#zambiarising

netball in zambia is governed by the netball association of zambia (NAZ), under the africa netball confederation. the national team's first international medal came at the 2011 all-africa games in mozambique, where zambia placed third. the following year, 2012, brought a cluster of continental results: silver at the CANA tournament in zanzibar, bronze at the COSANA africa cup in tanzania, and bronze at the diamond challenge in south africa.

zambia made its debut on the INF world rankings in october 2012, entering at 22nd in the world. by july 2019, the team had climbed to 15th in the world and 5th in africa.

in september 2016, zambia's senior national netball team won the singapore mission foods nations cup — an INF-recognised ranking tournament featuring papua new guinea, canada, botswana, ireland, zambia, and hosts singapore. zambia's first trophy won outside africa. the team returned home via kenneth kaunda international airport to a jubilant welcome.

the netball world cup record: 17th at the 1999 christchurch world championships, did-not-qualify in 2003 and 2007, did-not-qualify again in 2011, then 14th at the 2015 sydney world cup — zambia's best finish to that point.

2023: zambia won the african netball championship title for the first time ever. the final went to double extra time — finishing 57-55. coach lazarous tembo, only 27 years old and in charge since march that year, became the youngest coach in african netball history to win a continental title. captain beauty nakazwe won the best shooter award. elizabeth bwalya won best mid court.

the team flew home via the zambia air force and were received at the ministry of youth, sport and arts by permanent secretary kangwa chileshe, alongside representatives from atlas mara and vedanta. "as a country this is the first time we are winning the african title… you have made history today."

this had not always been easy ground. at the 2019 africa netball cup in cape town, south africa beat zambia 72-53 in the final. four years later, in 2023, that gap closed enough for zambia to win the continental title outright.

a zambian team that has now done what no zambian team had done before in this competition. continental champions. for the first time. history made.

the city and the mine: mufulira is located approximately 37km north of kitwe and 22km northeast of chingola, close to the DRC border. mufulira mine began operations in 1933, developed by the rhodesian selection trust — the mining house controlling the eastern copperbelt. at its peak in the 1960s and early 1970s, one of the most productive copper mines in africa, producing copper that represented a significant proportion of zambia's national output.

the warning signs: in the two years preceding the disaster, sinkholes and minor mud ingress incidents had occurred around the no. 3 tailings dam — inadequately investigated by mine management.

the night of 25 september 1970: at approximately 2:55 in the morning, large quantities of mud entered the peterson section of the mine between the 434-metre and 580-metre levels. the no. 3 tailings dam — holding approximately 18 million tonnes of slimes — had experienced an underground collapse, creating a sinkhole through which approximately 1 million tonnes of water and tailings rushed into the mine workings below.

there were 1,500 miners on duty that night. the deluge reached them in fifteen minutes or less. 89 miners were killed — trapped underground, drowned or asphyxiated by mud and water that flooded the workings too fast for them to escape. rescue teams came from every copperbelt mine. after three days, rescue operations were called off. 89 men were still missing underground, presumed dead.

it remains the worst mining disaster in zambia's history.

the national impact: the flooding led to a cut of as much as 50% in the nation's copper production. the reduction had a severe impact on zambia's national finances at a moment when the country was only six years old. the aftermath set new standards in mine safety on the copperbelt — a painful form of progress whose cost had been 89 lives.

the zambian cities series continues. 🇿🇲🏙

zambia's most northerly city: mbala sits at approximately 1,700 metres above sea level on a plateau overlooking lake tanganyika — zambia's most northerly large town, 1,071km by road from lusaka. mbala district is the oldest district in zambia, first established as the tanganyika district in 1890.

the name: abercorn during colonial rule — named after the duke of abercorn, first chairman of the british south africa company. renamed mbala in 1968, derived from the imbala — a spotted bushbuck commonly found around lake chila. abercorn was a company chairman's title. mbala is the animal that lived here.

the founding and the slave routes: the original boma was established on the banks of the lucheche river specifically for its suitability for checking slave routes to the east. the slave trade had ravaged the region throughout the 19th century. the stevenson road (1883) — linking lake tanganyika to lake nyasa — was built as a porterage route for anti-slavery patrols. mbala sat at its northern terminus.

the first airport in central africa: the airfield at mbala — now samora machel international airport — was originally built by the african lakes company, opened in 1885. believed to be the first airport in central africa.

the golf course with the slave holding room: the golf course adjacent to lake chila is built on a site that, during the slave trade, functioned as an underground holding room for slaves being transported to the east coast through lake tanganyika.

the WWI connection: von lettow-vorbeck formally surrendered at mbala on 25 november 1918 — nine days after the ceasefire at the chambeshi river. the formal surrender at abercorn/mbala was the final act of the last campaign of the first world war.

kalambo falls: 25km from mbala, the second highest uninterrupted waterfall in africa at 221 metres. in 2023, excavations produced the world's oldest known wooden structure — a log platform dated to at least 476,000 years ago, predating the emergence of homo sapiens.

