Bruce Ndlovu Gender Correspondent LAST week, the government, through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, announced p...
Bruce Ndlovu Gender Correspondent
LAST week, the government, through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, announced plans to phase out commuter omnibuses, commonly known as kombis. The move is aimed at easing traffic congestion on city streets, thus gifting the country’s long suffering public transport users with a system that is friendlier to their everyday needs. The government has already committed itself to consulting widely with stakeholders to prevent any hiccups that could, if things don’t go well, leave customers high and dry. Kombis are the most common mode of transport in the country and implementation of the new transport system would have to be spot on to make sure that an adequate substitute is readily available when the roll out of the new system starts.
Although some will be sad to see the end of the commuter omnibuses business, a demise that may prove a logistical nightmare for authorities since commuter omnibuses are the staple mode of transport for the majority of transport users, one group of people that should be rejoicing at the phasing out of the kombis is the female segment of the population.
The poor treatment of women by kombi drivers is well-documented. However, what is bizarre is how this treatment has over the years become largely accepted, with few speaking out against it, while those that do speak are mostly doing so to an audience that has resigned itself to the status quo. It is in this regard that authorities and the general public should hang their heads in shame and only raise them again when a new transport system that is friendlier to women is implemented.
For most women, getting a ride from Basch Street Bus Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, has turned into an ordeal to be endured rather than the normal part of a working day. For starters, kombi drivers and their touts have over the years transformed themselves into the city’s fashion police, eager to weed out women whom they consider to be indecently dressed. Many women have been stripped naked after arriving at the terminus “improperly dressed”. What constitutes inappropriate dress at the terminus depends on the mood of the touts and drivers, who may attack anyone wearing clothing ranging from miniskirts to other figure-hugging outfits. The drivers and touts, who are a law unto themselves at the terminus, seem always ready to tear the clothes off anyone who goes outside the boundaries of what they consider decent dress.
What makes the situation at Egodini and other such terminus in the country even more dire is that the actions of the operators are welcomed with applause by conservative forces in society, who believe that the perpetrators are merely taking corrective measures and thus are providing a helping hand in enforcing decency in a country that is rapidly losing its moral compass.
Such behaviour is now generally accepted, with most women now aware that if they are to survive a walk through the terminus, they have to dress to meet the harsh standards of the kombi operators. The sight of a woman being stripped naked or abused by the kombi operators is mostly greeted with looks of amusement than cries of outrage, with most already numbed to the outrageous behaviour of commuter omnibus operators.
Nkulumane 11 resident, Bongiwe Ndlovu, confirmed the fear that is felt by most women when they go to Egodini. She said that whenever she had worn an item of clothing that she feels revealed too much flesh, she would arrive at the terminus by taxi to ensure that the kombi operators only got a glimpse of her. A longer look would leave her at the mercy of touts who circle the terminus like vultures; ready to take down any woman whom they feel is not dressed to meet their standards.
“You must be careful about what you wear when you go to Egodini. At TM Hyper it is much better but even then you have to be careful. Whenever I have felt like the dress that I was wearing is too short I usually board a taxi that drops me next to the kombi that I am boarding. To walk through the terminus in a short skirt would really be asking for trouble because those guys have no mercy,” she said.
The negative behaviour of the kombi operators does not stop at monitoring dressing habits of women. Kombi operators have also made it an art to prey on young schoolgirls, most of whom are underage. Drivers plying the Nketa, Emganwini and Nkulumane routes use their influence to sway the affections of girls from Founders High School and Montrose Girls High. Most girls of school going age are naïve and oblivious to the consequences of what such a romantic alliance means. For the girls, it may all seem innocent fun, as they get free transport or more pocket money; however, in return the price they have to pay is usually higher, with unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases on top of the list.
Kombis have also down the years been known to provide light entertainment to their users through the usually humorous stickers that emblazon their interiors. For most these stickers merely provide a distraction as they make the long journey to or from the city centre. However, a more inquisitive look reveals how these stickers perpetuate age old stereotypes that many around the world have worked tirelessly at eradicating. Signs proclaiming that, “Girls are like a bus, if you miss one you can catch another around the corner,” or, that, “If women were good God would have one”, merely perpetuate the denigration of women in a more subtle and less obvious way.
Many around the world, Zimbabwe included, have denounced the capture and detention of 230 girls in Nigeria by terrorist group Boko Haram. While this is admirable and indeed honourable, one would like to see an equally committed effort at trying to convince kombi operators to be more civil in the way they deal with women. The outcry at the wave of violence unleashed by the religious extremists in the West African country is justified but it seems insincere when undercurrents of oppression bubble underneath the surface of Zimbabwean society.
