesale shops. This greatly reduced growth in the local retail trade, as Zambian
businesses did not adequately replace foreign ones. During this period, it became common for
businesses to change owners. 112 The businesses were predominantly owned by families or
individuals. This means that the establishment size was small, less than ten employees, which
was within the range for small town employers. 113 According to the available information, the
predominant activity in Kafue was the retail sector. Examples of Zambians who owned shops
included: Nyendwa and family in town and Chawama compound, Kalawo in Kafue Estate and
Mhango and family in town.114

During the second Republic, most of the shops in Kafue were situated along the main Kafue-
Lusaka Road. However, Mwaiseni Stores Limited was situated in Kafue Estate. It was a state-
owned enterprise. The company owned business premises rented out to various business
enterprises.115 Another State owned enterprise in Kafue during the second Republic was NIEC
Stores Limited which was situated within town. However, a policy of limited privatisation was
introduced in 1990 which was subsequently extended to cover the entire state enterprise sector.
This reversed the previous trend towards the expansion of state enterprise. 116 By the end of 1998,
the majority of state enterprises were privatised. It was during this period that Mwaiseni Stores

111
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/39, 26th Board Meeting, 25th June 1971.
112
Hugh MacMillan, An African Trading Empire: the Story of Susman Brothers and Wulfsohn, 1901-2005, (I B
Taurus: London, 2005), p.492.
113
D. Satterthwaite and C. Tacoli, “The role of small and intermediate urban centres in regional and rural
development: assumptions and evidence”, in C. Tacoli (ed.), Rural-Urban Linkages, (Earthscan: London, 2006),
p155-183.
114
Interview with Chibale Sinyangwe, Kalundu View, Kafue, Sunday, 6 th June, 2021.
115
INDECO, Annual Report 1979/80, p. 39.
116
O. Letwin, Privatising the World: A Study of International Privatisation in Theory and Practice, (London:
Cassell, 1988), p.24.
P. Young, “Privatisation around the World”, Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, 1987, Vol. 6, No.
3, pp. 190-206.
R. Young, “Privatisation: African Perspectives”, in Cook, P. and Kirkpatrick, C. (eds.), Privatisation Policy and
Performance: International Perspectives, (London: Prentice Hall/ Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1995).

45
Limited and NIEC Stores were closed down. The same building that was used by Mwaiseni
Stores was turned into Zambika Bakery and small shops.

There were also shops and markets in residential areas like Zambia Compound, Nangongwe and
Chawama which provided informal sector jobs. Marketeers sold different merchandise such as
fish, kapenta, beans, vegetables and fruits. The markets were managed by the Council. The
council workers were in charge of levy collection and maintenance. 117

Kafue town had two fuel stations which were established between 1970 and 1980. Total filling
station was situated between the Kafue bus station and Bayi Motel. The other filling station was
located next to Kafue police station. Both Zambians and non-Zambians established business
enterprises in Kafue town. Filling stations and other business enterprises created employment
opportunities in Kafue. There was a shift from a predominantly rural lifestyle to an urban life-
style through acculturation and socialisation. They were agents of social, cultural and economic
changes.

2.16 Industries and Population Growth

Like elsewhere in mega industrial zones and cities such as on the Copperbelt mines, the demand
for labour in industries brought migrant workers into the region. The population of Kafue when it
was just a small railway township in the 1930s, was small, about 2, 500. By 1980 Kafue’s
population had risen to 29,794118 and in 1996 the district population was estimated at 146,900.119
The rapid rise in the population of Kafue between 1980 and 1996 provides the basis for
appreciating its urban growth. The gradual increase in the population of Kafue was as a result of
a number of factors highlighted such as employment opportunities created by the development of
industries, emergency of traders and farmers. A significant proportion of the growth in
population could be attributed to the establishment of industries and other economic sectors that
were found in the district. For instance, some people were attracted to settle in Kafue because of
beautiful residential houses and flats, shops, offices and market stalls for lease in Kafue Estate.120

117
Interview with Richard Sinyama, Kafue Council worker Retiree, Chawama, Kafue, Tuesday, 6 th April, 2021.
118
Geoffrey J. Williams (ed.), Lusaka and its Environs: A Geography Study of a planned capital city in Tropical
Africa, (Lusaka: Geographical Association of Zambia, 1986), p. 247.
119
Safe Aids Organisation, www.saaids.org.zw, p. 18. Accessed on Tuesday, 29th June, 2021.
120
INDECO, Annual Report 1982, p. 14.

46
The population of Kafue was diverse. It consisted of people from almost all the ethnic groups
found in Zambia as well as a small proportion of people of European and Asian origin. After
independence restrictions on migration were lifted and there was rural-urban migration. Married
male migrants were accompanied by their families. After settling down and found jobs, some
single male migrants went back to their home villages to find spouses whom they returned with
to Kafue. Almost all ethnic groups in Zambia were found in Kafue. Languages spoken included
Soli, Tonga, Lenje, Sala, Bemba and Lozi. 121

During the period, 1975 to 1986, there was an increase in the demand for labour in the town
because the local economy became more diversified. The town played a significant role in the
country’s manufacturing sector. The basic manufacturing activities included textiles, chemicals
and leather products among others. This propelled the growth of population in the area as people
moved from other regions to Kafue to seek economic gain and improved social standing. The
government of the Republic of Zambia made provisions for non-Zambians to work in different
sectors as expatriates. Kafue had both more formal and informal employment opportunities.
Those who could not find jobs in the formal sector entered the informal sector. The
establishment of industries and development of infrastructure contributed to urbanisation of
Kafue as people moved from different places to come and look for employment opportunities
and other economic activities such as business enterprises and accessibility to social services.122
The level of infrastructure like development of road networks and office buildings, all
contributed to population growth after Zambia attained its independence. In general, the
population of Kafue town increased because of different economic activities which attracted
people from other parts of the country.

2.17 Recreation Facilities

There were some social amenities or recreation services that were provided in Kafue town
between 1906 and 2005. These included hotels and motels, clubs, taverns and so on. The social
amenities were categorized into classes, the first class was for the Europeans while the second
one was for the indigenous Zambians. Sites for the first class included what was, untill recently,

121
Interview with, Elenia Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.
122
Alan J. F. Simmance, Urbanisation in Zambia: An International Urbanisation Survey Report to the Ford
Foundation, USA, Washington, pp. 19-20.

47
Kafue River Motel (RIMO) but now, Chita Lodge, the railway club and a hotel which came to be
called Kafue Bar. RIMO was situated along the main road about 5 kilometres south of Kafue
Town. It provided different social services like accommodation and other social services to
expatriates who came as construction workers for the railways and industries. Kafue boating club
was established on the Kafue River near RIMO. Kafue Marina which has been reconstructed and
is now called Kafue River Cliff was another pleasure resort which was established at the
waterworks near the Kafue River.123

The Railway club and a hotel were situated within the European residential areas, railway
compound and near Kafue Post Office respectively. Zambians had their own recreational places
which included beer halls and other facilities. After independence, the same recreational facilities
that were used by white settlers provided different social services to both Kafue and non-Kafue
residents. Another recreational facility which provided social services to the people of Kafue and
those who were in transit was Bayi Motel currently known as Kafue Road Inn, which is located
near Total Filling Station. Bayi Motel was built between 1993 and 1995. 124

Among the taverns that were run by the Council were tavern 1 and tavern 2 in Nangongwe
compound. Those were drinking places for old people who were referred to as the madalas. 125 In
the 1990s, there were bars that were run by individuals and they included Chalo Bantu in
Chawama compound and Shabusale in Zambia compound. In addition, brewing of traditional
beer (kachasu) was done in shanty compounds. 126

2.18 Conclusion
This chapter examined the history of Kafue town. It has shown that establishment of the railway
siding (station) in the area was a major milestone in the development and growth of Kafue town.
The chapter has also discussed the development of industries and how they influenced the
growth of the town from a predominantly rural setting to an urban area.

The chapter has also highlighted developments that took place after the establishment of
industries. It has been argued that the population of Kafue town grew or increased due to

123
Interview with P. Siamayuwa, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Sunday, 6th June, 2021.
124
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.
125
Kafue Times, 12th October, 2020. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Tuesday, 30th March, 2021.
126
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Nelly Moyo and Anna Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.

48
employment opportunities created either directly or indirectly by the establishment of industries,
provision of education services, health care facilities and other economic activities. The
construction of permanent housing units also contributed to the development and growth of the
town. The development of unplanned settlements such as the Zambia compound, Soloboni and
Chilumba indicated that there was an increase in population. The establishment of industries led
to a shift from a predominantly agrarian economy to a money based economy as most people
were employed in industries and other sectors such as health, education, police service and
banking. The construction of recreation facilities also significantly contributed to the
development of Kafue town. Therefore, it was one of the towns that played a significant role in
the economy of the country through industries and other economic sectors. At the time Zambia
privatised its industries in the 1990s, Kafue existed as a self-contained town with good public
and private services available or provided to the town’s population.

49
 CHAPTER THREE

THE IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ON KAFUE TOWN, 1965-2005

3.1 Introduction
The focus of this chapter is twofold. The first part assesses the positive social and economic
impact of industrial development and the growth of Kafue town between 1965 and 2005, while
the second part discusses how industrial activities negatively affected the environment.

As already discussed in the previous chapter, the establishment of industries precipitated the
development and growth of Kafue town. The establishment of industries provided the primary
impetus for the development of other sectors of the local economy. The manufacturing sector
supported other sectors which played a role in the social and economic growth of Kafue town.
Scholars have argued that industrial development and the consequent provision of infrastructure
in the town had both direct and indirect social and economic ramifications through job creation
and population growth. The chapter further demonstrates that industries and the development of
different infrastructure were the key factors in the growth of the town. It was largely on account
of the emergence of industries and the provision of requisite social infrastructure that spurred
people from different parts of the country into Kafue town in search of employment, thus making
it one of the most economically promising and socially diverse small town in the post-
independence period. Apart from the positive outcomes of the establishment of industries in
Kafue, the chapter also investigates the negative impact that industries had on the environment;
human health, plant life, air and ground water. The chapter also highlights some measures which
were introduced in order to control environmental pollution.

3.2 Impact of Industries

Industries in Kafue had other desirable outcomes beside job creation. The establishment of
industries had great impact on the lifestyles of the people of Kafue in that they transformed the
social wellbeing and economic situation of the local communities. It is worth noting that
industries and accompanying economic activities improved health and sanitation, education,
infrastructure and income for the local people. This was done through the creation of
employment opportunities and social services. These services significantly helped in improving
the standards of living of Kafue urban community.

50
The UNIP government encouraged the formation of co-operatives in different parts of the
country in different sectors, including construction and farming. President Kaunda called on the
unemployed countrywide to form co-operative societies. Grants were availed to those who were
prepared to start businesses and those that formed co-operative societies. Contractors were
needed all over the country to build schools, hospitals and housing units.1 The formation of new
projects such as co-operatives helped to absorb the jobless in Kafue. Therefore, apart from direct
employment that was created by industries, the construction and agriculture sectors also provided
employment in Kafue. Contractors were needed to work on roads and other projects such as the
Kafue treatment plant in the 1970s. Farmers needed to provide food to the growing population of
Kafue and the surrounding communities. Establishment of industries led to formation of co-
operative societies in Kafue as people needed to provide different services to the growing
population of the town.

Apart from the direct employment that was created in industries and other sectors already
mentioned in this chapter, the construction sector also provided direct employment in Kafue
town. For instance, when construction companies were awarded contracts during construction of
different infrastructure, local people benefited from the short term employment opportunities that
were created. In addition, other contractors such as those contracted to work on roads and other
required projects also provided more employment opportunities in the area. In 1971, projects like
children’s play grounds, the Catholic Church and the Priest’s house were built in Kafue Estate.
In addition, a market shelter was constructed in 1993 at a total cost of K1, 903 689. 90. 2 The
construction sector created employment for the local people, thereby contributing to improved
livelihood for Kafue community and the surrounding communities.

