Most Greeks who arrived in Beira in the late 19th century worked in the construction of the railway line, under the control of the Rhodesian Railways company which was then renamed to "Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique". The works began in 1891 and the railway line that started from the port of Beira would terminate in the capital of Rhodesia, Salisbury. The conditions faced by the Greeks, Indians, Chinese and others workers were very difficult not only because of the nature of the project, but mainly because of the diseases that plagued the region and the attacks of the wild animals. The 60% of the Europeans who constructed the railway line Beira-Salisbury died of malaria.
At this point it should be stressed that the Greek presence was crucial to the completion of the railway link between Beira and Salisbury because of their expertise and their prior experience in similar projects both in Asia Minor and Egypt. Moreover, the Greeks were also resistant to the extremely harsh climatic conditions and the dangers of the jungle. In February of 1897 the railway reached Umtali, on the border with Rhodesia and in 1899 it reached Salisbury.