A new transport system as proposed by the government should thus usher in a more professional and humane way in which transport operators, not only in Bulawayo but across the country, deal with female passengers.
LAST week, the government, through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, announced plans to phase out commuter omnibuses, commonly known as kombis. The move is aimed at easing traffic congestion on city streets, thus gifting the country’s long suffering public transport users with a system that is friendlier to their everyday needs. The government has already committed itself to consulting widely with stakeholders to prevent any hiccups that could, if things don’t go well, leave customers high and dry. Kombis are the most common mode of transport in the country and implementation of the new transport system would have to be spot on to make sure that an adequate substitute is readily available when the roll out of the new system starts.
Although some will be sad to see the end of the commuter omnibuses business, a demise that may prove a logistical nightmare for authorities since commuter omnibuses are the staple mode of transport for the majority of transport users, one group of people that should be rejoicing at the phasing out of the kombis is the female segment of the population.
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| A woman being attacked for wearing a miniskirt |
For most women, getting a ride from Basch Street Bus Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, has turned into an ordeal to be endured rather than the normal part of a working day. For starters, kombi drivers and their touts have over the years transformed themselves into the city’s fashion police, eager to weed out women whom they consider to be indecently dressed. Many women have been stripped naked after arriving at the terminus “improperly dressed”. What constitutes inappropriate dress at the terminus depends on the mood of the touts and drivers, who may attack anyone wearing clothing ranging from miniskirts to other figure-hugging outfits. The drivers and touts, who are a law unto themselves at the terminus, seem always ready to tear the clothes off anyone who goes outside the boundaries of what they consider decent dress.
What makes the situation at Egodini and other such terminus in the country even more dire is that the actions of the operators are welcomed with applause by conservative forces in society, who believe that the perpetrators are merely taking corrective measures and thus are providing a helping hand in enforcing decency in a country that is rapidly losing its moral compass.
Such behaviour is now generally accepted, with most women now aware that if they are to survive a walk through the terminus, they have to dress to meet the harsh standards of the kombi operators. The sight of a woman being stripped naked or abused by the kombi operators is mostly greeted with looks of amusement than cries of outrage, with most already numbed to the outrageous behaviour of commuter omnibus operators.
Nkulumane 11 resident, Bongiwe Ndlovu, confirmed the fear that is felt by most women when they go to Egodini. She said that whenever she had worn an item of clothing that she feels revealed too much flesh, she would arrive at the terminus by taxi to ensure that the kombi operators only got a glimpse of her. A longer look would leave her at the mercy of touts who circle the terminus like vultures; ready to take down any woman whom they feel is not dressed to meet their standards.
“You must be careful about what you wear when you go to Egodini. At TM Hyper it is much better but even then you have to be careful. Whenever I have felt like the dress that I was wearing is too short I usually board a taxi that drops me next to the kombi that I am boarding. To walk through the terminus in a short skirt would really be asking for trouble because those guys have no mercy,” she said.
The negative behaviour of the kombi operators does not stop at monitoring dressing habits of women. Kombi operators have also made it an art to prey on young schoolgirls, most of whom are underage. Drivers plying the Nketa, Emganwini and Nkulumane routes use their influence to sway the affections of girls from Founders High School and Montrose Girls High. Most girls of school going age are naïve and oblivious to the consequences of what such a romantic alliance means. For the girls, it may all seem innocent fun, as they get free transport or more pocket money; however, in return the price they have to pay is usually higher, with unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases on top of the list.
Kombis have also down the years been known to provide light entertainment to their users through the usually humorous stickers that emblazon their interiors. For most these stickers merely provide a distraction as they make the long journey to or from the city centre. However, a more inquisitive look reveals how these stickers perpetuate age old stereotypes that many around the world have worked tirelessly at eradicating. Signs proclaiming that, “Girls are like a bus, if you miss one you can catch another around the corner,” or, that, “If women were good God would have one”, merely perpetuate the denigration of women in a more subtle and less obvious way.
Many around the world, Zimbabwe included, have denounced the capture and detention of 230 girls in Nigeria by terrorist group Boko Haram. While this is admirable and indeed honourable, one would like to see an equally committed effort at trying to convince kombi operators to be more civil in the way they deal with women. The outcry at the wave of violence unleashed by the religious extremists in the West African country is justified but it seems insincere when undercurrents of oppression bubble underneath the surface of Zimbabwean society.
A new transport system as proposed by the government should thus usher in a more professional and humane way in which transport operators, not only in Bulawayo but across the country, deal with female passengers.
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