The Sunday News
Thembekile Ntuliki, Sunday News reporter
WHILE others might be begging on the streets, an 80-year-old man from Nkulumane 10 in Bulawayo has been surviving by voluntarily helping motorists park their cars at one of the city’s shopping malls.
Those who have parked at Bulawayo Centre along JM Nkomo Street can testify to have gotten help from a weary old man often clutching a sjambok.
Mr Amos Dube does not demand payment but only gets help from those willing to appreciate his services and this has raised enough income for him to take care of his family for the past 15 years.
He told Sunday News that he lost his job as a supervisor at Kango more than 15 years ago and he has found solace in helping motorists“I will probably do this until I die,” he said.
Mr Dube’s days are mostly routine, he said he wakes up daily in the morning and by 7 am he will be at his spot waiting for those coming to shop at the centre.
In some cases he looks after cars for those who will be parked the whole day.
Born and raised at Ezimnyama village in Plumtree, Mr Dube said he left the village to look for greener pastures in the 1990s, where he got the opportunity to first work as a photographer at R.A Muranda studio in Harare for about four years and left after he got a better opportunity to work at Kango in Bulawayo.
He worked as a supervisor and later lost his job after he made a mistake that he still regrets up to date.
He then started working in parking lots.
“It was after I lost my job at Kango that I worked as a part timer in different places.
That is when I met a white man who introduced me to this industry and gave me a job in front of Shoprite at Bulawayo Centre before it became Choppies.
We used to make a lot of money there,” said Mr Dube.
He said he has five children, some in the diaspora but they are not supporting him, so he opts to do the job to support his wife and two grandchildren.
He has hope, that despite his advanced age, God can still guide him through his job for many years.
“We were taught how to protect ourselves and how to make money to feed our families.
All we could do was look after people’s cars and make sure they are in the right place, although now times have changed.
I believe I can still protect myself as old as I am and as long as I can put food on the table, I will not stop doing it and I believe God looks after his own.
“I made a silly mistake, and I was close to getting my pension money, only if I held on a bit my life would be a bit different today.
I still regret my mistake, but all is in the past now.
It opened a new door for me which enables me to provide for my family although I do not get much money from it.
It has become a passion rather than a job If I stop doing this, I do not have anything else to do yet I have mouths to feed,” said Mr Dube.
With the introduction of the new parking system (Trendy Three Investments (TTI) and parking fees,Mr Dube’s job is on the line and now employed marshals are manning some of the bays that used to be a cash cow for people like Mr Dube.
Mr Dube said he makes about USD30 per week.
