Pioneering rural development in Zimbabwe: The untold story of John Rushton

By John Rushton

On the 18th October at the age of 22, I said goodbye to my native Shropshire in UK and I arrived In Mutare ( Umtali ) on 19th October 1967, I had come to live with an Aunt who had invited me to come and see Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

She had arranged a 6 month temporary job with the company she worked for, Installing boreholes and pumps and Lister engines in urban and rural locations, during that first 6 months I applied for a job on Rhodesia Railways and spent 12 years in the Railways Workshops stripping and rebuilding Diesel Locomotives. Classes D1 to D10.

When the Terrorist War finished in late (1973 to end of 1979), I prayed that I would never set foot again in the communal lands of Zimbabwe, I had spent 4 years of my early married life in the bush war, Over a 7 year period 1973 to 1980 alternating each month between war and turning the wheels of industry one month at work in Rhodesia Railways workshops in Umtali stripping and rebuilding diesel locomotives and every other month at war.

But the ‘’ LORD had a different mission for me, I never knew the Lord until I went to Rhodesia in late 1969 and when I was invited to be Ordained as an Elder in the city Presbyterian Church in Umtali Rhodesia in the middle seventies, this is my account of my life thereafter and how I became successful after giving my life to the LORD.

FROM JUNE 1980 THE LORD CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER.  

In June 1980, I delivered the first loads of Fertilizer Seeds and Chemicals, a 330 km journey from Harare to the Catholic Reginia Coeli Mission, in the Nyamaropa Valley in the New Zimbabwe.

During the war, this same journey that I took was notorious for Landmines and Terror related ambushes, mainly because of its harsh terrain and mountains on the border with Mozambique from where the terrorists operated from.

Robert Mugabe had only just been installed as the Prime Minister, the war had ended and now Rhodesians had the choice to go or stay.

Many Rhodesian headed out of Zimbabwe and trekked by car and lorry on whatever transport they could load their personal effects onto and were on the road to South Africa in a panic.

I and my family had that choice too, but we had only just moved to Marondera 74 km from Harare on the 1^st January 1980 from Mutare on the Eastern Mozambique Border 255km from Harare, Robert Mugabe the new Prime Minister of a new Zimbabwe encouraged the white Rhodesians to stay and help build a new country for all people.

I can recall 2 very significant instances how the LORD had made it possible for my family and I to move to this new beginning.

When I was offered the job as Transport Manager there was no home available to rent in Marondera and that night we stayed at the local hotel and prayed for the LORDS intervention, the next morning we were packed to go home to Mutare and we went to pick up my wife’s parents and to say goodbye to a friend, the friends granddaughter was also there, she told her gran the daddy was upset as they were leaving for South Africa that day and he needed someone to rent their home.

Our next door neighbour in Mutare had been selling their home for over 2 years not even one offer, their house had both a swimming pool and garage whereas our home had neither, but the trees and gardens in our property added appeal to the property, on the 26^th December 1979 I made a sign ‘’ House for Sale ‘’ Apply Within we could not afford and Estate Agent, but committed it to the LORD – If it is your plan for us to go to Marondera to start this new job, please send us a buyer.

Late afternoon of that same day the phone rang and the person said that our friends in another suburb in Mutare had told them all about our house and he had phoned not only to ask if it was for sale, but could he bring down the cheque for $14,250 that was the exact amount we owed to the Building Society to pay off the Loan we took out to buy it.

In the Lancaster House agreement, presented by Lord Carrington on behalf of the British Government and Henry Kissinger from USA and Ian Smith and Robert Mugabe, It was agreed that nothing would change for the first 10 years, It was that assurance that encouraged myself and my Rhodesian born family to stay on in Zimbabwe.

For my family and I, it was the kick start of a new life in a new Zimbabwe in a new location in Marondera, I had started a new job at Browns Transport and we had joined a Christian group known as the Marondera Christian Fellowship which initially was at the home of my Managing Director Jim and Anne Wolton, but later the venue had been changed to the Gatehouse Community and our 3 children had settled into a new Digglefold junior school and for them too it was a new start free of the Mortar attacks on the City of Mutare from Mozambique, Helicopters flying in and out of the Police Camp daily.

In late May 1980 just 5 months into the job as a Transport Manager in Browns Transport two (Central Intelligence) CIO officers approached Browns Transport to see if they would be interested in delivering agricultural fertilizers, compounds and chemicals as well as food to one of the camps which were established around the country to accommodate the Mugabe Soldiers, Nyamaropa and Ruti in Buhera.