3.3 Training and Zambianisation

In the late 1960s, the state was dissatisfied with the limited participation of indigenous Zambians
in economic activities. The shortage of indigenous skilled and educated workers was a major
problem. The shortage was worse at the operational and managerial levels. Companies like the
Nitrogen Chemicals and Kafue Textiles relied on expatriates to manage operational and

1
National Archives of Zambia, The Northern News, Monday, 18 th January, 1965.
2
NAZ, ZIMCO, INDECO Estate Development Company Ltd 118th Board Meeting 1993,, INDECO House Board
Room, 09.00 Hours on 1st September, 1993.

51
managerial tasks before Zambian personnel improved their skills through training. There was
need to develop local human resources through the process of Zambianisation as most parastatals
had no single Zambian occupying management positions.3

The task of creating and maintaining jobs was a heavy national responsibility which INDECO
recognized and endeavoured to infuse into all its operational plans and programmes. Lack of
skilled man power compelled INDECO to embark on programmes of upgrading local skills. It
called for a systematic recruitment programme which ensured a constant pool of employees
training and development in various occupational fields. It took advantage of training facilities in
local and overseas institutions as well as its own centralised training programmes which included
in-service courses and occasional seminars for specific employees. 4

By 1971, Zambian personnel had begun to fill up most job positions in management and
technical services in companies. For instance, by 1976, Kafue Estate Company’s entire labour
force was Zambian. As the effort to Zambianise labour took root, there was increased need to
upgrade staff skills through training in their respective fields. Employees were sponsored for
training programmes in order to improve their skills and overall performance in their respective
fields. 5

Still on the issue of training and Zambianisation, seven employees at Kafue Textiles of Zambia
were sponsored to undertake part time courses at the Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and
Commerce. The courses ranged from elementary typing to accountancy and commenced in
January 1975.6 Several apprenticeship programmes in various fields were also organised within
Zambia. As a result of the programme of Zambianisation, the number of non-Zambians in 1975
was reduced to less than 30 out of 1, 540 employees.7 The programme of Zambianisation
continued until most of the skilled labour was recruited from within Zambia.

3
Kaunga, Privatisation: The Zambian experience, in Ramanadham V. V. (ed.), Privatisation: A Global Perspective,
p. 374.
4
Times of Zambia, Monday, 7th January, 1985, p. 2.
5
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/238, Minutes of 48th Board Meeting held at ZIMCO House Cairo Road, Lusaka, on Thursday
13th May 1976 at 09. 00 Hours.
6
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/209, Kafue Textiles of (Z) Limited Board Papers, 16th May 1975.
7
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/209, Kafue Textiles of (Z) Ltd, Board Papers May 1975-December 1975, Minutes of the 46th
Meeting of the Board of Directors held in ZAMEFA Sales Board Room, Freedom Way, Lusaka, Monday 24 th
November 1975, at 14. 30 hours.

52
The programme of replacing non-Zambian personnel with Zambian personnel in both
management and technical fields continued up to 1994. For instance, in 1975 the position of
make-up supervisor at Kafue Textiles of Zambia was taken over by T. Kakula while Mr. N.
Shakele was appointed as shift supervisor. Shakele took over from D’souna who left the country
on 8th May 1975. Another Zambian, Mwale, was appointed as Acting shift supervisor. He took
over from Desai who was given other responsibilities in the projected reshuffle of expatriate staff
in the Spinning Department due to the impending departure of the spinning manager at the end of
July 1975.8

Job-on training also continued for general workers whose work was carried out under
supervision and could also be performed after a brief introduction to the job and was mainly
manual in nature. General workers included cleaners, sprayers, waiters and waitresses, loaders,
carriers and drain labourers. The basis of training programmes was to ensure company self-
sufficiency of trained human resources to fill any position that became vacant in case of
resignation and promotion.9

3.4 Expansion of Businesses

In order to serve the growing population of Kafue town, there was a rise in small scale
enterprises in the area. In the late 1960s, there was limited participation of indigenous Zambians
in economic activities. This provided an incentive for the state to take controlling interest in
existing private-firms as explained in chapter two. The emergency of traders was influenced by
the establishment of industries and infrastructure. Both local people and foreigners such as the
Asian Community set up trading places. For instance, Lunat, who was of Indian origin, was a
general dealer. His shops were stocked with assorted items such as shoes, clothing, groceries and
other items.10 Other prominent foreign traders as already stated in chapter two, included
Kanjombi, Pondoliko, Neggat, Zubeda, Jeda and Shah. 11

During the 50th Board of Directors’ meeting for Kafue Estate Company held on 10th December
1976, it was noted that a butchery and a chemist shop had commenced trading under Messrs

8
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/209, Board Papers 16th May, 1975.
9
Interview with Nyendwa, former KTZ employee, Kasaka, Kafue, Monday, 5 th April, 2021.
10
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/125, 26th Board Meeting held on 25th June, 1971.
11
Interview with Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, Nangongwe, Kafue, Thursday, 27 th January, 2022.

53
Chibimba and Sons, and the National Drug Company Limited, respectively. Other trading
ventures that emerged in the area included Chris Furniture Limited and Pamodzi Fashions (a co-
operative).12 These development projects contributed to the growth of the area.

The hotel and restaurant sectors also developed and contributed to the economic activities of the
town. For example, during the expansion of the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia plant in 1983,
improvement in accommodation facilities were done at RIMO. The company’s management
required to accommodate the contractors’ personnel from Europe in first class hotels or in places
with equivalent facilities. To save on transport costs, it was decided that expatriate personnel
should stay at RIMO in Kafue instead of having to travel each day to and from Lusaka.
However, the River Motel did not have all the required facilities. The company was therefore,
compelled to import 60 air conditioners from South Africa out of which 40 were installed at the
motel.13

The commissioning personnel stayed at the River Motel for about one year. After
commissioning, some of the technical personnel remained at the motel to sort out some of the
minor problems which followed plant expansion and commissioning. For a number of years, a
stream of foreign technical personnel working at Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia either for
shutdown jobs or on special assignments like rehabilitation of the old plant and up-grading of the
expansion plants under the scheme worked out with Klockner continued to use RIMO for
accommodation. In such circumstances, it was advantageous for the company to provide
residential accommodation (River Motel) near to the plant site. The 40 air conditioners were later
sold to River Motel. 14

3.5 Improvements in Health Care Services

Between 1990 and 2000, the opening of private clinics such as Badat clinic which is now Zubeda
Health Care, situated near the Post Office in town, Tapiwa situated in Zambia compound,
Juflona 1 in town and Juflona 2 in Kafue East,15 supplemented the already established

12
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/238, 50th Meeting of Board of Directors Held in INDECO Boardroom, 8th Floor ZIMCO
House, Cairo Road, Lusaka, Friday 10th December 1976, at 09.00 Hours.
13
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/404, Nitrogen Chemicals (Z) Limited 62nd Board Meeting held on Wednesday 15th June, 1983
at N. C. Z. Board Room President Avenue, Kafue, at 09:00 Hours.
14
NAZ, ZIMCO 1/2/404, Nitrogen Chemicals (Z) Limited 62nd Board Meeting, 1983.
15
Interview with Chibale Sinyangwe, Kalundu View, Kafue, Sunday, 6 th June, 2021.

54
government health facilities like the Zambia National Service, Nangongwe, Zambia Railways,
Kafue Estate, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia and Kafue District Hospital. The government
improved health services in health centres. This was done through the provision of qualified
personnel. State registered nurses and other health officers were employed in both government
and private health centres. Both government and private clinics provided health services to the
people of Kafue and to the surrounding communities. Evidence of good health facilities in
factory clinics is demonstrated by figure 3.1 on the next page.

Figure 3.1: Evidence of good health facilities in factory clinics.

Source for figure 3.1 above: INDECO Annual Report, 1982, p. 17.

55
3.6 Economic Sectors
Kafue town had various economic sectors which needed infrastructure development to support
the operations and functions of the sectors. The town provided almost everything that held
society together, that is, employment creation, provision of medical services, education,
accommodation and a wide range of other social services. Kafue town’s economic sectors could
be classified into three categories, namely primary, secondary and tertiary sectors.

The primary sector involved the retrieval and production of raw materials. Examples of this
sector included forestry, agriculture and fisheries. The secondary sector involved the
transformation of raw or intermediate materials into goods. This was a major source of
employment and a vehicle for rural industrialisation. Between 1968 and 1976, the Zambian
government created a number of secondary sectors. Examples of secondary sectors comprised
manufacturing industries. Manufacturing was the leading sector of the economy in Kafue in the
first decade after independence. Manufacturing sector contributed greatly to total formal
employment between 1965 and 1990. The tertiary sector involved the supplying of services to
consumers and businesses. This sector constituted health, education, transport (railways and
road), telecommunication, energy and security (police).

3.7 The Industrial Sector

The industrial sector in Kafue contributed to the diversification of the economy through value
added exports. This was significant as it enabled the country to earn foreign exchange. For
example, the Kafue Tannery provided leather for Bata Shoe Company which was capable of
exporting 1, 950 leather pieces weighing six tons to the United Kingdom. Several other overseas
orders were received from European customers.

The existence of a tannery in Kafue increased the potential for development of allied industries
like the Bata Shoe Company which utilised the product of the tannery, the leather itself. 16
Manufacturing industries fostered growth and diversified formal employment. The industrial
policy focused on job creation. This stimulated the demand for workers across industries and
increased employment opportunities.

16
INDECO, Enterprise Magazine Number 3, 1976, p. 25.

56
State enterprise emerged in 1968 as the principal instrument through which the state took a more
direct role in implementing its objectives. Objectives included diversification of the economy in
order to reduce reliance on the mining industry, increase in domestic production of goods in
order to meet local demands, increasing employment opportunities, raising the level of education
and social welfare and the development of social and economic infrastructure. These were to be
pursued within the context of a mixed economy in which there was room for private, state and
co-operative enterprise.

3.8 The Agricultural Sector

The development of industries prompted the development of the agricultural sector.
Establishment of industries brought economic benefits in form of employment for the people and
markets for local goods. Industries stimulated a wide range of business activities, hence
increasing income for the local communities. Large scale farming contributed to new sources of
income-generating activities. It must be understood that apart from the establishment of
industries, agriculture also fostered employment. Different people from different places
established permanent settlements.

Most farms were owned by foreigners, though few indigenous people had farms like Mhango,
Pensulo, Hajanika and Mpulamasaka. 17 Some people sought employment on farms owned either
by foreigners or local people. The farmers contributed to the country’s economy by creating
informal employment to the local people.

Most commercial and peasant farms were engaged in crop and animal husbandry. For instance,
in Chipapa area, Johnson, a settler farmer, from Denmark and other farmers grew crops such as
maize, groundnuts, sweet potatoes and vegetables for their consumption and for sell. Throughout
the post-independence period, a number of Zambian farmers between Kafue and Lusaka area and
in some parts of the country focused almost exclusively on the cultivation of maize, the staple
crop and staple food for the vast majority of the country’s population. 18 In addition, they reared
domestic animals like cattle, goats, pigs and chickens. Increased productivity made food cheap
for people who were both in formal and informal employment.

17
Interview with Elenia Tembo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26th March, 2021.
18
JAICAF, The Maize in Zambia and Malawi, (Tokyo, Japan, 2008). http://www.jaicaf.or.jp/publications/Zambia.
Accessed on Tuesday, 29th June, 2021.

