Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province and the Kabwe District, with a population estimated at 288,598 at the 2022 census. Named Broken Hill until 1966, it was founded when lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe also has a claim to being the birthplace of Zambian politics as it was an important political centre during the colonial period.

Kabwe is an important transportation, farming and university centre. Kabwe is becoming a major agricultural hub for the country is the headquarters for Zambia Railways and prison services. Additionally the mining industry has been important to the economic development of the region. However, because of the exceptional contamination of the city with lead and other toxins, and the effects of these on local children's health, a March 2022 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment identified the town as a sacrifice zone for industry.

History

Headquarters of Zambia Railways

thumb|left|upright|Part of the railway near Kabwe under construction (ca. 1906)

The first railway in the country, operated by Rhodesian Railways when the territory was administered as North-Western Rhodesia the rail line reached Broken Hill mine as early as 1906, and the town became the northern base for the railway, which was the second biggest employer after the mining industry. A locomotive maintenance facility was constructed there. In 1909 the railway reached Ndola in the Lambaland which was to become the Copperbelt.

The railway workers' unions played a large role in the politics of the country. In racially segregated colonial times before Africans had the vote, the town was the seat of Roy Welensky, leader of the powerful Rhodesia Railway Workers Union (RRWU), who became prime minister of the ill-fated Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which was opposed by the Northern Rhodesia Railway trade union (the black Africans' union) led by Dixon Konkola and also based in Kabwe. The settlement is on the edge of the Lukanga Swamp, and is thus vulnerable to flooding. A 2014 report indicates that children's blood lead levels continue to be elevated even though mining has stopped. A 2020 study, found high levels of lead and cadmium in blood levels. A March 2022 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment identified the town as a sacrifice zone for industry.

A class action lawsuit was launched against Anglo American plc, alleging that it ignored the required safety standards despite knowing about the harms caused. Anglo-American was the majority owner of the mine from 1925 until its 1974 nationalization by the Zambian government. A certification hearing was held at the High Court of South Africa's Johannesburg branch in February 2023.

Transportation

Kabwe is on the T2 road (Great North Road) to Kapiri Mposhi in the north (with a branch route to Ndola) and Lusaka in the south. It is also on the Zambia Railways line.

Accidents and incidents

On February 7, 2013, a bus collided with two cars south of Kabwe, killing 53 people.

Industries and agriculture

Historically the economy of Kabwe has been dominated by the mine. Other industries include pharmaceuticals, milling and cotton ginning, and Kabwe's first Drinking Water Plant (Aquador Purifed Water) and leather tanning.

To the east of the city are the hydro-electric power stations of the Mulungushi Dam, Mita Hills Dam and Lunsemfwa Falls, built to power the mine and town.

Commercial farming areas surround the city about 10 km from the centre, and the road and rail links provide ready access to the markets of the Copperbelt and Lusaka.

Mine

The name Kabwe or Kabwe-Ka Mukuba means 'ore' or 'smelting' but the European/Australian prospectors named it Broken Hill after a similar mine in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.

In 1921 a human fossil, a skull, dubbed Kabwe 1, also "Broken Hill Man" or "Rhodesian Man" (classified as Homo rhodesiensis or Homo heidelbergensis) was found in the mine.

Anglo American plc became the majority owner of the mine in 1925, until the mine was nationalized in 1974 by the Zambian government, who closed it in 1994.

Institutions and attractions

  • Mulungushi Rock of Authority, north of the city
  • Mulungushi University
  • Kabwe Warriors football club
  • Zambia National Service Training School
  • Chindwin Barracks and Kohima Barracks (Zambian Defence Force)
  • Mulungushi Boat Club, Mulungushi Dam
  • Kwame Nkrumah University, a public institution of higher education
  • Paglory University
  • Ellensmere High School

Notable people

  • Wilbur Smith, novelist
  • Michael Norgrove, boxer
  • Tutwa Ngulube, politician
  • Tommy Tiernan, comedian - lived here

References

  • http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/the-rebirth-of-kabwe-town/
  • http://www.bmrplc.com/kabwe_mine.php
  • https://www.investincentralzambia.com/wordpress/kabwe-district-profile/
  • https://www.mindat.org/loc-4341.htm
  • https://www.zambia-info.org/country/town/1316/kabwe