Transit Amidst COVID-19: A Struggle for Pensioners

by Themba Sibanda

Transit across the country has become a hassle since privately owned commuters bus transporters were banned from operating in March, pensioners in the outskirts of Matabeleland say the situation is no longer manageable.

GWANDA, August 14, 2020. (The Citizen Bulletin) — SEVENTY-ONE-year-old Lilian Ndlovu from Nhwali village in Gwanda has all but given up on life.

She sits under the shed of a Jacaranda tree in central Gwanda town awaiting transport back home after a day of toiling. Her sad story of challenges is written all over her weary face for all to read. Looking closely at her, one can peruse through the chapters of her life’s story from the first to the very last.

Despair is written in bold letters.

Things have turned upside down and she, given her age, has run out of ideas on how she could piece the pieces of her life’s puzzle together to give her hope for the future.

Now, in the midst of COVID-19, she faces the burden of navigating new challenges ushered in by the global pandemic.

As a recipient of an approximately ZWL $400 monthly payout from her late husband’s pension, she is expected to commute to Gwanda town monthly, about 60 kilometres southwest of her village, to access the funds.

This is the first hurdle she needs to overcome.

“Our village is far away from Gwanda business centre,” she says.

“For us to get here, we have to hike as there is no public transport. Buses stopped plying our route in February. We are told that it will take time for the buses to come back because of this Coronavirus thing,” she adds.

Ndlovu and other villagers in her area, when commuting, have to fork out as much as R50 for a one-way trip to Gwanda and another R50 for the return trip home- money that transport providers demand in foreign currency.

Public transport operator, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO)’s buses that are allowed to transport the public do not get to this part of the world as they were deployed to ply routes closer to the town centre.

“To add to our woes, we have to pay these people who provide us with transport in foreign currency. They want their R50 in hard forex, not even in our local currency. They say they buy their fuel in foreign currency and they can’t charge us in Zimbabwean dollars. If you do not have the foreign currency, you run the risk of not getting the transport to the town centre,” she says.

Ndlovu tells this writer that problems with transport to and from Gwanda town can only be described as a precursor to bigger problems they encounter on a regular basis. In the event that one succeeds to get transport, they then have to face up with roadblocks all the way to the town centre that police have put up in an effort to curb the unsanctioned movement of non-essential workers. Here, the police demand letters that allow people to move around — despite this requirement being outlawed recently by the courts. Being a pensioner is often not a good enough excuse for them.

“Ngwanaka (My son), the police officers and the soldiers who man the roadblocks are very hostile to people, even elders like us. They harangue people. They shout and punish people all in the name of enforcing the law.”

Lilian Ndlovu, 71-year-old pensioner

 She adds: “There are times when we are forced to sit in the sun as punishment for moving without permission.”

A successful trip into the city is not the end of their woes, sometimes the banks cannot serve them due to network challenges.

“Those with relatives have lesser problems. If you don’t have relatives like some of us, you end up sleeping outside banks because we do not have the money to go home and come back the following day,” she says.

Councillor Thulani Moyo of Ward 9 under the Gwanda Municipality says community leaders had advised the government to facilitate transport for people in Ndlovu’s situation such as pensioners and elders to avert a crisis.

However, no action had been taken by the central government on the advice the leaders had proffered.

“We know that the situation here is very bad when it comes to our people accessing services in Gwanda,” said Moyo.

“We, as community leaders, have pleaded with the government, through the minister of State (Abednico Ncube) that some buses or some form of transport should be availed to elderly people and pensioners on a given date to enable these people to come to Gwanda town and sort out their issues in as far as groceries, pensions, and all other matters that concern their lives is concerned. Promises and undertakings have been made in this regard, but we are yet to see these promises coming to fruition,” Moyo said.

The former mayor of Gwanda, Thandeko Zinti Mkandla, who has now devoted his time to helping the elderly, says there is a need for the ministry of public service, labour, and social welfare to come up with programmes that will benefit the elderly and pensioners during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have a lot of challenges facing our elderly people and pensioners here.”

Thandeko Zinti Mkandla, former mayor

“These people have serious challenges that require urgent attention. We have had to deploy our own resources at times to come to the rescue of some of these families. It is now critical that the powers find answers to the challenges these people face, especially at this point in time when we are faced with this COVID-19 issue. The government cannot continue to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to these people’s challenges,” Mkandla says.

Do you have a coronavirus story to share?

WhatsApp us on: +263 71 863 6460.  Email us on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.