57
In Zambia, irrigation development began as early as the 1960s by both the Zambian government
and the private sector.19 An Agricultural Development Corporation was established in 1968 and
it became a Rural Development Corporation in 1969 with wider responsibilities. It established
new projects and made loans available to farmers.20 Development in the agricultural sector was
closely linked to other social and economic developments. During the years when the
Agricultural Development Corporation operated at full capacity between the 1960s and 1980.
The sector also contributed to the creation of sustainable job opportunities and economic
diversification.

In Chipapa area of Kafue District, the irrigation scheme operated at full capacity between the
1960s and 1980s. Johnson and other farmers worked together in order to start their irrigation
activities in the 1960s using the dam which was constructed in 1953 by the Northern Rhodesia
government. The colonial government built this dam in Chipapa area to provide a source of
water for domestic animals like cattle and goats and it was to act as a reservoir during drought
periods.21

However, in 1982, the pipe that channelled water from the dam to the canal got blocked.
Therefore, the irrigation scheme collapsed. In 1992, Johnson approached the Danish Embassy for
assistance to unblock the pipe from the dam to the main canal. The farmers with help from the
Danish Embassy unblocked the pipe. They resumed their irrigation activities but barely a year
later, the dam ran-out of water because the main canal had cracks. In 1994, students from the
University of Zambia, Department of Development Studies in the School of Humanities and
Social Sciences, visited Chipapa Irrigation Scheme for their practical work. After discussing the
problem of the dam with the community, they approached the Christian Council of Zambia
(CCZ) on behalf of the community for help. The CCZdonated about 200 pockets of cement for
repairing of the canal. In 1995, the farmers resumed full production of their crops. They grew
tomatoes, rape and cabbages for sell. 22 This improved the social and economic wellbeing of the

19
MACO, Strategic Plan on Irrigation Development, Draft, 2000, p. 8.
20
S. Johns, “Para-Statal Bodies in Zambia, Problems and Prospects”, in Simonis, H. and U. (eds.), Socioeconomic
Development in Dual Economies: the example of Zambia, (Munchen: Wertforum Verlag, 1971), 220-221.
21
Peggy Muyangana Chilembo, ‘Gender and Food Security in an Irrigation Scheme: Case Study of Chipapa
Households, Kafue District’, MA Dissertation, University of Bergen, (2004), p. 23.
22
Chilembo, ‘Gender and Food Security in an Irrigation Scheme: Case Study of Chipapa Households, Kafue
District’, p. 25.

58
people who were not in formal employment. This also contributed to the increase in population
of both men and women who were employed in these nearby farms.

Between 1998 and 1999, the Rural Investment Fund (RIF) helped Chipapa farmers with
rehabilitation of the irrigation dam. There were about 80 to 100 members who cultivated gardens
of which 75 percent were women. 23 The coming of RIF to rehabilitate the canal coincided with
the WIN Project.

WIN was an interregional project that was funded by the United Nations Fund for International
Partnership (UNFIP).24 It was closely linked to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
This was a Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) and its follow-up programmes. WIN
sought to expand the impact of SPFS and the sustainability of irrigation and water resources
development through linkages with government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) in the fields of women empowerment in small scale irrigation and improved household
food security, nutrition and health. 25 There were a number of NGOs in Kafue apart from WIN.
These included Riverside26 and PAM (Programme Against Malnutrition) which operated in
Chipapa area. PAM was established to respond to the urgent need to combat the droughts of the
early 1990s in Zambia. It was established in 1993 as an umbrella of NGOs to be the co-
ordinating agent for food relief distribution at the national level. 27

People in the local communities joined what they called women’s clubs. Although they were
referred to as women’s clubs, membership was not restricted to women. Men were actually
members, though they were few. PAM worked with a number of these women clubs like Lima,
Tiyeseko and Kaliangile. These grew seeds for sell to other local farmers. They were also
involved in crop diversification, a programme which aimed at promoting food security in case of
droughts. Farmers were given packs which comprised diversified inputs like fertilizer,
agricultural lime and seeds. Crop diversification also promoted income generation, hence

23
L. Ndulu, S. M. Bakker, Empowerment of Women in Irrigation and Water Resource Management for Improved
Household Fk2ood Security, Nutrition and Health (WIN), FAO, p. 4.
24
L. Ndulu, Participatory Constraints Analysis Follow-up, FAO, Lusaka, 2000, p. 1.
25
L. Ndulu, Participatory Constraints Analysis Follow-up, FAO, Lusaka, 2000, p. 1.
26
Riverside was a non-governmental organization that was funded by the USAID. It used to give relief food as an
agent for the WFP and it also gave training to farmers in conservation farming.
27
G. P. Banda et al, An Assessment of the 1995/6 Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) Drought Food Relief,
World Bank Social Recovery Project, Lusaka, 1997, p. 24.

59
farmers grew food crops like maize, groundnuts and cash crops like cowpeas. Farmers were also
given what were called soft loans which they paid back either in cash or in kind at the ruling
wholesale prices.28 This helped people in local communities to improve in their agricultural
activities.

In Zambia, WIN operated in three districts in three different provinces. The selected sites
included Chipapa and Funzwe in Kafue District, Lusaka Province. Implementation of WIN
began in 2000. The Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives facilitated the implementation of
WIN in Zambia. Before the implementation of WIN in Kafue, the activities at the irrigation
scheme had stopped. The farmers resumed their activities when WIN started its operations there.
The farmers were encouraged to grow more high value crops so that they could make a lot of
profit. Some of the crops they were encouraged to grow were peas, green beans, garlic and
onions. 29

Thus, the production of cash crops impacted positively on the people’s diets because they were
able to purchase extra food after selling their crops. This contributed to an improved diet for the
farmers and their families, hence improving their health in general. Other than an improved
household food security and a better diet, the farmers had other social benefits which included
purchasing of some assets and sending their children to school.

Apart from the creation of direct jobs by industries and other economic sectors, indirect
employment was also created by agricultural activities. Large scale farming contributed to new
sources of income-generating activities. It must be understood that apart from the establishment
of industries agriculture also fostered employment. President Kaunda introduced the formation
of co-operatives throughout the country in 1965. Co-operatives were formed by ten or more
people in different parts of the country. 30 It was during the period between 1965 and 1968 that
the people of Kafue formed two co-operatives following a strong appeal made by Vice-President,
Mr. Simon Kapwepwe. The two co-operatives were based in the township and Railway

28
Chilembo, ‘Gender and Food Security in an Irrigation Scheme: Case Study of Chipapa Households, Kafue
District, p.105.
29
Chilembo, ‘Gender and Food Security in an Irrigation Scheme: Case Study of Chipapa Households, Kafue
District’, p. 39.
30
The Northern News, Monday, 18th January, 1965.

60
compound. The former was known as Kwacha poultry co-operative and it had ten women
members while the latter according to Zambia Mail was not named then, had twelve members.31

3.9 Fish Farming Sector

Fish production was important to the national economy and contributed significantly to
employment, income and food production. There were people who worked full-time on fish
farms and government institutions such as the fisheries department and the Kasaka Fisheries
Training Institute in Kafue. The Institute was located 8 kilometres south of Kafue town and 1.5
kilometres off Kafue-Chirundu/Livingstone Road, along the banks of the Kafue River. It was
officially opened on 11th May 1981. The Institute was established to train the needed personnel
in various fishery disciplines. It offered a two-year certificate course in fisheries and aquaculture
for technicians who were expected to be in regular contact with fish farmers. Fish farming in
Zambia dates back to the 1950s when the first attempts were made to raise indigenous species in
earthen fish ponds and dams like Chilanga fish farms. 32 Fish farming sector provided
employment opportunities, income and food for the growing population of Kafue and the
surrounding communities.

Apart from fish farming, fishing from the Kafue River was another significant part of the local
economy with greater relative importance given to the other economic sectors in Kafue town. A
number of people who were not in formal employment earned their living by fishing and fish
trading at Chanyanya local harbour and also Kafue town. The harbour situated on the banks of
the Kafue River, provided a strategic point of contact for fish traders. Traders came from Lusaka
and Kafue town and therefore a good market was always assured.33 Some women got married to
fishermen. For example, the song by Pongozi stated that a man followed his wife to Kafue River
and was surprised to find her crying. When asked why she was crying, she replied that she had
lost her fish, yet it was her boyfriend.

However, people who survived by fishing and selling fish were affected during fish bans. The
government often imposed a ban on fishing from 1st December to 28/29th February every year.

31
NAZ, Zambia Mail, 20th August, 1968, p. 2.
32
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, https://www.fao.org. Accessed on Sunday, 12th
September, 2021.
33
Apex Mwanza, From Chongwe to Kafue: A Historical Study of the Resettlement of the Soli Wa Malundu, 1974-
1991, 2014, University of Zambia. Research Paper, p. 24.

61
This practice has continued up to date. This is important to preserve and allow fish to
reproduce.34 The impact of fish ban by the government was measured in terms of general welfare
and the ability to pay school fees in those households that depended on fishing and fish trading. 35
Nevertheless, it is important to note that if fish bans were waived, the consequences would be
worse than the annual economic challenges the people experienced during the breeding season.

3.10 Curio and Handcraft Trading

Some people earned their living by making and selling different curio products curved from
wood. The people who were mainly involved in the curio and handcraft industry were from
Western Province. Kafue has several curio based business activities which used various types of
wood species. For the town of Kafue, the sector provided income for the population that was in
informal employment. People made and sold curios and reed mats. They sold their products to
travellers and local people along the main Kafue-Lusaka Road in Kafue town. The business for
curio products boomed when Kafue town economically flourished with the setting up of
industries. 36

In the 1980s during the peak of industrial activities in Kafue, expatriates who came to work in
industries such as Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Nkwazi, Zambia
Concrete and Bata Tannery bought curio products which they took to their countries as souvenirs
or gifts to their families. Other people bought curio products and reed mats in bulk for sale to
other towns or for export to other countries. The local people also bought curio products and
mats from curio traders. The sector empowered some communities that depended on the sale of
various handcrafts and curio products for their income and livelihood. Apart from contributing to
the local economy of the town, the curio and handcraft industry helped in promoting the cultural
identity and diversity of the people of Kafue and the surrounding communities. It also promoted
the tourism sector for both the town and the country at large. 37 However, after the 1990s things

34
NAZ, Times of Zambia, Thursday, 1st October, 1998, p. 2.
35
Interview with Nelly Moyo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26 th March, 2021.
36
Interview with Nyendwa, Former employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Kafue, Lusaka, Monday, 5 th April,
2021.
37
Mubanga Lumpa, Kafue Times. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Wednesday, 28th July, 2021.

62
started to change following the collapse of most important industries that provided income and
employment to the local population. 38

3.11 Other Income Generating Activities

As stated earlier, the majority of the town’s population earned their livelihood from informal
economic activities, which predominantly consisted of unregistered and unregulated small-scale
non-agricultural economic activities which ranged from metal fabrication, wood processing,
furniture making, charcoal burning, selling (river) sand for building, collecting wild foods like
fruits, mushrooms, honey and edible roots for sell. Some residents of Kafue, were, however, not
generally dependent on a single livelihood activity. They engaged in a variety of livelihood
activities, which changed according to seasons and overall economic conditions and individual
circumstances. 39

Of the economic activities, charcoal burning and selling was commonly practised because a
sizeable population in Kafue used either charcoal or firewood as a source of energy. Charcoal
producers were mainly men. They carried bags of charcoal on their bicycles and sold them either
by going from house to house ringing their bells to attract the attention of customers or at open
market places like Kalukungu in Zambia compound. Sometimes local charcoal producers and
their agents sold charcoal to traders from Lusaka. Charcoal burning and selling was another
important source of income for the people of Kafue. 40

Kafue town accommodated carpentry and tailoring activities. St. Ambrose Trade Centre was a
Catholic non-profit making training institution established in 1996 in Kafue. The main objective
of the training centre was to train local people in life long skills. The centre had different sections
like tailoring and carpentry. A carpentry and metal fabricators workshop was created for two
main reasons; to create a fund raising activity for self-sufficiency and to give job opportunities to
graduated students. St. Ambrose sold its products to local people as well as to clients outside
Kafue. Apart from empowering carpenters, some people acquired tailoring skills and were

38
Lumpa, Kafue Times. https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Wednesday, 2021.
39
Interview with Richard Sinyama, Chawama, Kafue, Tuesday, 6 th April, 2021.
40
Interview with Sinyama, Chawama, Kafue, Tuesday, 6 th April, 2021.

