The female bus conductor

By Melody Gwenyambira

“ONE ASARA, one asara Copacabana,” a female voice pierced the air as a commuter omnibus pulled out of the road.

When I glanced at the kombi, I saw a pint-sized chubby woman standing next to the kombi who said to me, “Huya uende neya mother yazara.”

In the blink of an eye, another kombi pulled right in front of me and the bloke said to me,

“Huyai tiende neyazara iyi sister. ”  

A “cold war” erupted right in front of me as the two “fought” on who was going to get the passenger.

I saw myself walking towards a white kombi which was painted garishly, (well, all kombi’s are now colorful these days although this one was too much.)

It was not the bright orange and green colours that attracted me to it.

It was the way the conductor had fought her battle to win me over.

She stood her ground demanding that I was her rightful passenger.

Emily Chiponda as I later learnt has been in the transport business for the past 15 years, yes for more than a decade.

“Dealing with these boys is the last thing on my mind. All I just want to do is to fill up my kombi and make sure that my passengers are happy and comfortable,” she said.

The 43-year-old mother of two, who divorced in the 1990’s, has placed herself at the helm of “emancipation” of women in the division of labour.

Emily is one of the many women who have removed the “stigma tag” that is carried by a job title.

Being a bus conductor is considered a man’s job because of its nature.

As a result it is a male dominated field.

“My husband left me and I had to fend for our two children. I was not employed and I did not have any formal qualifications or training so I approached my friend who was working at Sagombetu Bus Services,” Emily said.

Emily was hoping that she could get a job to fend for herself and children.

As she wiped the sweat on her brow while narrating her story on this hot winter afternoon, the famous words of her namesake Emily Dickson rang in my head,

 “HOPE is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all and sweetest in the gale is heard.”

Emily told me how she had looked for a job in all “the industries” and failed to get one.

It was only one thing that kept her moving forward and brought her to one Mr Dube a transport operator, HOPE.

She had the hope that she would get a job so at that time she was looking for a job she did not enhance herself with an education but went on to look for the job that she got.

It was hope perched in her soul and her hope was furnished in totality.

“I took the job because I wanted to take care of my kids,” she said simply.

There are some jobs that are regarded as “male jobs” because of their nature.

Being a conductor or hwindi calls for one to have great people skills, strength and resilience but above all being calculative and expecting anything.

 “I started working as a conductor since 1998 up until now and I don’t have any hopes of retiring soon. The money I have earned is the money that has taken my kids to school and fed them,” she added.

Now a grandmother, Emily loves her job and does it so well,

“One asara Copa Cabana,” has become Emily’s anthem.

Emily has also earned herself the title “Engine” from her colleagues from Beedzo Transport where she has been employed for the past two years.

The name came after the foreman was pleased with the way she was performing on her job and he started saying “Mother muri engine yebhazi.”

Emily’s job description does not come easy just because she is a woman she does what is expected of any conductor.

Apart from collecting money from the passengers, Emily can also do all the tricks of standing by the door with one hand holding on while gesticulating with the other to invite passengers while the car is in motion.

 “The job does not come easy. I have to make sure that we do not miss any passengers and I also have to fill up the kombi. The most difficult task is when you don’t have change and everyone is baying for your blood,” Emily said.

“I have developed relations with the people and some even leave their change and come back later. They just look for me at the rank. It easier for them to trust me because they regard me as their mother.”

Emily’s colleagues showered her with praises,

“She is very easy to work with because of her sociable character. We all love and respect her and we take her as our mother. We cannot even compare her to other men because she works harder than them,” said a driver from Beedzo Transport.

Emily starts work at 4am and finishes at 7pm and her bus plies the Dzivarasekwa-City Centre route.

“I am not sure how many trips we have a day as it’s the driver who records them. I earn enough money to sustain myself ,” Emily highlighted.

Life has not always been rosy for the grandmother, who has often been ridiculed,

“It is mostly women who ridicule me. They laugh and say how can you do a man’s job?

“Some have asked how I manage to do all these things considering my weight and body size. That does not hinder me at all. I can do anything,” she said.

“Well, there is no job for men and neither is there any job for women. It is one’s mindset that ushers them to think that. I can do all the things that the next person can do. Give yourself a chance and an opportunity you will be surprised at what you can do.”

Emily who hails from Gutu in Masvingo says she is happy that her hope saw her making achievements in life,

“I sustained myself and kids with the money I earned through this job. I am happy with what I have done. My children are now grown up and have their own families.”

A lot of women have taken up jobs that have been regarded as masculine jobs.

Women can never be equal to men but they also need the same opportunities.

Equality is not about taking the place of the man because even the Bible states that the man is above the woman, it is the equal access to opportunities in jobs and other aspects of life.