CAPE TO CAIRO

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 24 October 1942, Page 5

CAPE TO CAIRO

VITAL BRITISH LIFELINE RESOURCES FOR EGYPT The < 'ape to < :airo’ land < troop's fighting in the* battle for Egypt. As long as that route remains undisturbed, the huge material reserves of South Africa can be transported to the battle front, the United Nations will have less reason to be apprehensive of Rommel’s onslaughts. Britain, says a writer in the Melbourne “Age,” took extreme care to clear the road which leads from Capetown to Cairo. That was one of the reasons for the intensive campaign in Abyssinia. The only “foreign flank” on the route now is Portuguese East Africa, for Belgian

Congo belongs to the free nations who fight Axis despotism arid Italian Somaliland is checked. The route, however, is not only important for the reason that it is the lifeline to our battle front. It provides also the vision of a well-disguised Nazi aim—the conquest of South Africa. The battle for Egypt means more than the fight for the Suez Canal and the Middle East; British-African positions are in grave danger. Cecil Rhodes was the man who visualised an all-British “Cape to Cairo Route.” He could see the importance of a direct contact with Egypt, and did his utmost to realise his plans, which took place at last in 1925. Capetown and Cairo are 5000 miles apart as the crow flies. The railway mileage extends to 7000 miles, out of which before war broke out, about one-third was still to be constructed. Probably that task is already accomplished, but as the route is guarded in secrecy no news leaks out.

Wars have greatly helped to bring closer South Africa and Egypt. In the north the line from Alexandria to Cairo was opened in 1856, and extended southwards almost half a century later; the reason being military operations. The Sudan campaign carried the railway line across the Nubian desert to Khartoum, in 1899Another eleven years elapsed, then the line reached Sennar, its southern terminus. A HIGH ADVENTURE From south to north its development was, according to that of the South African railways, as far as it entered Central Africa. As recently as half a century ago it was considered high adventure to travel across the dark continent- Not only in times when Livingstone, Stanley and Emin Pasha went into the unknown to return years later, or, perhaps, never again, but even in 1928 passengers faced the unexpected in Central Africa. Only then did it become possible to pass from Capetown to the Egyptian border by public mechanical means without leaving the territory administered by Great Britain.

Public servants, gold miners and scientists who travelled along the line before 1928 often complained about the “unexpected.” This frequently took the form of doubling the price of fares and the luggage. “You had to pay,” an old experienced traveller said, “three times more for a fare to Cairo in the ‘good old days,’ and you could consider yourself lucky it wasn’t more. It was easy to face a lion with your gun or carry out warfare against hostile natives, but what could you do when the native carrier dropped your luggage, complaining of fatigue, and wouuldn’t carry it further unless he was better paig? It wasn’t the common native who carried out that plan but more often the gang leaders— Arabs or half-castes they were.” Taking the line from south to north the journey starts at Capetown, a quiet city with many historical relics of early colonisation in that province. In the narrow but clean streets one can see English, Boers and natives, Mahometan women, still veiled—those who came from Zanzibar and Mombasa, and brought their religious customs with them. The city seems to be silent, almost asleep. The people are very much “Cape to Cairo” conscious. They often speak, and with pride, about the tremendous possibilities which are sure to come when the “line is consolidated.” The war will ensure that.

Leaving the Cape province, the line runs through the Transvaal. On the outskirts of Johannesburg huge sandhills, glaring in the strong African sun—products of the gold mine industry—and natives, sitting lazily at the suburban stations in European clothes, instruments of the gold-mining industry, break the monotony of a long journey. Johannesburg differs from Capetown in being gay and cosmopolitan in times of peace. Money counts only in fortunes; wages and prices are high; it is a modern metropolis built out of gold. AN AFRICAN BROKEN HILL Through the ever-changing scenery of Rhodesia wild life is abundant. Great flocks of zebras and antelopes take to flight at the roar of the train which arrives at Broken Hill, after a steady climb of 5879 ft. Broken Hill, like its namesake in Australia, is a mining centre. Lead, zinc, vanadium and ore reserves are exploited, and provide a valuable support to the wartime contribution in raw materials. The township was established in 1903 and named after the Australian centre because of the somewhat similar formation of its hills. Golf links, tennis courts and bowling greens indicate the sportmindedness of the population. The Anglican church is one of the prettiest in South Africa. There is a Wesleyan, a Dutch and a Roman Catholic church as well. Four churches to a European population of 1200 bear witness to a spirit of faith and devotion.

From Broken Hill- to Kituta, on Lake Tanganyika, the journey is continued in a streamlined, comfortable bus, over a distance of 583 miles. Every moment reveals the fascination of Africa, explored but still unrestrained. Native huts, herds of animals, a blazing sun, and a dusky driver on the front seat; the latter takes the curves with amazing speed, almost with ferocity. From Kituta, which has deep water close to the shore, a fortnightly service took the passengers on their way to Cairo. Lake Tanganyika is 2590 feet above sea level, and has a superficial area of 12,700 square miles. It takes two days by ship to arrive at Kigoma, whence, to Mwanza, the 470-mile journey is done by train. Mwanza, on Lake Victoria, is the centre of the “Lake province,” which has seven districts and a population of approximately 1,500,000 natives and 6000 Asiatics. Only a very small number of Europeans lived there in peace time. Gold reefs and diamonds have been found in the district. Rice, ground nuts, cotton and other produce amounting to 30,000 tons are exported, and to-day

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probably they provide a valuable contribution to our war effort At Lake Victoria during the last war hostilities broke out, but eventually the British and Belgian forces forced the Germans to retreat. A CALL TO CIVILISATION Mwanza means another disruption of the all-land route from Cape to Cairo. From here to Kampala a steamer must again be taken, and it is a matter of five days before arriving there. Kampala is the chief commercial centre in Uganda, and has a direct railway connection with Mombasa, 884 miles distant. It is a lively town, and a great commercial and missionary centre. It has a club with a splendid ballroom, golf links and hotels. There are newspapers in English and native languages, a European hospital, and motor cars in the streets. They all break the spell of the African loneliness. It seems like a “call on civilisation” on a long, trying, though fascinating journey.

From Kampala to Juba again motor service is needed. Juba is the and the Sudd district. The country is flat; the climate is tolerable until the rainy season, from March till June. Then erratic rains make the atmosphere sticky and unbearable. Juba is an important centre, with the Governor’s residence, a fair number of Europeans, amongst them many Greeks, who are mainly occupied in commerce. It is a pleasant trip in the comfortable steamers of the Sudan railways to travel down the Nile to Khartoum, and then to Cairo, which altogether takes fifteen days. As through Africa we find the epoch of exploration, mingled with primitive life, the first steps towards civilisation. On the trip down the Nile there are many reminders of the violence of history, the striving for culture, the slow evolution, and sudden downfall of nations which lived, fought and died there.

To-day the urgent need is supplies in men and material to tight the Nazis. Not only railways and steamships are the means of transportation; more so are the roads, which transverse one another by a tangle of little lines, growing in number every year—all-weather roads and dry-weather roads, with the signs of the local automobile clubs pointing towards Egypt, where Africa’s fate might be decided.