Browns Transport accepted the contract, I prayed about the project, we were stepping out in faith believing that this was the right thing to do, I and 2 lorries set off in June with the two ten ton loaded trucks on a journey that I never intended to take but looking back in life, I have never regretted that opportunity nor did we know the enormous task ahead involving hundreds of thousands of tonnes to be transported over many years to come.

Our first deliveries were to the camp in Nyamaropa valley where I would meet the Mugabe Soldiers from Chimoio just across the border into Mozambique, I was to meet face to face with my former enemies and there is a lot of reports about the Rhodesian security forces actions in Chimoio Mozambique.

Friends tried to persuade me not to go there as they thought it was a suicide mission I had been in both area’s myself during the war as part of the Police Anti -Terrorist Unit (P.A.T.U.)  I was being asked to go to Regina which was a temporary home for 1,200 fully armed Comrades. After discussions with Mugabe’s CIO (Central Intelligence Officers) I agreed to travel to the camps with the urgent Food, Fertilizers and Seeds. Looking back, it was like going to ISIS camp.

I encountered some challenging difficulties on the journey, On a steep decline the brakes failed on one lorry and the driver ran into the bank to stop the lorry, cost me a day and one night to get it fixed, Only 12 km from the delivery camp, we inched our way down a steep incline and as we approached a fast flowing shallow river I could see that there was a meter drop from the road to river bed, I had to hire labour and build a temporary bridge out of the large pebble rocks in the river, it had to be strong and wide enough and high enough for the lorry to ease its way onto the new crossing, if too fast it would have collapsed.

On arrival at the camp in the mission building, I was somewhat relieved to see through binoculars, 2 Irish Nuns and a Priest, I said to myself, they are alive, As I drove up to the Priest the Terrorists were thumping my vehicle and pointing there RPG rockets at me, I quickly gave the Political Commissariat the letter from the CIO, they first greeted the arrival of the loaded lorries especially the food.

I was greeted and assured that on future trips, as long as I travelled in the same vehicle, I would be free to come and go in safety both day and night, They made a welcome cup of tea and we sat and talked about their future for this area and their plans and future visions.

I became best of friends with the Political Commissariat and over the next 4 years it was a wonderful experience for myself especially after 7 years of fighting a war against them  to be working with them all.

It was late when I arrived back at my friend’s farm where we had a base they really did think that I might not return.

Many roads were dangerous from the war and to venture on such a road so soon after the end on the war, to many it would seem suicidal and even I had been a victim of a landmine on 10^th March 1977 in Mutsago in Maranke communal lands, so I know the after effects of a landmine and I had spinal injuries from my blast and the Police vehicle’s front wheel was blown 50 meters off its left front axle. But I survived without loss of limbs.

The gravel surface road, was rough and tough full of potholes some deep and others like trenches filled with rocks for buses and trucks to winch their vehicles along the road and on a hot dry day the dust was like a rainstorm, if you happen to be driving behind the bus or truck you would be in a storm of dust, but I always stopped to allow the dust to settle and let the vehicles get ahead, the scenery was magnificent. I am now suffering for inhaling so much dust but worth the price paid to serve the LORD.

The loads were the first to be collected and delivered in this province, the two loads from Harare moved by tarred road to Ruspae 170 km then left on a strip tarred road to Juliasdale, the road was very steep in places both uphill and downhill and a very winding route, the next few km was easy until we reached the right turn into Rhodes National Park.then 100 metres further, turning left onto the Nyangombe river crossing ( photo below ) over a narrow bridge, the torrent of clean crystal water gushed timelessness down a slope into a natural swimming pool with a sandy beach a place where we would be visiting many times in the future with my wife and three children.

We had now reached the section of the road the end of the smooth tar and now onto tough brown sandy gravel surface, although the road from Nyanga to Nyamaropa is now fully tarred, when I pioneered the first deliveries the road was rough neglected gravel surface, because of the war lasting 8 years in Manicaland Province.

These first deliveries were to Regina Mission, The Agricultural goods were for distribution to the surrounding communal farmers in those area’s and over the next four years, hundreds of thousands of tonnes were to be delivered to this area and many other areas in Manicaland Mashonaland and parts of Midlands Provinces, work awarded to Browns Transport for distribution to communal village farmers. My job was to get the goods to the people so that they could start Agricultural Projects, thank goodness for early missionaries for teaching children the English Language, through the children I could communicate with the elderly people.

