Female bus driver bares all . . . Condoms in tool bag, sexual harassment

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.

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