63
empowered with ordinary sewing machines. A number of people were involved in furniture
making and selling. 41

There were two places where animals were slaughters in Kafue, Turn Pike and Mwanamainda.
Both at Turn Pike and Mwanamainda, people slaughtered animals and sold meat to people who
owned butcheries and mostly came from Lusaka. Between 1980 and 1990, people came from
villages in Naluama and Mweenda chiefdoms to slaughter animals. Council and verterinary
officers inspected the meat before it was sold to customers. Mwanamainda is no longer
operational, but Turn Pike is still operational. Currently, people buy meat from Turn Pike mostly
for home consumption. Other businesses conducted at Turn Pike included selling fish and
bananas. 42

Some people earned their living by digging and selling sand to the construction sector. River
Sand was dug in Kafue west in Chanyanya area and at Mwanamainda near Turn Pike. It was
either sold to local people or it was packed in big trucks and sold to people within or outside
Kafue. People like Kufwakwame and others who resided in Chawama compound in Kafue, were
involved in the transportation business of sand. Digging and selling sand was an important
activity because it was a source of income for the local people who were not in formal
employment. At the same time, sand was an important material in the construction sector.43

Other people especially women collected wild foods like caterpillars, masuku, ntumbulwa and
ngayi for sell. During the rainy season, mushrooms and other edible roots were also collected for
sell. The wild foods were either sold in local markets or taken to markets in Lusaka like Soweto
and City market. The livelihoods of the people of Kafue were thus dynamic. 44

The increasing income generating activities were pull factors in the establishment of financial
institutions in Kafue. ZANACO and Barclays Bank were the financial institutions that were
opened in Kafue in the post- independence period. Between the two banks, ZANACO was the
first one to be established in the area. The growing population and enterprises saved their money
with the banking facilities.

41
Interview with Precious Siyowi, Chimwemwe, Kafue, 19th November, Friday, 2021.
42
Interview with Gilbert Mweete, Naluama, Chikankanta, Friday, 17th March, 2023.
43
Interview with Nelly Moyo, Chawama, Kafue, Friday, 26 th March, 2021.
44
Interview with Loveness Nq’uni, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Thursday, 5 th August, 2021.

64
3.12 Recreation Clubs
Companies provided recreational clubs for employees with many sporting and entertainment
activities. There were different clubs such as NCZ Lakers Basketball Team, Nitrogen Stars
Football Club, KTZ Football Club, Zambia Concrete Football Club, Chess Team and Kafue
United Club which was sponsored by Kafue Township Council. Authorities established stadia.
Matanda was located in town and Khosa in Kafue Estate. There was also a football pitch in
Chawama compound. There were some football, basketball and netball teams that were formed.
In addition, there was also a traditional game called Nsolo which was mainly played by old men
near Nangongwe compound. Players of this game could even bid money. Some of the clubs are
shown below. 45

Figure 3.2: Nitrogen Stars Coach and Player

Source INDECO Magazine for NCZ Image vol. 3, October-December 1991 No. 2, p.25.

45
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue Estate, Kafue,
Thursday, 6th May, 2021.

65
Figure 3.3: Basketball game at Khosa Stadium

Source IDECO Magazine for NCZ Image vol. 3, October-December

1991 No. 2, p.25.

Figure 3.4: Football game at Khosa Stadium

Source IDECO Magazine for NCZ Image vol. 3, October-December

1991 No. 2, p.26.
Apart from sponsoring sporting programmes, Kafue Textiles of Zambia supported other social
activities like fashion shows. In 1972, the club participated in a national dress competition finals

66
at Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka. This was organized by Kafue Textiles Limited and the Lions
Club. 46

3.13 Industries and the Environment

Besides the positive social and economic benefits accrued from the industries as discussed earlier
in this chapter, the industrial activities in Kafue had a negative impact on the environment.
Industrialisation, urbanisation and population increase had serious negative consequences on the
environment. One consequence caused by industrialisation was the growth of shanty compounds.
Thus, both industries and population exerted tremendous pressure on the environment. In this
study, the term environment constituted both the living and non-living things. Living things
comprised human beings, animals and plants while non-living things included soil, air and water.

Kafue town was affected by environmental pollution due to the nature of chemical processes and
operations involved in some industries like Nitrogen Chemicals, Kafue Textiles, Bata Tannery
and Lee-Yeast. Manufacturing industries caused pollution from their waste or effluent gases,
liquids, dust and solids. For this reason, a number of pieces of legislation were introduced in
order to protect the environment. For instance, the earliest form of legislation to be enacted was
the Factories Act of 1967. The Act regulated the conditions of service in industries and
emphasised occupational safety and health of workers. 47

Most government reports by the Department of Labour showed that between 1964 and 1975,
there was government emphasis was on factory inspection. 48 According to the Ministry of
Labour and Social Services Annual Report of 1971, emphasis by the factory inspectorate section
was on the promotion of safe working conditions so as to prevent accidents and pollutants that
could have been harmful to life.49 During the period 1972 to 1982, which was also referred to as
the decade of environmental protection, the government organised a four day conference on
environmental issues in Central and East Africa. 50 The focus of the conference was on

46
NAZ, Times of Zambia, Thursday, 5th October, 1972, p. 2.
47
GRZ, Gazette Acts: Index to Supplement containing Acts for the year 1968. Gazette Vol. IV, Acts 1968, Factories
Act, Lusaka: Government Printers, 1969.
48
Compilation from GRZ, Ministry of Labour and Social Services, Annual Reports for the Department of Labour,
1965-1975.
49
GRZ, Ministry of Labour and Social Services, Annual Reports for the Department of Labour, 1971, p. 34.
50
NAZ, MH 1/13/24, Environmental Health Policy, ‘Pollution and the Environment’, 1973.

67
environment and community, environment and agricultural development and environment and
industrialisation. Therefore, the 1980s saw remarkable realisation for environmental protection.

Before the government enacted the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act in 1990,
each industry conducted internal monitoring and controlled pollution in respective areas of
activity. 51 The Act incorporated the protection, control of pollution and monitored activities
which affected the environment.

In 1992, the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), now Zambia Environmental Management
Agency (ZEMA) was established. 52 The main task of the Council was to assess and monitor
emissions from manufacturing industries. Among industries which were monitored for
compliance of pollution control in Kafue were; Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue Textiles,
Bata Tannery, Kafue Breweries and Lee-Yeast.

Gases and dust from industries were released from chimneys or stacks at appropriate heights.
This enabled easy diffusion of gases into atmospheric air, thereby reduced their concentration
and became less harmful to living things. At NCZ, dust which was scrubbed from air or gases
was carried in equipment called scrubbers. Water was the scrubbing medium which facilitated
careful discharge and safe disposal. Waste liquid was channeled to a balance tank where it was
examined for acidity or alkalinity or other chemical pollutants. Appropriate measures were taken
before disposing the collected liquid or other waste into natural water way, the Kafue River.53
Kafue Textiles dumped its chemical waste from dyeing cotton into the Kafue River. Bata
Tannery also released chromium waste into the Kafue River. 54

However, different conclusions have been made regarding pollution levels in the Kafue River.
For example, Moyo, O’Keefe and Sills stated that the level of industrial pollutants in the Kafue
River was within acceptable international standards55 while the Sunday Times of Zambia of 2nd
May, 1993, concluded that there was a high level of pollution in the Kafue River as a result of
dumping of industrial waste and that there was no proper treatment of toxicity. This might have

51
GRZ, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management Annual Report, 1994, (Lusaka: Government
Printers, 1995), p. 28.
52
GRZ, Environmental Protection and Pollution Control, No. 12, (1990).
53
Chishimba, Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Training Centre, 2018.
54
P. Chipungu and D. Kunda (eds.), State of Environment in Zambia, (Plintech Ltd, Lusaka, 1994), p. 33-34.
55
S. Moyo, P. O’keefe and M. Sills, The Southern African Environment, (Earthscan, London, 1993), p. 282-283.

68
endangered human and animal life through contamination of water and food. Further, Chipungu
and Kunda argued that industrial waste made the river inaccessible to navigation due to water
weeds. This could be attributed to the high concentrations of nitrates and phosphates from
Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia. 56 Apart from making the river inaccessible, water weeds have
affected the fishing industry in Kafue. People no long catch fish from Kafue River, but from fish
ponds.57

Each industry had a specific area designated for land filling where all solid waste or effluents
were disposed of. The Environmental Council of Zambia established standards and regulations
for the disposal or discharge of waste.

After some years, the soil gradually began to lose its natural nutrients because of chemical
pollutants. Areas like Chilumba were affected by acid or alkaline content. This could be tasted
for instance, in sugar canes which were grown in Chilumba. 58

3.14 Conclusion
This chapter has discussed both the positive and negative impact of industries on the
development and growth of Kafue town between 1965 and the 2005. On the positive part, the
manufacturing sector supported other sectors which played a role in the social and economic
growth of Kafue town. It has been argued that industrial development and the consequent
provision of infrastructure in the town of Kafue had both direct and indirect social and economic
impact through job creation and population growth. The chapter further demonstrated that
industries and development of different infrastructure were the key factors in the growth of the
town. It was largely on account of the emergence of industries and provision of requisite social
infrastructure that spurred people from different parts of the country into Kafue town in search of
employment thus making it one of the most economically promising and socially diverse small
town in the post-independence period.

The chapter also assessed the role local government and INDECO played in fostering the social
and economic growth of Kafue town. This was evidenced from the increase in population due to

56
Chipungu and Kunda (eds.), State of Environment in Zambia, p. 31.
57
Interview with Harison Chikoko, former fisherman, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Friday, 17 th February, 2023.
58
Interview with Louis Cheelo, former Kafue Textiles of Zambia employee, Nega-Nega, Mazabuka, Friday, 18th
June, 2021.

69
permanent labour force/labour stabilization. The government’s policy of Zambianisation
contributed to labour stabilization and settled communities. The improvements in the provision
of social services such as provision of housing units, health care services and education facilities
were significant factors of the impact of industries on the growth of the town.

Further, the chapter discussed how industries led to the development of other economic sectors
such as construction, agriculture and fisheries among others which provided employment to the
people of Kafue and the surrounding communities. The expansion of enterprises contributed to
the formation of co-operatives which absorbed the jobless in Kafue. As the economy and
economic opportunities grew, the town also grew bigger.

Moreover, the chapter in the second part assessed the negative impact of the industrial activities
on the environment. Manufacturing industries caused pollution from their waste. The chapter
also highlighted some measures that were introduced to improve safety and health of the workers
and the surrounding community. The Environmental Council of Zambia was established in 1992
to assess and monitor industries for environmental pollution. The council established standards
and regulations for the disposal of waste.