I managed to  free wheel 14 km in my pick up, from the top of the Nyamaropa Escarpment at Nyanga North past Troutbeck to the bottom of the escarpment at Nyamhanda after many months travelling that route, the road forked left to Elim Mission passing the Catholic Mission of  Regina, the road was very steep all the way down from Matema past Tombo and there was a road to the right from Tombo to the Tangwenya people, a Swiss Settlement situated high above the Garezi river which was normally approached from Troutbeck via the Church road but here was another way to that Swiss Mission one of the delivery points that I frequently visited in my life, no other transporter had previously succeeded in getting lorries to this settlement other than 4 wheel drive vehicles, but nothing was going to stop me from overcoming this task, with the Lord nothing is impossible.

The next day we got moving at the crack of dawn around 6 a.m. it was winter and high up these mountains it was white with frost but there was no shortage of dry wood mostly pine in that area to make large fires for cooking and warmth.

We slept with the vehicles and we had 10 casual labourers on hire for the season, but eventually it increased to over 40 and they all came from different walks of life some had even fought for Mugabe others for Joshua Nkomo others whom were cooking in kitchens on farms.

I felt quite safe and relaxed with these guys, when they work in harmony and in groups they whistle and sing, I felt privileged to be working with them.

From that day on despite concerns for my life from friends at the thought of travelling day and night on these rough and often lonely roads usually by myself, I had the LORD with me in my passenger seat, I feared no one, there was so much beautiful scenery.

Ironically my wife and our 3 children and I, had applied to emigrate to Richards bay in South Africa, a job was waiting for me in the mining sector, but the papers had not arrived but came 8 months later, but by then, I had been given a task by the LORD and now was not the time to go.

I was advised at Regina that 1^st day in June 1980, that a survey done by them in that huge area stretching from Matema to the Ruwenya River near Fombe and from Nyanga to Kozonzo past Nyajezi and Nyamazura and Ruangwe and Elim Mission there was no means of transport, no ploughs or tractors no scotch carts.

Suggestions that all the fertilizer should be dumped at the Regina mission would serve very little purpose.

Someone in Harare had never been to the communal lands and had not done their homework, just drop it all in one place but they needed to get the goods to the people, water was plentiful in Nyamaropa and Zimbabwe was divided in that area with Mozambique by a river border, the giant fast flowing Garezi River, One could brag about those big trout, even 10kg for the best of anglers. I was taught the art of Fly Fishing by farmer friends in Nyanga.

I and Political Commissariat comrade Alfred as he wished to be called, agreed on a distribution program supported by his many soldiers he referred to it as swings and roundabouts and everywhere I went he came too and over those years we had a good relationship between the 2 of us and the rest of the comrades, I would have liked to have met up again with him later in life.

From Regina Coeli Mission in Nyamaropa the deliveries now in thousands of tons of fertilizers and compounds were extended into Honde Valley, Mandeya 1 and 2 and Katiyo and area’s around and past Eastern Highlands Tea Estates where one can experience seven hairpin bends to that tea plantation then into Nyanga North into Nyajezi into all the communal lands between Mutare to the Ruwenya river close to the Malawi border at Nyamapanda border both east and west and north and south.

I marvelled that the LORD had made such a beautiful country such vivid colourful flowers and trees, even the winter tall grass looked good against the magical colourful plants and trees and flowers.

The area was rich in soil and water was plentiful and over the 4 years from 1980 to December 1983 thousands upon thousands of tons were collected delivered and distributed by Browns trucks personally supervised by myself, I had to ensure accurate counting and that nothing went missing and get a signature from every rural farmer who received the goods and I learnt much about rural farming and small scale projects from the millions of people I delivered to.

Those 4 years were just a training ground for what was to come, soon I would be in charge of all deliveries and collections for 13 million people throughout Zimbabwe. It had been deemed that it was impossible for me to complete the task by many of the transport company owners. ‘’But for the LORD nothing is impossible. ‘’

I remember the many occasions where trucks and trailers had over turned or springs had jumped out of their slippers due to poor roads and vehicle accidents or had sunk into the mud in the rainy season right up to the floor of the trailer, we had no cranes or breakdown equipment but sheer hard labour brute force and ignorance they called it, we righted overturned trucks and trailers made major repairs on the rugged rough terrain roads, day and night often I never went home for up to 6 weeks and being a fitter for 12 years I could weld and make roadside repairs. The challenges were enormous and difficult, but we kept going day and night, but it was always nice to go home to my wife and children and to be just a normal family again.

