Kipushi: Hard-to-reach place
Stuck in the bush after a tyre puncture. Picture by Brian Malama. JACK ZIMBA, Kipushi RECENTLY, photojournalist Brian Malama and I undertook an expedition to Kipushi which lies at the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our principle objective was to get to the source of the Kafue River. Kipushi lies north of Solwezi in the newly-created Mushindamo district in North-Western Province. The place derives its name from the mining town across the border, which bears the same name, but does not mirror its civilisation. The road to Kipushi is treacherous gravel and although it is only 120 kilometres from Solwezi, it takes about four hours to cover that distance with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The route is far less enchanting, lined with forests, broken only by small unremarkable settlements. In many parts of the road, the soil has been pounded into a fine powder by the many heavy trucks that traverse this route, to the extent that even a motor bike will l