70
 CHAPTER FOUR

THE COLLAPSE OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR AND ITS SOCIO-

ECONOMIC IMPACT ON KAFUE TOWN

4.1 Introduction

This chapter examines factors which led to the collapse of industries in Kafue town. Before the
liberalisation of the economy, privatisation and liquidation of industries in the 1990s, Zambia
had a number of state owned industries which accounted for over 80% of the economy. These
included industries which emerged in Kafue during the post-independence period. Between the
1970s and 1980s, manufacturing industries played an increasing role in supporting the country’s
economy, as the contribution of the mining industry continued to fall. During this period, the
UNIP government pursued a policy of import substitution in industrialisation. The Zambian
economy experienced growth between 1965 and 1970. In the mid-1970s, the rise in the oil price
and the subsequent collapse of the price of copper on the international market hit Zambia with
full intensity. The decline in the economy after the fall in the copper price was reflected in the
performance of the manufacturing sector. The government reduced expenditure in the
manufacturing and agriculture industries. There was no expansion of jobs in the formal sector
during the 1980-1990 period. This brought untold hardships because a lot of people lost
employment due to balance of payment problems and external debts which the country accrued.

The period following the change of government from UNIP to the Movement for Multi-Party
Democracy (MMD) in 1991 saw a rapid decline in the contribution of manufacturing industries,
as government support to industries was withdrawn due to the economic crisis. The employment
situation deteriorated as a result of the town’s shrinking industrial base. Some of these industries
or companies were either privatised or were in a state of disrepair to operate at full capacity. This
led to a serious decline in the entire Zambian economy, plant closures, loss of purchasing power
and limited new investments. This affected Kafue just as it affected the entire country and its
economy.

4.2 Performance of Industries before Liberalisation and Privatisation

One strategy that the Zambian government used to promote development in the country and
improve the living conditions of citizens, was to establish enterprises or industries. At

71
independence, in 1964, Zambia inherited fourteen state owned enterprises which accounted for
only 14% of the country’s economy. The rest were in the hands of foreigners. 1 Hence, when
Zambia experienced an economic boom and growth between 1965 and 1968, the economic
benefits and profits accrued to the foreign owned enterprises were not reinvested in the
development of the country.2 Therefore, Zambia like other developing countries, undertook rapid
industrialisation and nationalisation in Kafue and other parts of the country during the post-
independence period. Between 1968 and 1974, Kafue town experienced economic growth and
vibrancy because industries performed well. Industries transformed the town from an area which
was merely a bush to a dynamic urban and industrial region. The town had a strong
manufacturing base which fueled its rapid economic growth. By 1991, the country had 288 3 state
owned enterprises countrywide which accounted for 80% share of economic activities. 4

The establishment of industries or enterprises as these terms will be used collectively in this
chapter, did not only help to diversify the economy in Kafue, but also enhanced development of
other sectors like transport, construction, education and health which contributed to job creation
as already indicated in chapter three. Most of the diversification was as a result of the
establishment of Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue Textiles of Zambia and Kafue Tannery.
Manufacturing was the leading sector of the economy in Kafue.

Industries in Kafue helped in the development of key infrastructure which contributed to

economic growth and development of the town. In addition, industries helped the country to
generate revenue for the government through the payment of taxes. 5 For this reason, industries
needed to perform if they were to contribute to economic growth and development of the
country. While many factors could be cited as having contributed towards the level of
performance of industries, ownership attracted a lot of attention. Previously, industries or
enterprises were perceived to perform well when owned by government. However, from the

1
C. M. Fundanga and A. Mwaba, Privatisation of Public Enterprises in Zambia: An Evaluation of the Policies,
Procedures and Experiences. Economic Research Papers No. 35, (Virginia: African Development Bank, 1997), p. 5.
2
J. McGrath and A. Whiteside, Industry, Investment Incentives and the Foreign Exchange Crisis: Zambia-A Case
Study, (Natal: James Curry Publishers, 1989), p. 169.
3
United Nations, An Investment Guide to Zambia: Opportunities and Conditions, (New York: United Nations,
2011), p. 9.
4
C. Madimutsa and L. G. Pretorius, Revising Trade Unions’ Response to New Public Management: A Case from
Zambia. Public Personnel Management, 46, No. 3, 2017, pp. 288-307.
5
M. P. Todaro and S. C. Smith, Economic Development 12th Ed, (New Delhi: Pearson Education Ltd, 2015).

72
1980s onward, the dominant view was that the improvement in performance of enterprises was
best achieved through private ownership. This therefore, resulted in a number of enterprises
being privatised in different countries across the globe.

Before, INDECO initiated a number of major projects which utilised both state and private
capital. The world economic crisis of the 1970s emerged in the leading capitalist economies and
diffused across the rest of the globe. 6 The crisis was transmitted to Zambia, and Kafue in
particular, primarily through two channels; the copper industry and rising levels of world
inflation. First, the deterioration of the terms of trade as a result of the fall in copper prices and
the rise in oil prices made it difficult for the state to generate enough resources to sustain state
owned industries. As demand for raw materials in the industrial countries declined and the
speculative pressure on commodity prices subsided, sharp and lasting declines in the price of
copper were experienced. 7 On the other hand, the cost of imports on which Zambia was highly
dependent for the supply of essential goods, rose. The combined effects of falling export
revenues and rising import costs, had a strong negative impact on Zambia’s terms of trade.

The Zambian government undertook a number of initiatives to improve the performance of

industries in the late 1980s. However, between 1986 and 1990, the budget deficit increased from
five to twelve percent. During this period, the National Assembly passed legislation which
allowed the President to turn over any state enterprise to self-management.8 The performance of
the industrial sector did not keep pace with the performance of the overall economy. To address
the poor performance of state owned enterprises (SOEs), the government reorganised them in
one way or the other. For example, as already stated earlier, towards the end of 1982, control of
prices for the products and services of state owned enterprises were removed and in 1988, the
SOEs were required to adopt privatisation.9 A move towards adoption of the privatisation
programme occurred in the context of the renewed agreement reached between the Zambian

6
P. Armstrong, A. Glyn and J. Harrison, Capitalism Since 1945, (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1991), p. 207-262.
7
K. Takeuchi, et al, The World Copper Industry: Its Changing Structure and Future Prospects, Washington D. C.:
World Bank, World Bank Staff Commodity Working Papers, No. 15, 1987.
8
D. Mudenda, “Trade and Industrialisation Policies Experienced from Zambia”, Trade and Industrial Policy
Strategies, Industrial Policy Thematic Working Group, http://saipr.org:8080/epre/handle/123456789/204. Accessed
on Wednesday, 20th July, 2021.
9
C. M. Fundanga and A. Mwaba, Privatisation of Public Enterprise in Zambia: An Evaluation of the Policies,
Procedures and Experiences. Economic Research Papers No. 35, p. 7.

73
government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1989. 10 Despite all these reforming
efforts, there was no improvement in the performance of state owned enterprises. 11

4.3 Economic Performance of Industries between 1990 and 1992

To overcome the performance failures of state owned enterprises and their negative impact on
development, the Zambian government, borrowed huge sums of money from the IMF and the
World Bank, which it failed to pay back. 12 This brought about unnecessary debts for the country.
As one of the precondition for further funding, the Zambian government was commanded by the
IMF and the World Bank to privatise all state owned enterprises.13 However, the period
coincided with the coming into power of the MMD government on 31st October 1991, which put
the privatisation programme on a new footing. Change in the administration of the state saw a
reversal of socialist economic policies pursued by the UNIP government. The MMD government
pushed an economic reform agenda which was swift and far reaching. Privatisation and
liberalisation were seen as a viable option for state reform. Liberal economic policies were
implemented. However, the new economic policies did not help to increase formal employment
but fueled the rapid expansion of informal activities across the country due to the process of
privatisation.

4.4 Privatisation of State-Owned Enterprises in Kafue between 1980 and 2005

Privatisation was advocated by developed countries and embraced by developing countries as a

very important economic reform programme that could redress the economic challenges and
inefficiencies faced by the public sector the world over. Privatisation became so popular in the
early 1980s when advanced countries like the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands
started placing state owned enterprises into private hands by means of selling. This was based on
the belief that high levels of efficiency characterised the private sector than the public sector and

10
Republic of Zambia, The Current Financial and Economic Situation, Ministry of Financial and National
Commission for Development Planning, July 1990.
11
A. Chipwende, Privatisation in Zambia, in Kateera, J. (ed.), Privatisation: The Way Forward: Commercialisation,
Privatisation Techniques and Financing Options. Seminar Proceedings, (Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2001), pp.
33-37.
12
O. S. Saasa, Policy Reforms and Structural Adjustment in Zambia: The Case of Agriculture and Trade. Regional
Trade Agenda Series, Technical Paper No. 35, (Washington DC/Nairobi: AFR/SD and REDSO/ESA, 1996), p. 4.
13
Fundanga and Mwaba, Privatisation of Public Enterprise in Zambia: An Evaluation of the Policies, Procedures
and Experiences. Research Papers No. 35, 1997, p. 7.

74
that if correctly applied, it fostered private investments and freed public resources for investment
in infrastructure and social programmes. Developing countries embraced the notion of
privatisation because they saw it as one of the effective remedies that could neutralise serious
economic challenges.

Zambia was one of the developing countries that introduced policy reforms which emphasised
economic liberalisation and privatisation of state enterprises. To redress the deteriorated
situation, the Zambian government, under its restructuring and privatisation programmes, began
to initiate policies which aimed at correcting the worsening economic crisis. However, it must be
noted that as much as the Zambian government was keen to institute the privatisation programme
as a way of turning around the deteriorated economy at that time, the international financial
lending institutions and donors were the major force behind the government’s decision to carry
out the process in earnest.14 It was reported that when a consultative group of donors met and
pledged $450 million for financial aid to Zambia in April 1990, it pressed the government to
adopt privatisation as part of its approach to the state enterprises sector.15 Privatisation involved
the sale or transfer of productive asset ownership and control from the public to the private
sector.16

However, at the Fifth National Convention of UNIP held in April 1990, President Kaunda
rejected privatisation but the policy committees discussed it in a positive light and resolved that
no national interests were threatened by the opening up of any public enterprise to direct and
limited individual private citizen full or part ownership. 17 Thereafter, in May 1990, President
Kaunda announced a scheme by which the state would sell part of its capital in state enterprise to
the general public. 18

The government found support for the privatisation initiative within the National Assembly. 19 A
Special Parliamentary Select Committee which sat in July 1990, supported the direction of the

14
J. R. Graig, State Enterprise and Privatisation in Zambia 1968-1998, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Leeds (1999).
15
Economist Intelligence Unit Quarterly Country Reports on Zambia, (EIU), (London: 1990), p. 14.
16
Fundanga and Mwaba, Privatisation of Public Enterprise in Zambia: An Evaluation of Policies, Procedures and
Experiences, African Development Bank Economic Research Paper No. 35, 1997.
17
E. Kaunga, “Privatisation in Zambia”, in Ramanadham, V. V. (ed.), Privatisation a Global Perspectives, (London:
Routlegde, 1993), pp. 382-383.
18
NAZ, Times of Zambia, 29th May, 1990.
19
NAZ, Times of Zambia, 26th January, 1991.

75
government policy. It recommended the method of selling shares in parastatal companies to
members of the public and emphasised measures for improving the performance of the state
enterprise sector.20

Although the programme of privatisation was designed and implemented under the MMD
government after 1991, it was adopted by the UNIP government in 1990. Immediately after
assuming office, President Frederick T. J. Chiluba made it clear that all government companies
would be sold. The MMD government adopted a Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP)
agreed to with the IMF and World Bank. This was a set of IMF/World Bank sponsored policies
which were mainly implemented in Third World Countries as a supposed antidote to economic
crisis in the 1990s. 21 The adoption of SAP had a number of consequences for the Zambian
economy as a whole, and on the state enterprise sector in particular. It led to the collapse of the
manufacturing sector. The economic situation in Zambia and in Kafue to be specific, began to
deteriorate. Formal sector employment declined in Kafue and other parts of the country. This
structural adjustment agreement was essentially the same as the 1989 Policy Framework Paper
that the UNIP government had agreed to with the donor community.