I encouraged and persuaded the hierarchy in Harare to start projects in these area’s some are the Samanga Coffee growers and the Honde Tea Plantations in Ruda they are just 2 of many to come, both of these are in Honde Valley and many cooperatives favoured by Robert Mugabe.

I had attended many Rural Agricultural Meetings in so many different area’s of Manicaland Province and although the local language was Shona and Manica they obliged me with English when I attended, I was confident and now becoming a force to be recognised in Rural Development, I had built a reputation of a manager who had accepted the hand of Mugabe’s reconciliation to whites and also I never lost any of the goods entrusted to me for the poorest people.

The new Government chose cooperatives like so many other countries in the world, yet the concept of co-operatives working in communities was a good idea and worked well for Zimbabwe but exploited by individuals which caused its failure,

In addition to the wonderful sights and magnificent scenery and lots of God’s creations, there was rocks like as if they were from the parting of the waves, purple granite rocks and I had decided that everywhere I go I would collect a sample rock large and small to remind me of that journey in life.

One of the most wonderful sights was a river running near to Regina Mission, this river fed the giant Nyamaropa Irrigation scheme, such a scheme built in Southern Rhodesia times, when I drove from Regina up a hill to the irrigation scheme, I had to make 3 attempts to get up the hill in 1^st gear in the company pick up, yet the river flowed from the bottom to the top of this hill, the priest explained that it was built by British Engineer’s in such a way that they could get the water to the top of the hill without any electric power.

Avilla Mission in Kozonzo rural area, north of Elim Mission both in proximity to Ruangwe Police Station, this mission is where I found large rocks of purple granite, granite is normally black or grey, the mission was built by Italian Prisoners of the 2^nd World War based in that area and the whole church was built out of gem bearing rocks.

The alter table was carved out of one giant rock, a cracked brass bell hung solemnly and because of the crack it had a dull ring, but so beautifully inscribed. A remnant of a gold mine stood nearby forgotten by time.

From this early beginning and with much prayer and reconciliation, It was a new beginning that I have never regretted, from this early Pioneering, I progressed and was very successful. I spent most of my life with Rural Development Communal area’s thereafter, I did not know what the LORD was training me up for, still to be revealed but for now it was great.

In late 1983 Browns Transport now the proud owner of 16 new trucks mostly Leyland but added to the fleet some brand new 7 ton Scania’s,  Browns sold their business to a local company, Duly’s who had their own staff, there was no other jobs in Marondera therefore we had no choice but to move to the city of Harare, praying and trusting the LORD  that we find the right job and a new home to rent, I found a job at Swift Transport part of United Transport Group and I became a commercial representative, a far cry from my last 4 years.

It seemed the end for me, yet it was through another Christian family John and Leslie Floquet, who operated a seed company in Harare at Agritrade company with their head office depot in the rear premises of Swift Transport, that I managed to get a job with Swift Transport, yet this move was the LORD’s plan for what was still to be revealed to me, we had a nice home and a good school for the 3 children in Northpark suburb and later Vainona.

On a sunny day in 1985, walking down a busy street in Harare city, I met Peter Silk from Agritex, I had met him on one of my agricultural rural meetings between 1980 and 1984 in Murewa, Peter said that he had been discussing my work and experience and achievements at a meeting with Government only a week earlier he had described my work as someone who had been successful in Rural Development and right now Government needed a JOSEPH as in the bible, because long range weather forecast was indicating a drought was coming and yes we had seven good years soon to be followed by some very dry years.

With the passing of time, Rural Aid money was flowing into Zimbabwe from donor aided countries and Zimbabwe was keen to see that it was put to good use but they lacked the skills and infrastructure to distribute it to the farmers throughout the whole of Zimbabwe, I last counted 465 communal lands in a country nearly 3 times as big as UK and I spent a lot of my free time developing and restructuring and re-writing land classification maps and distances in kilometres.

At Swift head office, a high level Government delegation was in a meeting with directors of Swift Transport and myself, the task was to collect and distribute hundreds of thousands of tons of fertilizer and seeds and chemicals and deliver to designated district service centres offices and then distribute to every communal family in each of the 465 communal lands each had a district agricultural and Agritex officer and people would indicate major delivery points in each communal area, not all villages in Rural Zimbabwe are assessable to trucks.