mbala is small, quiet, and extraordinarily old.

the KCM collapse and the IRH revival: the nchanga mine's recent history is a compressed version of zambia's entire post-independence mining story — ZCCM nationalisation, anglo american privatisation (2000), vedanta takeover (2004), provisional liquidation (2019) after vedanta was accused of failing to maintain operations and pay workers. international resources holdings (IRH) — a consortium including abu dhabi-based investment interests — completed its acquisition of a majority stake in KCM in 2024. KCM recorded a 366% production surge in 2025, reaching 80,215 metric tonnes — the most dramatic production recovery in recent zambian mining history.

the lobito corridor starting point: the proposed 800km greenfield railway — the zambian section of the lobito corridor — begins at the copperbelt's western edge near chingola and runs westward through north-western province to the angola border at luacano-jimbe. the railway begins where the copper is. without nchanga's and konkola deep's production as anchor freight volume, the zambian section's economics cannot be justified.

chingola is where the lobito corridor's most consequential chapter will begin. the same T5 road running westward through solwezi to the angola border traces the route the railway will follow. the same industrial supply chain currently serving nchanga will be the first businesses to participate in the supply chain a new railway generates.

the mimbula mine: commenced production in 2025, delivering 8,183 metric tonnes in its first year — a diversification of the local mining economy reducing the city's dependence on a single operator.

the chimfunshi wildlife orphanage: 60km northwest of chingola, one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world — founded in 1983, hundreds of chimpanzees rehabilitated including many rescued from the DRC bush meat trade.

the hippo pool: 10km north of chingola on the kafue river — a national monument since 1954, where permanent hippo populations live within minutes of the industrial city. the juxtaposition — hippos and open-pit mine waste — is the most concentrated expression of chingola's character.

population 256,560 (2022 census). 1,363 metres above sea level. lush green canopy. nchanga golf course — one of the best-kept in zambia.

chingola is where africa's largest copper mine operates, where the lobito corridor's zambian section begins, and where IRH has produced the most dramatic production recovery in recent zambian mining history. it may be, in the decade ahead, zambia's most consequential city.

the youngest copperbelt city: chingola was founded in 1943 — later than kitwe, ndola, and mufulira, which were established mining cities by the 1930s. founded specifically to service the nchanga copper mine. declared a municipality in 1957. known as one of the cleanest towns in zambia.

the nchanga mine: the largest copper mine in africa, owned by konkola copper mines (vedanta resources and ZCCM investments holdings). the nchanga open pit workings lie in a crescent-shaped arc 11km long around the west and north of chingola, covering nearly 30km². the deepest part of the pit is 400 metres lower than the surrounding plateau — the second largest open-cast mine in the world. the underground mine accounts for approximately 45% of total copper production. the site has its own smelting plant, refinery, and a 300-foot-high pile of tailings.

the kafue and the vedanta pollution case: in 2006, the kafue river — flowing past chingola approximately 10km to the north — was contaminated by sulphuric acid from the nchanga mine. in 2011, the lusaka high court required approximately £1.3 million in damages. in 2015, communities alleged the mine had again polluted the mushishima stream and kafue river. the UK court case brought by 2,500 zambian villagers against vedanta resources was eventually settled in january 2021 — establishing an important precedent for international corporate liability for environmental harm in the extractive industries.

the DRC border and the cross-border economy: the T3 road runs north from chingola through chililabombwe and konkola to lubumbashi in the DRC's haut-katanga province. the T5 road runs westward through solwezi and mwinilunga to the angola border. these two roads make chingola the most important road junction in zambia's northwestern mining economy.

the lamba people: before the mine and the colonial administration, the lamba people occupied the territory around what is now chingola. the copperbelt's pre-colonial name — ilamba or lambaland — derives from the lamba. their land was taken for mine development, their communities relocated. the nchanga mine's development in 1943 completed the transformation of lambaland from a pastoral lamba territory into an industrial mining zone.

the zambian cities series continues. 🇿🇲🏙

the bemba heartland: kasama sits at approximately 1,330 metres above sea level, roughly 856km by road from lusaka — provincial capital of northern province, which covers approximately one-sixth of zambia's total land area. widely considered the heartland of the bemba — one of zambia's largest ethnic groups, tracing their origins to the luba-lunda empires of the congo basin. led by their paramount chief — the chitimukulu — the bemba established control over the northern plateau through military conquest and long-distance trade networks. the chitimukulu's headquarters are maintained at mungwi, 51km east of kasama.

bishop dupont and the founding: joseph dupont — "moto moto" (fire fire), the white father missionary known for his red beard and intensity — arrived during the interregnum of the mwamba chieftaincy, positioned himself as caretaker authority during the crisis, and created the conditions for both catholic mission activity and british colonial administration to take root simultaneously. the first BSAC administrative boma was established at kasama for its proximity to the chitimukulu's and mwamba's courts.