In December 1991, President Chiluba declared in a statement that there was no sacred lamb as
far as the privatisation programme was concerned. This meant that the government was
committed to total privatisation of the parastatal sector or state-owned enterprises. 22 This resulted
in serious commitment to privatisation. The issue of subsidies was addressed as they were a drain
on the government budget. Subsidies were eliminated and this was a critical control to reducing
the budget deficit.23

The Zambian government began privatising state owned enterprises in 1992. To guide the
privatisation process, the government began with the enactment of the Privatisation Act No. 21.
The Act established the Zambia Privatisation Agency with a Board tasked with the responsibility
of carrying out the privatisation programme. The Agency undertook the responsibility of

20
National Assembly, The Report of the Special Parliamentary Committee appointed on Monday 9th July 1990, p. 3.
21
P. Jere-Mwiindilila, The Effects of Structural Adjustment on Women in Zambia, Vol. 44, No. 2 June, 1994, Faith
Economics and Africa. www.warc.ch/pc/. Date accessed 29th June, 2021.
22
T. Gardner, The Present Economic Situation in Zambia and the Role of Privatisation in Improving its Economy,
(UNCTAD, 1993), p. 47.
23
V. Seshamani, “The Macro Development Context of Macroeconomic Policy in Zambia”, Lusaka: Department of
Economics, University of Zambia, 1996.

76
privatising a targeted 280 companies between 1992 and 2006. 24 Although the Zambia
Privatisation Agency was empowered to privatise companies during the privatisation process,
many state owned companies in Kafue were not handled by it (the agency). In many cases,
liquidation happened due to the financial collapse of enterprises. In other cases, the Zambia
Privatisation Agency sought to maintain technically insolvent enterprises so as to secure their
sale to new owners who were capable of recapitalising them.

At the time of privatisation, most state owned enterprises not only in Kafue but in other parts of
the country, experienced huge losses due to the collapse of the price of copper and the rise in the
oil price. This situation had become so unsustainable for the country that quick measures had to
be taken to arrest the problem. The privatisation programme was believed to be the ultimate
passage to revamping the country’s economy. 25

The rate at which enterprises were privatised increased substantially from 1995. It was hoped
that the promotion of a private sector-driven economy would lead to an increase in investment,
job creation and poverty reduction. It was during this same period that some industries were
privatised in Kafue. Nkwazi Manufacturing Company was among the ten small enterprises
which were identified to be divested. Since the company was a contributor to formal
employment and economy of Kafue, divesting it was bound to affect the social and economic
status of the town. The company’s losses before tax at the end of the 1995 financial year were
K156 million. In August 1995, production ceased and most of the remaining 133 strong
workforce out of the initial 181, were placed on forced unpaid leave. The Zambia Privatisation
Agency kept the company going until it was sold in 1995. The ZPA had to manage the
redundancy of employees. The redundancy was done in recognition of the company’s potential
to turn it into a growing and profitable company that would have contributed efficiently to the
national economy. 26

Under the privatisation process, Nkwazi Manufacturing Company was first offered for sale to the
existing minority shareholders, which included Anglo American Corporation but this company

24
Republic of Zambia, The Privatisation Act: Chapter 386 of the Laws of Zambia, (Lusaka: Government Printer,
1996), p. 5.
25
Eddie Mushabati, Kafue Times, https://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Monday, 5th April, 2021.
26
ZPA, Progress Report No. 7, 1995. .

77
declined to buy it. An offer from the smallest existing shareholder, Patel, and a bid made by the
management buy-out team were both rejected by the Zambia Privatisation Agency. Mr. Patel
submitted a revised bid for K100 million which was accepted in December 1995. When the new
management took over, it endeavoured to turn the company around. The workforce was cut from
133 to 35 employees. 27

Kafue Textiles of Zambia was the largest producer of textiles in Zambia. However, the country’s
economic situation continued to affect the manufacturing industries in Kafue town. The financial
crisis at Kafue Textiles needed urgent government action to save the company from the
impending collapse. In the 1990s, according to Mr. Louis Cheelo, a former Kafue Textiles of
Zambia employee, workers would go two to three months without salaries.28

In 1993, KTZ workers went on strike, demanding wage increase. However, management
responded by firing them, citing the unsustainable financial burden posed by the strike. The case
was taken to the Industrial Relations Court which ruled in favour of the striking workers. This
made it one of the few legal strikes in the Zambian history. 29

Offers to buy the company were received from other existing minority shareholders who
included Maurer Textiles SA, the Commonwealth Development Corporation and Barclays
Pension Fund. The sale agreement was signed after negotiations in 1995 between Maurer
Textiles SA and the Zambia Privatisation Agency. However, before the sale was completed, the
buyers re-opened negotiations because of the deterioration in the financial position of the
company. By 31st December 1997, ZPA was still looking for potential investors.30

In 2003, ZPA undertook negotiations over KTZ with Pakistani Investors. However, the company
was not sold to these investors. In 2005, KTZ was sold to Indian investors, under the name
African Textiles. The company later closed due to operational costs. More than 700 workers lost
their jobs. This had huge negative social and economic consequences on Kafue town because

27
Privatisation in Zambia: What it means for the majority, A set of Facts Sheet. www.raid-uk.org. Accessed on
Friday, 25th June, 2021.
28
Interview with Louis Cheelo, Former employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia employee, Nega-Nega, Mazabuka,
18th January, 2022.k8
29
Interview with Cheelo, Former employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Nega-Nega, Mazabuka, Monday, 18th
January, 2022.
30
Mushabati, Kafue Times. http://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Monday, 5th April, 2021.

78
many residents who depended on the industry for a living lost their jobs and had reduced
income. 31 The Indian investors who bought the company stripped the machinery from KTZ to
their other textile industry in Tanzania.32 Thereafter, KTZ was abandoned.

Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia was advertised for sale in 1996. SASOL of South Africa won the
bid to take over the reign of Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia in 1998. The coming of SASOL on
the scene brought about a wave of excitement for the NCZ workforce. The expectation was that
they would be let loose from the yoke of perennial pennilessness they had suffered at the hands
of NCZ. Although extensive negotiation occurred with SASOL, it withdrew from the purchase.
The Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA) and Investment Centre started looking for other
potential investors for Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia. 33

Prior to the collapse of industries in Kafue, management of different companies provided social
infrastructure, basic housing and other services. With the epi-centre of economic activity
cracking apart, many industries in the town plunged into trouble. INDECO Estate Development
Company owned about 2,574 housing units. Most of the housing units were occupied by the
NCZ and KTZ employees. 34 INDECO Estate did not only own housing units, it also had other
infrastructure such as shops and offices which were rented out to the public. Therefore, when
industries faced economic challenges, INDECO was adversely affected.

In 1998, the government owed K4.7 billion salary arrears to NCZ employees. Another K1.5
billion was owed to NCZ by ordinary debtors.35 On 7th April 1998, NCZ employees, their wives
and children protested about unpaid salaries before the Minister for Lusaka Province, Sonny
Mulenga. The Minister appealed to ZESCO and the District Council not to disconnect electricity
and water respectively to homes of NCZ and KTZ employees. INDECO Estate which NCZ owed
K800 million in rentals was instructed not to evict employees from their houses. 36

31
Mushabati, Kafue Times. http://m.facebook.com. Accessed on Monday, 5th April, 2021.
32
Lusaka Times, 26th April 2011. http://www.lusakatimes.com. Accessed on Thursday, 2nd September, 2021.
33
Times of Zambia, Tuesday, 21st April, 1998, p. 1.
34
Times of Zambia, Thursday, 6th August, 1998, p. 9.
35
Times of Zambia, Thursday, 6th August, 1998, p. 9.
36
Times of Zambia, 8th April, 1998.

79
On 21st April 1998, the government released K500 million to pay three months salary arrears for
NCZ employees in Kafue. The minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Enoch Kavindele
confirmed the release of money in an interview:

I can confirm that the money was released. We are now exploring other avenues to find
an answer to the predicament of NCZ. The withdrawal of prospective buyers from South
Africa (SASOL) has put us in this predicament.37

Despite paying the employees, the plant remained shut due to the lack of raw materials and
financial resources. The government had to find a lasting solution to the NCZ saga and the
Investment Centre (IC) and Zambia Privatisation Agency scouted for prospective buyers. 38

In September 1998, barely four months after the government released K500 million to pay three
months salary arrears, more than 500 cash-strapped NCZ workers, who were on forced leave,
blocked the road near NCZ round-about in protest against delayed payments of retrenchment
dues. The workers and their families had earlier gathered at the NCZ plant. They wanted to be
addressed by the Lusaka Province Minister, Sonny Mulenga and the Commerce Minister, Enoch
Kavindele. They wanted to know what their future and that of their company were. When the
two government officials failed to show up, the workers who complained of hunger and abject
poverty, went into a rage tantrum. They first blocked the main NCZ entrance with stones before
proceeding to the main road.39

Backed by their spouses and children, the retrenched employees erected barricades by piling up
stones across the Kafue-Lusaka Road. Traffic from both northern and southern directions was
blocked for the better half of Thursday afternoon, 3rd September 1998. Some motorists had to go
through Kafue police camp to circumvent the stone-barricade across the main road. Police
cleared the stones after a peaceful dispersal of the mob. 40

There were two options left for NCZ; liquidation or re-capitalisation. The best was to re-
capitalise the company which would entail change of management as well. If it was liquidated,
that was to be the end of Nitrogen Chemicals in Kafue. Like Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Nitrogen

37
Times of Zambia, 21st April, 1998, p. 1.
38
Times of Zambia, 21st April, 1998, p. 1.
39
Times of Zambia, Friday, 4th September, 1998, p. 2.
40
Times of Zambia, 4th September, 1998, p. 2.

80
Chemicals was a staple industry to the people and economy of Kafue.41 Although NCZ was
advertised for sale in 1996, it was not sold.

The state owned enterprises that were not sold like Nitrogen Chemicals, survived on meagre
government subsidies. This resulted in reduction of capital injection in the industry which
reduced factory capacity utilisation. Some units in the NCZ industry ceased production in the
late 1990s.42 The government had to find a lasting solution to the liquidity problems several
state owned companies faced instead of waiting for their closures to serve as solution.

Zambia Concrete Company was sold on competitive tender of K125 million to Frase Fyfe and
Poseidon Construction in 1997. The employees were laid off either by forced redundancy or
voluntary redundancy. The company took the name INFRASET. This company is still in
operation.43

Although the majority of enterprises were listed for privatisation, there were a number of them
that were still under state ownership by the end of 1998. In most cases, this reflected strategic or
utility nature of the enterprises involved. For example, as the privatisation programme was on
going, the sale of some enterprises was expected to occur when the programme neared
completion. In some cases, however, the government withdrew some enterprises or industries
from the privatisation process or failed to progress with preparations for their sale. The
government retained ownership of key companies. 44 Among those industries which were offered
for sale, but still remained within the state sector were Kafue Textiles and Nitrogen Chemicals of
Zambia.45

4.5 Socio-economic Impact of Privatisation in Kafue

By 2005, a number of state owned companies were privatised. The government retained
ownership of few key enterprises in Kafue such as Nitrogen Chemicals. 46 The country was so
much in need of creating job opportunities through a revitalised industrial base. The privatisation
41
Times of Zambia, Thursday, 6th August, 1998, p. 9.
42
Interview with Chishimba, Human Resource Officer NCZ, Kafue Estate, Kafue, Thursday, 6 th May, 2021.
43
Interview with Beatrice Moonga, Nangongwe, Kafue, Thursday, 27th January, 2022.
44
Republic of Zambia, Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) Investment Plan for Zambia, (Lusaka:
Government Printer, 2018), p. 9.
45
Times of Zambia, 6th August, 1998. See also, Times of Zambia, 19th October, 1998.
46
Republic of Zambia, Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programmes (SREP) Investment Plan for Zambia, (Lusaka:
Government Printer, 2018), p. 9.

