Forgotten wheels Once source of great pride and joy koNtuthu Ziyathunqa
GOLDEN Siziba remembers how in this heyday, he would ride home with his colleagues, the sweat still dripping on his back after a long day of moulding leather into fancy shapes at a shoe-making factory in Bulawayo’s industrial areas.
Siziba’s ride of choice was a black horse, although in spite of the name, this was no ordinary stallion. As he faced a blood red sunset setting on Bulawayo’s western horizon, Siziba was astride a metallic thoroughbred, the famous Raleigh All Steel bicycle, commonly known as umbombela in the City of Kings.
For Siziba and many other workers in Bulawayo’s then flourishing industries, the black horse was not only a means of transport, but a source of great pride and joy. One could measure the amount of love they had for their “wheels” by how much tender loving care was poured towards their sleek metallic beasts. Some would have the fanciest side mirrors, perhaps illustrating to arrogant drivers whose vehicles coughed out black smoke that the road belonged to both their chosen modes of transport. Some would adorn their bicycles with the colours of their favourite football clubs, perhaps to serve as a reminder during work breaks that joy awaited them when the week was over and their team took to the field.
On weekdays, however, after long days of work, Siziba and hordes of other working men would make the long trek back home on their rides. As they cycled in a single file, one could have mistaken them for Tour De France riders on the last leg of a particularly gruelling stage of the famous race.
Instead of winner’s podium where only a few could be acknowledged for their skill and tenacity, these determined men knew that the only reward waiting for them was a gallon of some of the smoothest opaque beer at their nearest beer garden.
“We used to earn our money at the end of every week so we knew that there was always something to drink at the end of the day. No one went to fancy bars those days. Most family men spent time at their local beer garden,” he said.
That was the old Bulawayo, where the factories belched smoke throughout the day, blew life into the city’s economy and gave koNtuthu Ziyathunqa its iconic nickname. The cycling did not stop with the working men, however. Owning a BMX was a rite of passage for many a young man growing up in Bulawayo.
“Personally, for me it started in primary school when my mother bought me a bicycle,” recalls Davison Feliate of Skies Cycling Group. “While my school was close, I would ride after school and meet up with other guys, during weekends it felt like you have your own little BMX cycling club. Then in secondary school, I began riding everyday from home to school in Mzilikazi. So, it became more of a need for me to cycle than a want.”
As he got older, however, Feliate said he also got to understand the economy of the bicycle. However, unlike those that had come before them, this new generation was as much obsessed with style as they were with substance. The black horse was now abandoned in favour of mountain bikes with mechanical disk brakes.
“When I left school, I continued cycling because of the people I was working for and that’s when I bought a more modern bike, a racer because I used to ride from work in Barham Green. So objectively I have been riding since primary school so while cycling is a hobby, it’s more than that to me,” he said.
A glance at the skyline and bicycle tracks would suggest that Bulawayo’s industries has indeed seen better days. The smoke barely chokes the cloudless afternoons in the city, while the few cyclists who use the city’s roads remember what the cycle lanes are for.
However, the city is now looking to bring back this tradition. Last week, the city launched its Smart Mobility initiative, which seeks to embrace cycling as a lifestyle to promote healthy living while also decongesting the city and reducing carbon emissions in line with the smart city concept.
The initiative was launched under the theme “Asitshoveni” meaning “Let’s cycle.” According to Feliate, Skies Cycling Group was one of those approached by the city fathers to help kick-start the initiative.
“The initiative was meant to conscientise the public to the fact that cyclists are people because we have a hard time on the roads. Cyclists are not given right of way and drivers are not cyclists conscious and that’s why we need to have an escort to show drivers that cyclists also do deserve to be on the road if they are cycling in a single file and they adhere to the rules of the road,” he said.
In its confidential minutes from July this year, council acknowledged that cycling was in the city’s DNA, although the city seemed to be like a man running away from his own shadow, to the detriment of its own local economy.
Historically, Bulawayo was a cycling town, employees from most big companies used bicycles as a cheaper mode of transport to go to work. The City had big companies that used to manufacture bicycles and spare parts as well as employing a considerable number of people. Furthermore, there were vibrant cycling clubs competing at international level, and goods were delivered in the City by bicycle messengers, resulting in reduced congestion in the Central Business District.
However, the cycling culture had disappeared and the City has moved to expensive modes of transport. It was against this background that the City intended to reintroduce cycling culture to revive the industry. Below were some of the benefits of reintroducing cycling culture or reviving the cycling industry
The city also emphasised the fact that cycling has deep roots in Bulawayo, largely because it combined leisure and sport, two historically loved pastimes in Bulawayo.
“The early history of cycling was designed as a technical invention, designed it as a vehicle, and others as a racing machine. In Bulawayo, Queen’s Sports Club was formed in 1895, built a cycle track in 1896 and five years later King’s Sports Club was formed. Cycling combined the best of both worlds the social and the sporting aspects at picnics. By the end of the 1950s, cycling had become an African sport, attracting 10 000 spectators. A banked cycle track was erected at Barbourfields and White City stadiums, the latter built into international standards. In July 1963 Alpha Athletic and Cycling Club sent five runners and two cyclists to South Africa to compete in non-European championships. In modern day Bulawayo, cycling as a sporting activity would give rise to sporting activities, which might give rise to sports tourism and accelerate local economic growth,” the minutes read.
Council also acknowledged that the abandonment of cycling had led to some of the public transport problems that the country has faced over the last two decades. The benefits of a viable cycling culture however, go beyond an efficient public transport system.
Transport was a major component in the economic landscape of Zimbabwe. In the past, the Zimbabwe transport sector was dominated by Government-owned transport systems and the cycling community. Today, despite the presence of Government-owned transport system, the cycling culture had deteriorated, and this had led to a strain in the transport sector, thereby giving birth to illegal transport system, inflating the transport cost. This alarming transport cost had thus eroded the incomes of the general public of Zimbabwe. The use of bicycles as a mode of transport would increase the disposable income of workers to meet other critical obligations. Cycling was thus an alternative cost management tool which could increase the real income of the general public and improve the Human Development Index (standard of living) of the citizens of this city,” council said.
While the city pins its hope on an industrial revival in the 21st century on a revival of the both cycling culture and the bicycle making industry, die-hard cyclists like Feliate insist that Bulawayo must start pedalling again just for the sake of its own physical and mental health.
For the purposes of fitness bicycles are very important because regardless of age, anyone can ride a bike. It is also a mode of transport but for us as a group it’s also a great stress reliever because on average, we ride for two-and-a-half hours per day and during that time we talk and socialise. We do this three times a week and that totals to about seven or eight hours which makes a vast difference in our lives. We get to see animals on Matopos Road and its just fun. It’s something that’s extremely addictive and once you start you can’t stop. It involves so much, its not just getting on a bike. The people that you ride with, the routes that you guys take, all give you different experiences as you go out every time,” he said.