The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
WHENEVER people talk about condoms, they do not do so publicly, for what comes to mind is the traditionally taboo subject of sex that people often speak about in hushed voices, but wait until Ms Sharon Chipango, a Zupco bus driver tells her story about the condoms that are a permanent feature in her tool bag.
She bared her soul about sexual harassment in her industry, saying a number of female drivers were harassed out of employment while some suffered unfavourable working conditions from their male bosses for resisting sexual advances.
The 39-year-old Ms Chipango known by her legion of passengers and other travellers as Mai Zviko, said her tool bag at any given time contains spanners and condoms. The condoms, however, have nothing to do with her engaging in sexual encounters or sexual harassment cases. They do not tell a story of her not being sure of herself and the temptation that may befall her, neither do they tell a story of her preparedness for eventualities. They have nothing to do with the National Aids Council’s awareness campaigns and advice to outgoing people. She is married. In fact, she is a mother of four and says her husband is well aware of the condoms that she keeps in her tool bag. They have everything to do with her work, they have become an essential tool that deserves a place among the spanners. Not because she is a mechanic but like any motorist or driver a tool box is as essential as a driver’s licence.
She uses the condoms to tie pipes in the event they burst. According to her the condoms are very strong, stronger than rubber tubes (amarekeni). They do not respond easily to heat. She says ever since she discovered that she has been keeping them in her tool bag.
“The first time I experimented with condoms was when a pipe burst when I was in Jerera on my way from Chiredzi to Bulawayo. My return pipe burst and I phoned the office. The guys were worried and asked whether I would be able to get a replacement in Jerera since it was on a Sunday. We failed to get the pipe but a soldier who was among the passengers told me to look for a condom. It sounded funny but out of curiosity I used it and it did the trick. We drove all the way back to Bulawayo without any problem,” she said.
Mai Zviko said when they got to the depot the manager asked what she did with the burst pipe and she told him she used a condom.
“They couldn’t believe it and so the whole workshop came to see. They didn’t know a condom can effectively serve such a purpose. So, from that time I made sure to include condoms in my tool bag,” she said with a chuckle.
She said for the past two years she has been travelling to Francistown (Botswana) from Bulawayo and back on the same day. She said the journey was a difficult one and other companies have two drivers but she would go alone and come back.
“We would leave Francistown at 3pm, it’s a night bus so sometimes you really feel the urge to sleep. It’s painful, you would just be praying that God help me so that I arrive safely,” she said.
She said women drivers were not treated any differently from their male counterparts but lamented sexual harassment at the workplace.
“We are not treated in a special way. Any route that our buses ply can be taken by any other driver. We exchange buses and sometimes you can be given a problematic one. So you just need to accept it and take your spanners. The challenge that is common is that of sexual harassment. Men want to take advantage of women.
“It happened to me. I had a case with a colleague but it was dealt with by the human resources and it ended internally. Another lady was harassed in another town by her superior who was interested in her. She resisted and her life was made difficult, she was denied duties and sometimes she was given buses known to have mechanical faults. She was later transferred back to Harare,” said Mai Zviko.
She said Zvikomborero was the name of her daughter and when she visited the garage the foreman had to familiarise the name Mai Zviko and even brought a banner with the name Mai Zviko which became the name of the bus.
On the road she said she competes very well with buses that were known for speed. In cases of a breakdown like a tyre puncture, she said passengers were always ready to offer a helping hand. “Passengers always take it as their duty to assist which I think is very commendable.”
Born on 21 September 1980 Mai Zviko joined Zupco in 2015 through a programme of women empowerment where there were a group of women trained by Zupco. She said prior to that she was working in an office.
“I was an office lady for your own information but I changed. It was just going opposite worlds. Driving long distances was painful at first, but I have become used to it. It’s an adventure. I meet new people every day and it excites me. I am someone who is very sociable,” she said.
She, however, believes women are better drivers than men.
“Men can be reckless at times but we are now used. At times you drive the vehicle in front, behind you and yours. Sometimes you see someone sleeping on the steering and hoot to wake them up or sometimes you just overtake them and go, you just react accordingly,” she added.
Mai Zviko says she has a cordial relationship with passengers.
“I have a WhatsApp group of my passengers where there are more than 100 customers that I will be communicating with. They book seats and others send parcels and groceries. We just received word that one of my passengers lost a child and we are contributing towards the funeral and arranging that those who are close go to the funeral. You end up being relatives from those social engagements and I enjoy it.”