81
programme embarked upon by the government did not create the much needed jobs. Instead, jobs
were usually lost in the process of privatisation.47

The decline in employment in the formal sector displaced many employees into the informal
sector. Some former employees of privatised and/or liquidated companies were employed in
small enterprises while others became self-employed. For instance, the impact was particularly
pronounced in the textile industry which had collapsed. Before privatisation of industries, there
was an improvement in productivity because of low costs incurred through a significant use of
local raw materials. The textile sector required a number of raw materials especially cotton.
Cotton growing created informal employment. Cotton growing was dominated by LINTCO.
Therefore, its poor performance during the economic crisis period in the 1990s, affected a
number of people like Kafue Textiles employees who were retrenched and the workers at
LINTCO. After the privatisation of LINTCO, many other commercial farmers switched their
focus to other alternative crops like maize because cotton growing became unviable. A number
of industries that survived closures reduced their productivity and this resulted in loss of jobs. By
December 1993, about 850 employees lost their jobs in the textile industry alone. 48

Poverty levels rose in the town. This led to the decline in the standard of living. Those who
earned their livelihoods from formal employment and from agriculture-based activities suffered
from deficiencies in accessing basic amenities. This was because state owned companies played
a role of funding and providing social services such as health services, quality education and
infrastructure. The privatisation process affected the people of Kafue as they entirely depended
on a range of social services financed and delivered by the companies. The privatisation
programme worsened the poverty situation.49

There were no major construction projects that were carried out in Kafue between 1990 and
1995. Employment in sectors such as construction collapsed to less than one third of its 1990
level. The failure of industrialisation led to high incidents of unemployment. The development of

47
P. A. Mulenga, ‘I.L.O./FTF/ICFTU-AFRO/ZCTU Project on Trade Union Capacity Building Through Education:
Zambia Action Plan’, January 2001-December 2004, p. 24.
48
N. Simutanyi, “The Politics of Structural Adjustment in Zambia”, Third World Quarter, Vol. 17, No 4, (1996), pp.
825-839.
49
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, First Draft, 2000, p. 1. http://poverty.world.org. Accessed on Tuesday, 29th
June, 2021.

82
infrastructure was affected by the economic downfall that was experienced during this period. 50
Until 1996, job losses in the manufacturing sector were not compensated. However, as the
privatisation programme gained momentum between 1996 and 1997, formal sector employment
continued to decline. For instance, between 1991 and 1999, Zambia’s formal employment sector
dwindled from 400,000 to 150,000. President Chiluba blamed the IMF for the economic
problems the country faced. The president said that the reforms that the IMF asked Zambia to
undertake brought unemployment and a rise in poverty levels. 51

Although the programme of privatization was a signal to investors, the achievements were
overshadowed by lack of growth in the economy. It ought to be noted that even after the
privatisation programme, the Zambian economy was still not doing fine. Privatisation caused
decline in many economic sectors, a fall in exports and the lack of improvement in the standard
of living. 52 In addition, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, in a letter to his finance minister,
Ng’andu Magande, complained that Zambia remained one of the poorest countries in spite of
privatising over 80% of the State Owned Enterprises. 53

Moreover, a number of industries in Kafue collapsed and those that survived faced a number of
operational challenges. The continued declining of formal employment in the town of Kafue
mainly due to retrenchments, redundancies, closures and liquidations of companies caused
residents to be either unemployed or employed in the informal sector. The privatisation
programme did not create the much needed jobs. Instead, jobs were usually lost in the process of
privatisation.54

The negative impact of privatisation spilled over into the informal sector. Local businesses
collapsed and there was a significant rise in unemployment and poverty in Kafue town. The

50
V. Seshamani and E. Kaunga, ‘Adjustment, employment and labour market institutions: Zambia’ in W. Van der
Geest and R. Van der Hoeven, Adjustment, employment and missing institutions in Africa: the experience in Eastern
and Southern Africa, Geneva and Oxford: International Labour Office and James Currey, 1999.
51
The Post, 9th February, 2000.
52
D. K. Chiwele, ‘Investment for Poverty Reducing Employment: Industrial Investment in Zambia, Report to ILO,
2000, Geneva.
53
The Post, 6th December 2002.
54
P. A. Mulenga, ‘I.L.O./FTF/ICFTU-AFRO/ZCTU Project on Trade Union Capacity Building Through Education:
Zambia Action Plan’, January 2001-December 2004, p. 24.

83
peoples’ hardship was not confined to retrenched employees or former workers in industries but
to other communities as well.55

Furthermore, there was evidence which suggested that the manufacturing sector declined sharply
following the privatisation programme. For instance, some companies surveyed by Mulenga
indicated a more than 50% decrease in employment. The survey revealed that an overall of 5009
jobs were lost and only 156 new jobs were created three years after the process of privatisation.
This did not include redundancies in those firms that closed down following privatisation and
liquidation. Most of those who lost jobs were struggling to earn a living in the informal sector. 56
For instance, there were over eighty workers of Kafue Textiles of Zambia who were retrenched
in 1992. According to a letter dated 26th November 2018 which was addressed to the President
Edger Chagwa Lungu also copied to Kafue District Commissioner and Kafue Member of
Parliament, Miriam Chonya, signed by Ex Kafue Textiles of Zambia Workers’ Committee
Chairperson, Masuzyo Nyirenda on behalf of the former workers who were by then not paid their
retrenchment packages:

We were the first casualties of this action by way of retrenchment or redundancy as early
as 1992 to 1995. Our case had been in and out of the High Court in 2004 and referred to
Zambia Development Agency which was then known as Zambia Privatisation Agency for
settlement of the dispute under scheme of arrangement which has since failed to be
implemented yet other groups are being paid without prejudice…. 57

KTZ employees were the first ones to be retrenched in 1992 and wanted the President to help
them get their money which they worked for. Retrenched employees and their families went
through an intense period of social and economic struggle while waiting for their terminal
benefits. Some families lived on two meals a day and children who attended fee-paying private
schools dropped out because parents did not afford to pay the fees. 58 In addition, retrenched

55
Times of Zambia, Thursday, 6th August, 1998, p. 9.
56
S. B. Mulenga, ‘FDI and Technological Activities: A case Study of the Manufacturing Sector in Zambia’,
Research Report to African Technology Policy Studies Network, 2002.
57
Lusaka Times, 19th December 2018, https://www.lusakatimes.com. Accessed on Sunday, 5th December 2021.
58
Interview with Collins Nyendwa, former employee of Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Kasaka, Kafue, Monday, 5th
April, 2021.

84
workers experienced losses in earnings and benefits such as free transportation, health care and
other social services.

As there was no vibrant private sector that stepped into the vacuum left by the privatisation
process, the effects were de-industrialisation, unemployment and poverty. Unemployment was
characterised by inadequate access to a number of basic goods and services such as housing,
education, health care, water supply and sanitation which were necessary to meet people’s social
needs.59

In Kafue, privatisation and liquidation of companies and the ensuing major downsizing of the
workforce marked the start of unprecedented economic crisis. This had a drastic impact on the
local population as some people leased out their houses and left to seek employment elsewhere.
Retrenched and retired employees who remained in Kafue initiated an array of economic
activities to help themselves cope with the situation which included subsistence agriculture in
their backyards and on the outskirts of Kafue, for instance, in Mungu, Chanyanya, Chikupi and
Quarry area (Ngwenya) along the Kafue-Lusaka road. Agricultural activities contributed to
informal livelihoods to residents of Kafue. They found fields where they grew what they could to
help feed their families or provided produce which could be traded. They grew crops such as
maize, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and vegetables. Cultivation sometimes entailed walking long
distances and camping in the fields during busy farming seasons. Some people decided to settle
permanently in those areas and either sold or rented out their town property. The movement to
the rural outskirts or to the forest reserve areas, resulted in several land rights problems. The
biggest problem the residents faced, however, was that they had no legal tenure, their gardens or
fields were viewed as illegal by the Council. 60

The increase of poverty in the previously better-served town of Kafue was as a result of
collapsed industries. The collapsed industries changed their buying power and introduced into
their homes, a plague of hunger and poverty. The plague contagiously spread to other sectors of
the economy in Kafue. Kafue Estate, the main residential area, was greatly affected as many
children stopped going to school as a result of seething ‘financial drought’ their bread winners
wallowed in. For instance, some former KTZ and NCZ employees could plead with Dorothy
59
Interview with Precious Siyowi, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Friday, 19 th November, 2021.
60
Interview with Loveness Ng’uni, Chimwemwe, Kafue, Thursday, 5 th August, 2021.

85
Mwansa not to chase their children who were in the Academic Production Unit (APU) classes
when she was the coordinator in 2001. 61 Worse still, some children sunk to the depth of
scavenging for food crumbs in the bins and pits. Other children slowly turned into street kids. 62
People yielded to all strands of temptation to survive. Crime was a major concern and poverty
contributed to its increase.

The Global Counselling Centre was a Christian NGO in Kafue. It was charged with imparting
values and vocational skills in the youths. Duncan Simukonda, the organisation’s director,
observed that there was a frightening upswing in prostitution especially among young girls. A
few young men engaged in what might be described as anti-social activities which included
stealing and selling drugs. The Global Counselling Centre Organisation helped reduce the anti-
social activities among young people in 1998. 63

At the first-ever crime conference in Kafue organised by the police and business community in
1998 at River Motel, Kafue Member of Parliament then, Dr. Akbar Yusuf Badat said that the
economic stress caused a high crime wave in the area. Dr. Badat further said that poverty-related
crime like murder, burglary, aggravated robbery and assault had increased in the district. He
cited unemployment arising from the collapse of the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia, Kafue
Textiles of Zambia and other local industries in Kafue as major contributing factors to the high
crime rate.64

Dr. Badat told the people who attended the conference that despite expanding the police service
from 6,000 in 1994 to 12,000 police officers in 1998, only a meagre amount of money as
indicated in the yellow book, was released that year (1998) for police operations. Therefore, it
was resolved that stake-holders were to be involved in community policing through
neighbourhood watch groups. Kafue Police Chief Commanding Officer then Antonel Mutetwa,
told residents not to leave security matters exclusively to the police. Meanwhile, SUNTECH
managing director Lawrence Smulders who was also Kafue Neighbourhood Watch Association
Chairman, criticised Zamtel and ZESCO management for refusing to help in security matters

61
Interview with Dr. Dorothy Mwansa, Lecturer, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Thursday, 9th February, 2023.
62
NAZ, Times of Zambia, Thursday, 6th August, 1998, p. 9.
63
Times of Zambia, 6th August, 1998, p. 9.
64
Times of Zambia, Monday, 19th October, 1998, p. 3.

86
when both companies had vital installations which needed protection. The two companies were
even absent from the crime conference despite being invited. To support security matters, then
Makeni Neighbourhood Watch Association Chairman Dante Saunders, donated K100, 000 to the
security committee which earlier received K700, 000 worth of pledges. In order to fight crime in
areas beset with socio-economic woes, police posts were established in various residential areas.
These were Nangongwe which was located at Nangongwe Primary School (no longer
operational), Zambia compound (ZC) and Shikoswe police posts.65

4.6 Livelihoods and Welfare of Kafue Residents

Industries were important to the success of an economy as they created employment

opportunities, which in turn, enabled people to earn an income which helped to meet their basic
needs. Industries were therefore, the appropriate engine for social and economic growth of Kafue
town. For instance, the industrial sector was very critical to the Zambian economy not only in
terms of its capacity to contribute to the country’s export earning, but also in terms of
employment creation that the government desired to achieve in order to reduce poverty.

