Friends of the Rail Forum

The catchphrase “Cape to Cairo” was first coined in 1874, by Edwin Arnold (editor of the Daily Telegraph) and was taken up by Cecil John Rhodes as a call for the “Civilisation” of Darkest Africa. To Rhodes, civilisation meant the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the vast interior of the African continent. Like him or loath him, his vision helped to turn South Africa into the industrialised nation it has become.