Jack Zimba

A woman rides on a boda-boda in Kampala. JACK ZIMBA Kampala   THE flamboyant crested crane may be Uganda’s national symbol, but it is the sad- and ugly-looking marabou stork that dominates the east African country’s capital, Kampala. The large scavenger bird – also known by its derogatory nickname “undertaker” – can be seen in many open spaces around the city, or perched on streetlight poles observing the chaotic traffic below. And yes, Kampala’s traffic can be crazy as I discovered on my recent visit. I arrived at Entebbe International Airport on May 10 as part of a 13-member team of journalists from Zambia to cover the inauguration of Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni, who was re-elected last February. And, of course, we had to shadow our own President Lungu, who was among heads of state invited to attend the investiture ceremony. We checked in at the Entebbe Flight Motel, five minutes’ drive from the airport. It was not the nicest of places around, bu...

  Refugees seek shelter at Kalemba Hall, St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Lusaka. JACK ZIMBA  EMMANUEL Uwiragire worked hard to rebuild his life after escaping the Rwandan genocide in 1994, which claimed about one million lives. In 2002, he set up a shop in Lusaka’s Zingalume township, which became the family’s only source of income, but he lost all his investment in a violent flash. Recently, a wave of riots and looting spread across several townships of Lusaka like wild fire as enraged residents targeted shops owned by foreigners, mostly Rwandans and Congolese. The riots were triggered by a rumour that some Rwandan shop owners were behind the spate of gruesome murders suspected to be ritual killings in Zingalume, George and Lilanda townships since March 16. In all, seven male bodies were discovered in the three townships with body parts including sexual organs missing. From the last two bodies, the killers harvested the hearts as well. Police have s...

  The body of a male is carried from the spot where it was discovered by residents in George Township. Picture courtesy Chanda Mwenya     JACK ZIMBA “THIS is where we found one of the bodies,” says Mason Zulu, pointing to a spot in the middle of a road that resembles a stream. The rains have washed the spot, and there is now no visible sign of the cruel crime it presented just a few days before. But the residents of Lilanda and neighbouring George townships are still reeling from the shock of the macabre sight of four disfigured bodies littered around the two sprawling townships, west of Lusaka. The four male victims were killed in the area or had their bodies dumped there by their assailants, who harvested some body parts – eyes, ears, tongues and sexual organs. Many residents link the murders to people seeking fortune charms from witchdoctors. All victims were poor and could not have been killed for their possessions. It also seems that the v...

Email Mavis was injured in a car crash in 2013.    JACK ZIMBA “I BELIEVE I’m going to walk again,” says Mavis Mtonga, her beautiful face framed by a curly wig. Sitting and chatting with Mavis, it is easy to overlook her inability to stand or walk, which is all covered up by her beauty and personable character. The 28-year-old is also possessed with a strong zest for life, something which has kept her going since her world changed on August 1, 2013. Mavis was a 26-year-old fashion model when the vehicle driven by her father rolled three times after a tyre burst. The accident happened when the family was travelling to Zambia from Botswana where they live. It was the family’s tradition to travel back home once every year, usually during the Christmas holiday. Mavis was thrown out of the vehicle and broke a T10 vertebra, which is one of the 12 thoracic vertebrae in the spine. She is now paralysed from waist down and conf...

Konzo victims .   JACK ZIMBA   AFTER a jolting drive down a winding sandy road, with tree branches whipping against our 4x4 vehicle, we finally arrive at Kaote village, about 60 kilometres south-east of Mongu, Western Province. Soon we are surrounded by poverty-stricken faces of men, women and children, who emerge from behind mud-and-straw houses. The scene gets even gloomier with the appearance of a small boy in a wheelchair, his feet hanging listless. Across the drab homestead, a young woman hobbles towards us, her body supported by crutches. Another boy follows in similar fashion. These are the victims of konzo, a paralysing condition caused by cyanide poisoning. Cyanide occurs naturally in cassava, and a monotonous diet of inadequately processed cassava damages the nervous system, causing permanent paralysis. For generations, cassava has been the staple food for people in this region, which has poor soils to support other crops such a...

Mr Kabonda nursing his wounds. JACK ZIMBA   ON MONDAY, November 16, a group of men, acting on Senior Chief Puta’s orders, went to demolish a small palace belonging to a headwoman long accused of insurrection in the Bwile chiefdom. What followed, however, was a brutal and bloody revolt that left the chief’s retainer or kapaso dead.   From his ipad, Senior Chief Puta shows me pictures he took of his kapaso shortly after he was killed. The images, which are too graphic to publish, show the mangled and bloody face of Peter Muswe - his deep wounds a telltale of a savage and merciless attack. "He was a good man," says the chief, his voice almost breaking. Muswe’s family is shocked at the killing. "My brother was killed like an animal," says Mwenya Muswe, younger brother of the slain royal messenger. And at the district hospital, 60-year-old Gershom Kabonda, another victim of the brutal assault, groans with pain on his hospital bed. He is surr...

Gabriel with his younger brother, who donated a kidney to him.   JACK ZIMBA        WHEN Gabriel Phiri was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2006, he felt like it was the end of the world for him. “It was a fright. It was a question of am I going to live or maybe this is the end of it all,” says the 55-year-old. Today, however, Mr Phiri lives a fairly healthy life, thanks to a donated kidney he received from his younger brother. Mr Phiri discovered that both his kidneys had collapsed after a freaky incident. While waiting for a friend in a car park, a tiny particle entered his eye and he ended up at the hospital to have it removed. However, after routine tests, it was discovered that Mr Phiri had high blood pressure, a shocking diagnosis, as he was not a known hypertensive. Prior to this episode, however, Mr Phiri had for a long time suffered loss of appetite, which he could not understand. But it was the second diagnosis that scared ...