The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu
In 2020, Sandra Jambawo did the extraordinary.
She stepped aboard a bus, got behind the wheel and set off on her route.
At 51, she had finally fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a bus driver.
Despite having been employed as a driver for over 25 years at various local companies, she always wanted to drive a public service bus.
She would not allow societal norms and the fear of working in an environment that seemed designed for men to discourage her from pursuing her dream.
“Zimbabwe is one of the few countries where women are not seizing the opportunity of being in male-dominated industries,” she told The Sunday Mail.
“Whenever I visited countries such as South Africa, I would see women driving buses and haulage trucks, and I admired them so much.”
The opportunity for her dream turning into reality knocked on her door two years ago when she saw a newspaper advert calling for applications for bus drivers at the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company(Zupco).
She wasted little time in tendering her application.
To her delight, she was offered the job, which she took up without hesitation.
Jambawo was deployed to ply the University of Zimbabwe-Pendennis route in Harare.
“In 2020, I applied for the post of female bus driver at Zupco and was immediately employed, and I am currently stationed at Belvedere Depot. Of course, the depots, the buses and the workstations were not really designed with women in mind.
“But that does not mean women should be totally excluded,” she insisted.
In the past, passengers would double-take when they got aboard a bus with a woman at the wheel. Back then, driving public service buses was considered a “man’s job”.
Today, however, women such as Jambawo are bucking the trend and making steady progress in taking up these “men’s jobs”.
At Zupco, her daily routine involves rubbing shoulders with her male colleagues, who all seem to have accepted her as part of the team.
Her passengers, comprising mainly youthful University of Zimbabwe students, revere her courage and commitment to service and passenger safety.
At work, she has assumed the informal role of counsellor (Tete) of sorts for her younger colleagues, who often seek her out for life advice.
Testament to her popularity among her workmates, interviewing her at the Zupco’s Belvedere depot was a challenge as the interview was repeatedly disrupted by her colleagues wanting to exchange pleasantries and small talk with their “Tete”.
She said she has learnt a lot about dealing with people from different spheres of life through her work.
“One of the most important qualities for any bus driver is punctuality,” said Jambawo.
“My first trip begins at 6am. I have to be at Rezende Bus Terminus by 5.45am and conclude my day around 6pm.
“It is my job to ensure that the university students get to their lectures on time, so I have to be there on time.”
She is not the only female bus driver debunking gender stereotypes at Zupco. Caroline Mupanduki (50), who is stationed at the parastatal’s Chitungwiza depot, is also carving her own piece of history at Zupco.
Mupanduki grew up surrounded by heavy vehicles. Her father owned haulage trucks when she was growing up.
As a result, she started learning about driving large vehicles at a very young age at the behest of her father.
“When I turned 16 years old, my father told me he wanted to give me a lifetime present,” she told this publication.
“My father owned haulage trucks, so I had the privilege of not only driving at a young age, but driving haulage trucks.”
She was subsequently employed as a haulage truck driver at her father’s company for seven years.
She would traverse Southern Africa in her truck, reaching destinations as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Along the way, I met women driving buses and thought to myself that I should try driving buses as well,” she said, as her eyes glistened.
She, however, had to cut short her long-distance driving career after she got married.
“I had cut down on my trips to take care of my family.”
Eventually, she had to settle for being a housewife. But the urge to get back on the road remained. When the Government began reviving Zupco in 2018, Mupanduki’s passion for driving was instantly rekindled.
When Zupco advertised driver vacancies, she did not hesitate to go for the requisite medical tests, defensive driving testing before acquiring a Class One driver’s licence.
She then applied for the job in 2019, which she was subsequently offered.
Mupanduki then made history, becoming the first female driver at Zupco’s Chitungwiza depot. She now plies the Harare-Chitungwiza and Harare-Murambinda routes.
She admits that driving a public service bus on Harare roads requires extra skill and effort on account of the rampant indiscipline by most drivers on the road.
The two women said they often have to contend with ogling and sometimes coarse comments from male passengers. They, however, refuse to allow the negativity to affect their work.
“Both of us drive manual transmission vehicles and this surprises a lot of men,” added Mupanduki.
“I have encountered a lot of men who move to the front of the bus to get a glimpse of me changing gears and only after that are they satisfied that I am capable of driving.
“Other men are inspired and ask about how they can become drivers at Zupco.
“We have also come across men who prefer female-driven buses who reckon women are better and more cautious drivers.”
Caroline thinks women should not shy away from male-dominated industries.
“Some countries such as South Africa have embraced the idea of women working in the transport sector. You will find quite a number of women driving buses or haulage trucks, and it’s very normal,” she added.
“So I want to urge women to get their driver’s licences and join the transport sector.”
