Above: Pupils visiting an iconic tree called “Ingombe Ilede” (sleeping cow)which is a heritage site;
Left: Choma declaration podium in Choma
modern toilets, shower rooms and urinals. A water
reticulation reservoir with three water points has also been
put up. The septic tank and socker ways are waterborne.
These facilities which were none existent before now serve
the tourists to the site in a humane environment. Ing’ombe
Ilede falls under East-Central Region following the
realignment of Chirundu District now under the jurisdiction
of Lusaka Province. This site next to Pambazana Village is
situated close to the confluence of the Lusitu and Zambezi
Rivers. It is an Iron Age prehistoric site on the highest point
of a ridge of the same name.
Additionally, the Mulobezi Open Air Railway Museum
was rehabilitated which included painting of two steam
locomotive engines, five wagons and cranes in the core
site area. The storeroom made of timber housing historical
metal objects was renovated in full. This goes side by side
with routine site clearing and maintenance of the grounds.
These works have complimented the Zambia Railways
programme of upgrading the railway line from Livingstone
to Mulobezi and government policy to promote tourism
besides uplifting the situation and condition in the newly
created Mulobezi District of Western Zambia. This is an
historic site of industrial revolution in Zambia. The site was
a Sawmills Plant which was in operation from 1911 to 1990s
and was declared a National Monument in 2009 to preserve
and present outstanding rolling stock among the first to
reach the African Continent. The rolling stock was used to
transport timber from the forest to the Sawmills Plant. The
site thus offers a celebrated perspective in the exploitation
of one of Zambia’s endowed natural resources – Zambia’s
Teak. Along with the Railway Museum in Livingstone,
this site and the Railway line give a complete history of
the construction of the railways to the commercial and
industrial development of Zambia.
Finally, the mega development and preservation works
have been at the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site. No
holds bar, ahead of the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation General Assembly the National Heritage
Conservation Commission transformed the Victoria Falls
to an adorable spectacle. A steel fence was constructed to
enclose the falls area; a modern electronic ticket office,
new curio market, and state of the art ablution block were
constructed.
As if that was not enough, overlooking the old ticket
office (now verification point) a new coffee shop was as
well built. All the walk trails, viewing points in the site were
worked on not forgetting the erection of directional signage
and disclaimers.
In short the rehabilitation of the landscape together with
a major new interactive exhibition on site really transformed
the Victoria Falls giving our greatest and most famous
monument the attention it deserves.
TL
Z
TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
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