the last battle of the first world war: general paul von lettow-vorbeck — the german east african commander conducting the most effective guerrilla campaign in the history of colonial africa — did not know the armistice had been signed on 11 november 1918. arriving at kasama on 12 november, finding the town evacuated, taking it without a battle. not knowing the war had ended, he continued his march. he received the telegram at the chambeshi river on 14 november 1918.

the chambeshi river is where the last ceasefire of the first world war was concluded — making kasama the last town taken in the last campaign of the great war, and the chambeshi river the last place on earth where the war formally ended.

the catholic mission legacy: the white fathers established the moto moto museum at mbala — one of the finest ethnographic museums in zambia, named after bishop dupont's bemba nickname. holy cross cathedral — seat of a roman catholic archbishopric.

the mwela rock art: approximately 10km east of kasama, over 1,000 individual paintings distributed across rocky outcrops at mwela rocks — one of the most significant concentrations of rock art in the entire southern african region. people were creating art in this landscape thousands of years before the bemba arrived, thousands of years before the colonial boma was built.

the zambian cities series continues. 🇿🇲🏙

the first quantum transformation: in 2001, first quantum minerals acquired a controlling stake in the kansanshi mine. in 2005, full-scale commercial copper production resumed. what followed was a demographic and economic transformation at a speed zambia had not seen since the original copperbelt boom of the 1930s.

population: 23,435 in 1990. 38,121 in 2000. 90,856 in 2010. 334,377 in the 2022 census — a nearly fourfold increase from 2010, representing one of the fastest urban growth rates in sub-saharan africa over that period.

kansanshi today: one of africa's largest copper mines, producing copper from both sulphide and oxide ores, plus gold as a significant byproduct. the $1.25 billion kansanshi S3 expansion was commissioned in 2025, substantially increasing processing capacity.

sentinel and kalumbila: the sentinel copper mine — approximately 140km west of solwezi in kalumbila district (carved out of solwezi district in 2016) — produces approximately 200,000 tonnes of copper per year. adjacent kalumbila township is a purpose-built, self-sufficient urban environment established in 2012 — a mining settlement built with the explicit intention of providing permanent, quality urban infrastructure from the outset.

the boom-town tensions: infrastructure development ran behind the swelling population throughout the 2000s and 2010s. as of 2015, only the main street, independence road, was named. water supply, sanitation, schools, and health facilities all struggled to keep pace.

the localisation question: the local content regulations (statutory instrument no. 68 of 2025) — in solwezi, not abstract policy. the difference between a mine buying cement from a solwezi supplier or importing from south africa; between local engineers in management or expatriate staff.

the lobito corridor: the planned 800km greenfield railway from chingola westward through north-western province will pass through or near solwezi district — connecting the province's mining economy to the atlantic ocean at lobito for the first time in history.

solwezi is the "new copperbelt." but unlike the original copperbelt — built by colonial companies whose priority was extracting value rather than building communities — solwezi has the opportunity, and the obligation, to be built differently.

the name and the people: solwezi takes its name from a local kaonde headman — chief solwezi — whose village occupied the area before the colonial era. the kaonde are the largest tribe in solwezi, alongside significant numbers of lunda and luvale people — all peoples whose origins trace to the luba-lunda empire migrations from southern congo between the 16th and 18th centuries.

the kaonde were among the first people in what is now zambia to mine copper — as an iron age metallurgical practice whose archaeological traces at kansanshi date back to the 4th century AD. the ancient copper pits at kansanshi were evidence of sophisticated, localised metallurgical knowledge — crucible reduction techniques for separating copper from ore, predating the european presence in the region by more than a millennium. when british prospector george grey arrived in 1899, guided by chief kapiji mpanga to the ancient mine workings, he was finding a place that had already been mined for fifteen centuries.

the early colonial period: kansanshi mine began commercial production in 1905 — the first mine in northern rhodesia to commence commercial production, predating the copperbelt mines by decades.

the century of intermittent development: solwezi never stopped growing throughout the twentieth century, even when the mine was not producing at scale. the city grew continuously through regional and rural-urban migration — because it was the easternmost urban centre of north-western province and the logical destination for people seeking education, services, and commercial opportunity. the mine was always there, always shaping the city's self-understanding, but the city had its own growth trajectory not entirely determined by the mine's fortunes.

the kifubwa rock shelter: approximately 6km south of the central business district, the kifubwa rock stream shelter — a national monument — contains rock engravings carbon-dated to approximately 6300 BC. among the oldest human artworks found in zambia.

the likumbi lya mize ceremony of the luvale people and the chiwila ceremony of the kaonde people — living expressions of cultural traditions whose roots predate the colonial period by centuries. the giant wild mushrooms known as chiyowa that emerge from the miombo woodland during the rainy season are another expression of a place whose identity goes deeper than its copper.

the zambian cities series continues. 🇿🇲🏙