• The MD of SWIFT Transport agreed to allow me to be appointed as the National Transport Coordinator under his directorship to undertake and execute the operation throughout Zimbabwe, good new business for Swift too approval was given by the Group’s  London offices.
• Aid Donor Funds came from many countries some of them are:-

CIDA – USAID – Save The Children UK & USA– Danida – West German Trade – Belgium  –Australian Aid. – WFP – EEC  – UK

Delivery of local produced fertilizers, compounds, chemicals, ploughs and tools and Maize Meal financed by the above donor agencies.

• As the Zimbabwe National Transport Coordinator I controlled both the inputs of the above and for the collection of Agricultural grown produce from rural farmers in 465 communal lands for delivery to the Grain Marketing Board Depots on line of Rail throughout the country.

• Grain Marketing Board set up hundreds of tented temporary collection points in rural Zimbabwe manned by 2 trained GMB officials at every collection point, who would receipt the incoming crops and test and grade them and stack them for collection and part of my job was to continually collect every bag on a daily basis usually in 20 to 30 ton loads, many transporters were just about to go under and into liquidation from the effects of drought in some area’s of Zimbabwe, so we were not short of participating trucks from 105 transport companies and over 1000 trucks.

• I recall that there were 3 extra unauthorised collection points some unscrupulous criminals set up their own points giving A grades to everyone, but they intended that that Maize would disappear overnight, we were on the ball though the Maize arrived at GMB rail depot in Masvingo and those criminals, the last I heard were inmates in a prison.

• Thompsons magazine and Voice newspaper reports quoted 105 transport companies and over 750 vehicles operating at any one time, It was imperative that the Government of Zimbabwe should prove to donor aid agencies that they could ensure transparency and could successfully deliver the goods for the benefit of its estimated 13 million people and in return the country and its people would benefit in substantial food production both for local consumption and for export.

• 1985/1986 was a very successful year and yes, the LORD was present and in control, neither inputs or outputs went missing every single bag was accounted and signed for.

• In the 80’s drought had ravaged Zimbabwe but that year food was in abundance and I remained in my role until the end of the 80’s at Swift Transport and even though we had drought we survived and by then I had an excellent reputation and was recognised as a consultant in Rural Aid and Drought Emergencies and my learning was to continue into the mid 2007 even beyond.

• But, in 1980, when I became a Christian, I had made a Covenant with the LORD in that I would not accept corruption in the workplace or for any of the donor aid funding. To that end I battled to keep that covenant and so my work in Zimbabwe was after all the Lords will and only through being a Christian was I successful in my working life and as I write this part of history I did not know how it would end.

·         In 1985, I was appointed to the Board of A.M.A. Agricultural Marketing Authority and Grain Marketing Board as Consultant for Transport Inputs and Outputs and all controlled agricultural products in the co-ordinations and drought operations and their training and support  was very beneficial for my future.

Kariba Dam

• In 1986, I was asked if I would undertake a Consultancy job in surveying Lake Kariba a manmade lake dividing Zimbabwe and Zambia, it is 17 km wide at widest point and 300 km long between Kariba and Mlibizi further still as you head to Deka Drum near Hwange, what a reward and opportunity for my co-ordinations.

• With other Government officials and DDF we set off on a journey of a lifetime down every river along the entire shoreline and every Island and plotted every type of business, be it tourism or business or fishing camp or crocodile farm it was all recorded.

• The Boats and Barges had been donated by Danish and Belgium aid funding and had the potential for major growth on the lake. The survey took 2 weeks we based up half way down the lake from Kariba at Bumi Hills Safari Lodge 4 nights going and 4 nights coming back, it took 14 days in all.

• The Danish and Belgium Governments had donated these fast boats capable of 20 knots per hour and the 2 barges that could carry vehicles and goods the whole length of the lake, takes 24 hours from one end to the other (180 ) miles long from Kariba to Milibizi and you are still not at the end of the lake.

• When the report was finalised and distributed, queries came from ZIMRA they wanted to know about Tiger Bay according to them there was no hotel past the crocodile breeding area even a sign had been visible stating that no boats to go past this point, even National Parks had an officer to ensure that no boats did pass there.

• On board in our party was 2 CIO officers and their authority exceeded all others, there was this magnificent thatched hotel and private lodges not registered for taxation.

• Then inland from the lake was the road to nowhere and that is what locals refer to it. I drove the whole length of that road from Omay and it stopped at a chevron end of road, no one lived at the end because it went to the edge of the lake and no one lived on route either. Apparently it was meant to come out at Irvines Fishery 12 km away.

