Oakhaven - Choosing servants in Zambia

With the heat in the early forties it became obvious we needed someone to get the housework done in the cool of the morning. My wife, Elice, had plenty of colonial advice - don't get one who speaks good English, they're con men and will steal you blind - don't get one who is well dressed, especailly if they have a briefcase, they will be crooks - don't get one who is scruffy, they won't wash and clean properly. I came home from work one day to find her worried. 'A chap came who spoke good English and was smartly dressed and had a letter case with his references in it and I've asked him to start work tomorrow. I hope I haven't made a mistake,' she told me. His name was David Banda and he was from Malawi and we couldn't have had a better helper and friend. People would drop by to talk to him and, in the end, we discovered he wrote letters and gave consultations on marriage and other issues. He had been working for the Chief Constable before he came to us and, like many of the Zambians I worked with, was as straight and honest as the day was long. Another experience of settling in, like Mrs Jackson in Oakhaven.

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