Misheck Shambare: September 2014

Misheck Shambare

With unemployment rate soaring in the country which independent analysts speculates to be over 85 percent many people in the country are struggling to make ends meet.

The situation is even solemn as the leading country’s places of higher learning continue to churn out thousands of graduates every year but with no new jobs being created.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU), a workers representative body has projected that more than 400 people are being retrenched every week with no exclusive packages.

In these calamitous situations many people have resorted to any means possible that will make them any a decent living and some of these people are women who are helping long distance commuter omnibuses to get their customers.

Dressed smartly these ladies go to undesignated long distance commuter omnibus ranks and conspire with kombi crews to masquerade as budding travelers already in the Kombi yet it will be a smear team in the Kombi deceiving prospective travelers into believing that the Kombi is already full and is about to go.

These women operate at the exhibition park rank for the Bulawayo-Gweru Kombis, Second street extension for Mt Darwin-Bindura rank and along Samora machel for Murewa-Bhora omnibuses.

Tendai Kanyepa, Gweru-Harare kombi driver said these women play a significant part into loading of our buses.

“Travelers have a tendency of getting into nearly full Kombis which at many times is not this case.

“It’s not easy to load passengers into a Kombi from scratch and with the help of these women it would seem the Kombi is already full yet its empty in actual sense,” said Kanyepa

These women will leave one by one in the Kombi they have aboard as real and prospective passengers come aboard.

When one passenger enters the Kombi one of the women leaves and in a chronological like that until the Kombi is full with latent passengers.

After the job each woman gets 50 cents or R5 for their services and a Kombi can hire at least eight of these women per load which is nearly close to half of the people who board the Kombi.

“In a good day we make close to $10 and $15 depending on the time of the month,” Emily Sande one of the woman who is into these trade said.

These women have find a way to earn a living through cheating travelers who at times prefer to hitch hike private motorists who will be going along their destination because they are fast compared to the Kombis.

“Travelers appear to be on the rush each time they are looking for faster means of transport which at times is not available hence they look for alternatives.

“These highway passengers do not want to be the first ones to be in a kombi and rather prefer a Kombi that is near full that’s where we come in making them believe the Kombi is full yet it’s not,” said Sande.

However highway passengers did not have kind words for these women siting that they are making them late to their destinations.

“It is not like I do not want to be the first few passengers in the Kombi but sometimes I will be rushing against time thereby I would like to board a Kombi that is nearly full,” said Lawrence Chirenje who was going along Binura highway road.

“Sometimes these Kombi drivers make you sit in the Kombi while they are making unnecessary rounds looking for prospective travelers which is stressful,” added Chirenje.

Urban Commuters Operators of Zimbabwe President Simbarashe Ngarande said it was unfortunate for these passengers to be tricked in such a way, but he however urged these highway travelers to board Kombi at designated points.

“Passengers have the right to board whatever takes them fast as possible to their destinations but for these unlucky passengers they found themselves stark in these Kombis.

“It is imperative for Kombi crew to be honest to their passengers and for travelers they should board their transport at designated ranks,” said Ngarande

Misheck Shambare

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