• I was invited to a donor conference in 1986 being held at Nyaminami in the Omay communal lands south of Bumi hills and in my talk about my operations and trip on the lake, that year Embassies decided to hold an annual conference away from cities and tourist places and set up Marquee’s and tents in the Omay communal lands about 70 km south of Bumi Hills safari lodge and it was in the middle of a game safari.

• I was approached by the Canadian High Commissioner ( Roger Anthony Bull ) he wanted to do another trip with himself included and Government agreed, I remember the trip well as there should have been diesel fuel waiting in Binga on the banks of the Binga District Development Funded workshops but they had not had their delivery.

• Roger Anthony Bull told me that he was an engineer in his earlier life so we tapped into the tanks of a standing barge and using a hand pump, I pumped diesel out into a bucket and carried it to our boat, Rodger was pouring it in to our tanks from the bucket and makeshift funnel until we had enough to get us back to Kariba, the rest of the party seemed keen to stay in Binga for the weekend but both of us had to get back to Kariba and back to Harare.

• Had I have known what was at Binga I might have been tempted to stay too as later on, I discovered that Binga had a hotel the rooms were nice still the old mosquito gauze instead of window panes but immaculately kept, they had a hot mineral natural swimming pool where one could relax in it drinking an ice cold beer, even now in 2011 Castle Beer is considered part of the history of the country.

• Binga had boats for hire, crocodile farming and the Danish Aid had an office and was involved in the rural area’s of the almost forgotten  Tonga people.

• In the years ahead I had undertook Consultancy work in rural development in countries such as Malawi – Zambia – Mozambique and Botswana even in South Africa, for major financial establishments Price Water House and KF&R , it was very useful training for me when I was offered a position in 1994 with Nexus Trading who needed my past skills.

• Nexus Trading was a Transport Agency and Trading company for collection of Agricultural Grain Produce from Grain Marketing Board depots throughout Zimbabwe for delivery to Zambia, D.R.C., Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho on behalf of Newman’s International, – Intercontinental – Glencore of Rotterdam and Save the Children Fund for deliveries to Lesotho and Malawi in 30 tonne loads. Contracts were in hundreds of thousands of tonnes per country.

• From the time of Independence 1980, I was the first to undertake Rural

Development, I was often referred to as the PIONEER of rural development with transported inputs to so many people and the establishment of small businesses through project work, by creating small cooperative cash businesses with communal farmers in various communal lands mainly Manicaland and Mashonaland and Midlands provinces and we were able to start co-operative farming believed by the Government to be the future in farming.

• In 1994, I was appointed by Windmill (PVT) Ltd a fertilizer company in Harare whom specialised in supply and delivery of fertilizers and chemicals to communal farmers throughout Zimbabwe in line with intended cooperatives emphasized by Government.

• I was contracted for 6 years through Nexus Trading to calculate distances from Windmill Harare factory to the centre of each of the 6,600 grid squares distances on the 100,000 to 1, on 36 maps making up Zimbabwe it took many weeks to finish and to collate all those distances and then design a program and computerise the data.

• Windmill computer systems could now offer communal farmers who came to the sales department to buy fertilizer and chemicals could pinpoint their village on the coded maps the distance from factory to that village, the thousands of small orders were collated into suitable loads from 7 tons upwards to maximum 28 tonnes ,for delivery throughout Zimbabwe communal lands saving farmers many dollars.

• Had it not have been for valuable assistance from my youngest daughter Hazel, I would have taken much longer, but at that time my daughter was taking her O Levels exams and in between she gave her valuable time to this project, she was trained in computers, I was a novice then.

• Previously transport charges were based on each communal area, thus a farmer living only 50 km from Harare would pay same as one living 150 km in same communal land, a farmer could now pinpoint his village on a map demarcated by ‘A’ for grid squares across and ‘D’ for down squares, all the grid square distances were computerised and then transport costs were per 10 km grid square. This revolutionized the entire deliveries from Harare to whole of Zimbabwe.

• Following on with Windmill, I collated hundreds of thousands of tons of fertilizers orders in 50 kg bags for transport to communal farmers who would arrange loans through, AFC Agricultural Finance Corporation for small orders which needed to be delivered in large loads to economise the transport costs and make it viable for transporters. There could be up to 50 AFC orders for one load of between 7 and 30 ton, The size of trucks depended on terrain and quantity.

• In all the 20 years that I was associated with Rural Development both for Donor Aid funding – Government grants using locally produced fertilizer supplied by Windmill and ZFC and Seed Companies, I never failed to deliver or collect goods and we never lost any goods.