The Living Conditions Monitoring Surveys and Participatory Poverty Assessments undertaken,
for instance, in 1998, suggested that poverty was widespread in Zambia. Although poverty in
Kafue like elsewhere in the country, was due both to personal and societal factors, the lack of
access to wage employment in the formal sector seemed to be a major cause of poverty. Due to
the decline in the availability of formal wage employment in Kafue, many residents worked
mainly in the informal sector after the collapse of most industries.

Following the adoption of economic liberalisation and privatisation in the 1990s, informal
economic activities such as street side and front yard stores became more visible in Kafue. The
visibility was precipitated by the worsened economic conditions and the massive formal sector
job losses that accompanied privatisation. Women and young people were involved in trading at
markets within their settlements. Those people with practical skills such as carpentry and metal
fabrication, earned their living by making household items such as furniture for sale. Other

65
Times of Zambia, Monday, 19th October, 1998, p. 3.

87
people who were not in formal wage employment were engaged in informal work in the new
companies like the Universal Mining and Chemical Industries Limited (Kafue Steel). 66

4.7 Access to Housing Units

Before the privatisation of industries, the end of employment necessitated moving out of the
housing unit provided by the company and retiring to one’s home village, a rural resettlement
scheme or to some peri-urban area. However, the privatisation of state owned industries went
hand in hand with the privatisation of urban housing units. Therefore, when a large number of
employees were laid off in preparation for privatisation, most of the housing units which were
previously rented out at a subsidised amount in Kafue Estate, were sold to the sitting tenants at a
markedly reduced rate through a presidential directive of 1996.67

The sale of housing units to “sitting tenants” in Kafue in 1996/1997 did not only involve houses
in Kafue Estate, but also Zambia Railways and Nangongwe or Council housing units. The prices
of the housing units in Kafue depended on the location, type, size and other factors. According to
Charles Chishimba and Jessica Ngulube, both beneficiaries of housing units in Kafue Estate, said
that prices ranged between K3, 000 and K16, 000 unrebased.68 Beatrice Moonga Kayuni said
that the prices of housing units in Nangongwe ranged from K10 to K500.69 For Zambia
Railways housing units, prices ranged between k1 million and k30 million unrebased. The prices
for Zambia Railways housing units were approved by the board of Zambia Railways.70

Employees had the right to buy the houses as state owned enterprises were privatised and the
money was deducted from employees’ terminal benefits in retirement packages. A cash benefit
package for retrenched employees was, in most cases, paid for after a delay of three years. This
shift in policy had a huge impact on settlement in Kafue. A formal job with the manufacturing
industries in Kafue previously meant a guarantee of shelter of a reasonable standard. Some
people left Kafue to seek employment opportunities elsewhere and rented out their houses while

66
Interview with Chibale Sinyangwe, Kalundu View, Kafue, Sunday, 6 th June, 2021.
67
Interview with Jessica Ngulube, Kafue Estate, Kafue, Thursday, 20 th May, 2021.
68
Interview with Charles Chishimba, NCZ Human Resource Officer and Jessica Ngulube, 2021.
69
Interview with Beatrice Moonga Kayuni, Nangongwe, Kafue, Thursday, 27 th January, 2021.
70
Times of Zambia, Thursday, 4th August, 1998, p. 1.

88
others sold their houses like Mr. Moonga, a former KTZ employee, who bought another bigger
house in Kasengele and thereafter sold it and relocated to Kapiri Mposhi. 71

With the sale of houses during the privatisation process, retirees and those who were retrenched
opted to stay in their homes or if not, generated rental income from their homes. Many Kafue
residents gained houses as part of their retrenchment packages at the time of the worst social and
economic depression between 1997 and 2003. The houses and their yards became important
assets in sustaining their livelihoods.

In the early period of Zambia’s independence, local governments were empowered and well
resourced. However, in the early 1990s, housing rentals and other license fees that local
authorities were collecting before, were ended by the sale of council houses and centralisation of
collection of fees. In addition, the grants that councils were receiving from the Ministry of Local
Government and Housing, were withdrawn by the central government. Therefore, due to lack of
resources, Kafue District Council and all councils throughout the country were unable to carry
out a number of basic functions assigned to them which included sanitation, local road
maintenance and street lighting among others. Kafue District council was not only unable to
build and maintain the basic forms of infrastructure that made the town of Kafue business-
friendly, it was unable to maintain the existing infrastructure which were necessary for job
creation and economic development, for example, markets, libraries and roads. 72

As the social amenities in Kafue changed, so did residents’ recreation activities. Communities
which provided indirect services such as accommodation to workers (lodges and motels),
restaurants or/and food canteens and shops among others, went bankrupt because of lack of
economic activities. Existing community amenities in the town which included Matanda and
Khosa stadia, five play parks and council swimming pool were neglected and became
dilapidated. Grass sprouted in the cracked swimming pool. Lack of maintenance of infrastructure
was readily visible in pot-holed feeder and township roads that were once lit by street lights,
were vandalised. The community hall in Nangongwe compound was used for prayers by some

71
Interview with Patricia Moonga, wife to former KTZ worker Kapiri Mposhi, Sunday, 8 thAugust, 2021.
72
Interview with Sinyama, Kafue Council Worker Retiree, Chawama, Kafue, Tuesday, 6 th April, 2021.

89
community members. Garbage disposal service, however, continued though residents threw
garbage in undesignated places. 73 Kafue was deranged into a crippled town.

4.8 Conclusion

Before the liberalisation of the economy, privatisation and liquidation of industries in the 1990s,
Zambia had a number of state owned industries which accounted for over 80% of the economy.
These included industries which emerged in Kafue during the post-independence period. In
Kafue, the manufacturing industries played an important role in the social and economic growth
and development of the town between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Industries helped to
diversify the economy of the town and also helped in the development of other sectors which
contributed to job creation.

The liberalisation of the economy and privatisation of industries negatively contributed to the
downturn of the economy and down fall of Kafue town. When the government began the
privatisation process, most state owned industries in Kafue, experienced huge losses due to the
liberal economic policies. Since those industries were contributors to formal employment and
economy of the town, privatising them affected the social and economic status of the area.

Employment opportunities which were created by industries became stagnated after the
privatisation programme. Living in Kafue town became increasingly difficult because some
people lost employment. Private investment was expected to create more jobs for the local
people. However, according to a survey that was carried out after the process of privatisation, it
was revealed that only few jobs were created. In fact, it was evidenced that jobs were usually lost
during the process of privatisation.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the town of Kafue underwent a serious economic depression,
following the closure of operations of some big state owned companies like Kafue Textiles of
Zambia. The vision of transforming Kafue into an industrial hub of Zambia died. Kafue was then
considered likely to turn into a ‘ghost’ town after the privatisation and liquidation of industries
which provided resources for economic activities and employment. Although Kafue was one of
the earliest towns to be established in Zambia, it remained stunted in its growth in terms of

73
Kafue District Council Strategic Plan 2014-2016.

90
manufacturing industries. There was little hope of reviving manufacturing industries which were
the backbone of the town’s economy. Kafue remained a mere residential settlement with few
industries; Nitrogen Chemicals, INFRASET and the new steel plant established in 2005/2006 by
the Universal Mining and Chemical Industries Limited (UMCIL).

91
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION

5.1 Introduction

The study attempted to highlight the history of Kafue town from 1905 when the township started
as a railway siding to 2005 when it celebrated its one hundred years anniversary. The study had
three objectives. It aimed at reconstructing the history and development of Kafue town. It also
assessed the impact of industrial growth on the growth of Kafue town between 1965 and 1990.
Lastly, it sought to examine the collapse of the manufacturing sector and its social and economic
impact on Kafue.

The study discussed the genesis and development of Kafue town and how the construction of the
railway station contributed to the establishment of industries and other accompanying economic
activities. Kafue had a number of industrial establishments that made it a booming town because
of its geographical location which was a positive factor for the growth of manufacturing
industries. The area was considered to be a potential industrial centre and as a way of promoting
development in the other part of the country, other than the Copperbelt. The main industries or
companies which were established included Kafue Textiles of Zambia, Nitrogen Chemicals of
Zambia, Zambia Railways, Bata Tannery, Lee Yeast, Nkwazi Manufacturing Company and
Zambia Concrete. The study concluded that the main reason for establishing manufacturing
industries in Kafue was to reduce dependence on the copper mining industry through the creation
of a diversified industrial sector.

The study revealed that the establishment of industries in Kafue played an important role in the
social and economic growth and development of the town between the 1960s and 1980s. The
study also demonstrated that the establishment of manufacturing industries in Kafue fostered the
development of other sectors like construction and different infrastructure such as housing units,
health care facilities, school infrastructure, police stations, office blocks, markets and social
amenities which significantly contributed to the growth and development of the town. The
establishment of industries and other infrastructure transformed both the social wellbeing and
economic status of the town.

92
The study further discussed how the establishment of industries provided opportunities for other
businesses and enterprises to grow. This was evidenced from different businesses which emerged
in the area such as private clinics, schools, shops and cooperatives which provided employment
to the local people. The study therefore, showed that employment opportunities were not only
created by industries but by other businesses or enterprises which arose in the area. The wide
range of employment and business activities in the area increased income for the local people.
Additionally, the study established that industrial development was a panacea for the growth and
development of Kafue town.

The fall of the international copper price in the 1970s, had great consequences for the Zambian
economy as a whole and on the industries in Kafue in particular. The decline in the economy was
reflected in the performance of the manufacturing sector. The removal of subsidies due to the
downturn in the copper industry undercut the strategy of industrial diversification because the
country could not generate resources to sustain industries. The precarious national financial
position impacted negatively on the economy of Kafue and on the overall economy of the
country.

In order to address the economic difficulties, the study revealed that the Zambian government
under UNIP adopted what was known as the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in the
1980s. Implementation of SAP continued in the 1990s with the Movement for Multi-Party
Democracy (MMD) government. The MMD government was elected on the platform of strong
support for privatisation. To facilitate the privatisation process, the new government passed the
necessary legislation. The privatisation Act No. 21 of 1992 was passed by parliament in 1992.
The Act saw the establishment of the Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA) which was the sole
institution responsible for the divestiture of state enterprises. The agency was granted autonomy
to determine how state enterprises were to be privatised.

Therefore, as national plans changed between 1991 and 1999, Kafue witnessed privatisation and
the closure of some of the big industries. The study demonstrated that industries which drained
state funds were either privatised or closed. The closure of the basic supporting industries like
Kafue Textiles, Bata Tannery, Nkwazi manufacturing and Kafue Breweries contributed to an
economic decline in the area. The study further elaborated that there was a critical decline in
employment opportunities in the formal sector and a number of unemployed rose rapidly in

93
Kafue because of the privatisation programme. It was revealed that only few jobs were created
after the privatisation of industries in Kafue. It was also evidenced that jobs were usually lost
during the process of privatisation as a large number of employees were usually laid off.

Living in Kafue became increasingly difficult for the people who lost employment. Whatever
employment activities were available in the informal sector were all basic simple hand-to-mouth
activities. During that period, many people in Kafue, turned to agriculture.

The study concluded that the government’s aspirations in its attempt to set up industries in Kafue
were met as major manufacturing industries were established there. However, the deterioration
of the economy as a result of the fall in the prices of copper and the rise in the prices of oil, made
it difficult for the state to generate resources to sustain manufacturing industries in Kafue. Thus,
there was the collapse of industries and reduction in economic activities. Kafue remained a mere
residential settlement with few industries; Nitrogen Chemicals, INFRASET and the new steel
plant established in 2005/2006 by the Universal Mining and Chemical Industries Limited
(UMCIL).

94
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