• I had first started my new life in Rhodesia in Rural and Urban Water Aid in the form of borehole and mono pumps installation and laying irrigation piping in rural schools in Manicaland.

• I was a qualified irrigation fitter when I first arrived in Rhodesia. I had no drivers licence, but a quick few lessons over 2 weeks I soon had my licence and soon I was driving a two ton lorry on route to a rural school in Headlands.

• I was to install a mono pump into a borehole casing install a Lister engine and 1 km of Asbestos water piping in trenches already dug by eager school children.

• I slept in a new school building but only discovered at night that it had no windows, No, I did not close my eyes that night, listening to the wild animals and insects and Oh those mosquitoes. But the next night I lay down exhausted from the heat of the day, the night had passed by it was 8 a.m. next day and still alive, we were finished in 4 days we returned to the main gravel road with our guide over rock faces and through bush land an area hidden from normal civilization of towns and cities. That job was only temporary for 6 weeks but lasted for almost a year.

• I soon had a job with the railways workshops stripping and rebuilding diesel locomotives for 12 years, I was in a gang of fitters that were trained to put locomotives back onto the tracks when the locomotives had jumped tracks, it was all manual work, but I found that the experience gained from those early years was a great benefit to me in the Rural Development and it was useful when travelling around the communal lands, I was able to mend many broken down water pump and scotch carts and farm tractors over the many years.

• Confirmation of our move to Marondera from Umtali can be seen in 2 remarkable circumstances that can only have come from the LORD.

• Our home was put up for sale on Boxing day 1979 in Umtali, our neighbours had said to us that they were going out to Odzi for the day, good luck with your sale, there home was on the market for 2 years and not sold, they had a Kerry Mark 2 and ours was a Kerry Mark 1, they had swimming pool and garage we had neither but otherwise the houses were same, We sold the house the same day for the price we were asking. $12,250 Rhodesian Dollar actually $2-00 = £1-00 then.

• In Marondera I was interviewed for the transport managers job, at Browns Transport and out of 40 trucks 37 were damaged by landmines only 3 were operating but despite that, the company was willing to repair the trucks and give it a go, financially they were bankrupt, I was offered the job providing we could find accommodation and we needed a house to rent, there was nothing.

• Praying about it at the hotel that night, we put it in the Lords hand, as we were leaving the next afternoon without success, a farmer had decided to leave and needed to lease his home that very afternoon, it was a beautiful home too and it was confirmation that we were to live in Marondera, we did so for 4 years.

• I remember an African Chief in a rural mission, he picked up a handful of sand and let it trickle into the wind blowing the dust over me, your spirit will never settle anywhere but in Africa you belong to AFRICA God chose you. – I realise that now being back in UK.

• Through my involvement in Rural Development over the many years I had no time to study like so many others, Through achievements and my dedication to rural development work, I was awarded in 1982  (Associate Member of Institute of Marketing Zimbabwe (A.I.M.M.) and later after successfully coordinating the drought operations in 1986 that same year I was awarded an Associate Member of Institute of Transport London ( A.C.I.T. ) I have neither O or A level certificates

• I have learnt to lead and manage Aid work even in the field, I do not profess to be an expert but a hand’s on very qualified and experienced person who can get the job done, I care about people and how they are treated. I can make a difference and using my experience and managerial skills and determination to succeed.

• January 2004, I met with President Mugabe at State House together with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and very senior high-profile Cabinet Ministers and Commissioner of Police, Lawyers in South Africa offered the state of Zimbabwe a comprehensive confidential document, they represented 2 white South African Directors, the contents of the dossier would reduce the crime and corruption by 40% in Zimbabwe. They told Mugabe that they wished to nominate myself to Chair the meeting and to whom they would hand over the document. But in 2010 I had to flee Zimbabwe not only was I British but I knew too much. I can never return to my beloved country.

• I have transformed 13 million people’s lives but still have a need to change more millions.

• I am older and wiser now, but I hope that my work has not yet finished in AFRICA.

• I have returned now to my native Shropshire and my wife and I fellowship at All Saints Church Wellington Telford. I was born at the Lady Forrester Hospital in Broseley in 1945, Lord & Lady Forrester had a tobacco farm in that country.

• I am blessed with a wonderful wife Born in Southern Rhodesia and 3 Children born in Rhodesia and 2 grandchildren born in Zimbabwe.

• I worship at an Anglican Church in Wellington Shropshire – My heart will always be with the people of Zimbabwe.

• I only met the Lord when I went to live in Rhodesia in the 60s at the age of 22.

• I am greatly thankful that I was able to meet with the Lord in Africa and I hope my life will inspire others to go forth, I was blessed to serve 13 million people.

Part 2 to be written will be my life in what happened when I went up against the CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD way of life and the price I paid for this.

C.V. Experience.

I am a registered expert in Rural Development & Transport Distribution in both urban and rural difficult terrain in Zimbabwe and have carried out consultancy rural development in Malawi Mozambique – Botswana – South Africa – Zambia.

Foreign Aid & Drought Relief Distribution Coordinator to 13 million poor people in Africa in Rural communal farming lands using 105 transport companies and over 1000 lorries.

Aid supplied by Australia, CIDA, EEC, Save the Children UK, USAID, WFP, WGT, GLENCORE. Belgium and Danish Boats and Barges for Lake Kariba Dam waterways 300 km in length.

Highest Integrity and High Security level clearance.

I, Pioneered the Rural Development from 1980 over a period of 25 years. (Full report available)

Throughout, the whole of Zimbabwe and I have distributed hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food, fertilizer, chemicals and collected Maize and other Agricultural Products from these same rural farmers to Grain Marketing Board depots on line of rail, in difficult terrain and substandard roads.

I have Top Senior Executive General Manager Experience of 30 years in Transport within Zimbabwe and International cross border transportation. To several countries

I have excellent organisational and planning skills.

I have good communication skills and public speaking.

I have interacted with all levels of people from President and Cabinet Ministers, Governor of Reserve Bank and Police Commissioner Customs and Immigration officials, down to the lowest persons during my coordination of both drought relief and rural development.

I have, Investigations Experience for Gold, Diamonds, Mined Minerals and other Precious Stones, Weighbridge Fraud both road and rail drive on scales & studying Conflict Diamonds and Minerals. International Money Laundering, Tax Evasion.

Loss Controller and Administrator and Logistics, Strategic Planning and implementation of systems.

Public Relations and HR experience.

Water Irrigation in Rural and Urban areas for boreholes and pumps.

Excellent computer skills.

Auditor General & Financial Intelligence Training and employment.

I lead by Example:-

Able to operate independently or as a team and make decisions.

Able to communicate effectively with all levels of people.

Able to lead and manage a sizeable staffing compliment over 100.

Able to be a hand’s on, flexible and have a sense of urgency.

Able to write reports to Board of Directors.

Able to carry out investigations and prepare and write reports.

EMPLOYMENT  EXPERIENCE

Transport and Distribution in fields of Agricultural produce all types, Mined minerals, Timber and Logging operations, Fuels and oils, Chemicals and hazard goods, Explosives, Brick and clay products, Asbestos raw materials & finished products, all the above goods for local and export markets.

NGO rural transport and distribution and coordination and management of  hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food, fertilizer and chemicals, transported to 13 million people, developing small scale cash project work for communal farmers financed by Donor Aid Countries and Charity Funding.(over 10 years)

Water Aid, installation of boreholes and pumps and irrigation piping

In rural and urban locations in Africa, Workshops manager and D.I.Y.

Tourism and Travel, I have carried out surveys for Government on Hotels and Tourism both on land and waterways in Zimbabwe.

RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE

Authorised to carryout investigations into all matters concerning externalisation of foreign currency of whatever denomination and whether directly or indirectly through transfer pricing or some other such scheme, laundering of proceeds of crime, sale or removal of goods or products controlled under the Grain Marketing Board Act, or unauthorised disposal of dealing in gold or other precious metals or stones, or any other contravention

PROFILE

I am a hand’s on mature senior manager, highly trained, I have an eye for detail, excellent communicator, I lead by example and I am a good people person, I study and analyse systems, I have dealt with persons of different races and cultures, I am highly motivated with excellent organisational skills. I am a problem solver and I work to a high standard and attention to detail, I can perform on my own and work as a team player. I will leave no stone uncovered in pursuance of achieving excellence and have always achieved company profits.

I have excellent driving skills and have driven very long distances in all terrains both in Africa and UK and have never had an accident.

 PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

I started my life in Africa as an Irrigation & Borehole fitter installing water in rural schools, then stripping and rebuilding diesel locomotives and worked my way up the ladder to senior management, General Manager, Director and a Consultant on Rural Development.

My average working day was 12 to 14 hours but even 24 hours sometimes.