90-year-old Bulawayo man still a kombi driver

AT 90, most people would probably have given up on the fast moving city life and what more if one spends most of his time behind the wheel of a commuter omnibus. But that is not the case with one dedicated commuter omnibus driver from Bulawayo's Mzilikazi
suburb, who is still going strong at the grand old age of 90. He has no plans to give up on his more than half a century old passion - driving.
Standing firm, with his sight still as good as that of a teenager, pint-sized George Enias Marambakuyana, popularly known as Gada-edumayo celebrated his 90th birthday on 3 March with friends and family, where he spoke of the life journey he has travelled so far.
The great-grandfather, who is originally from Hurungwe in Mashonaland West Province and resides at Thokozani Flats in Mzilikazi, still drives commuter omnibuses - a job he has been into for the past 60 years.
Although the country's laws state that the cut-off age for drivers operating public vehicles is 70, Marambakuyana, boldly boasted of how he had never had a brush with the law.
"I enjoy driving. It is my passion. I have been at it for as long as I can remember. I, however, now limit myself to Fridays and Sundays, as I have since hired a crew to drive the car for me. Ever since I started driving, I have never had a scuffle with the law and have never been involved in any road accident. The person who taught me how to drive made sure that I practised caution and maintained a stable mind while behind the wheel. I don't need to do a re-test to assess my capability on the road, as I have confidence in myself and I have never once been involved in an accident," he said.
Today he owns a commuter omnibus, a red Toyota Hiace, which he holds as his pride and joy, since it brings him food on the table.
Rewinding his story back to 1963, when he bought his first car, an Austin Cambridge, Marambakuyana said he feels he is living his dream.
"I bought my first car in 1963 and the feeling at the time was just sublime. Although it was deemed illegal to drive commuters around, I felt it as my duty to ferry people from home to work. I bought the car while I was working for a company called General Accident Assurance. Because it was my dream to drive I managed to save enough money from my earnings to buy a car," he said.
Marambakuyana said as time went on different types of cars came onto the market and he felt the need to get what was trendy then.
"I used the Austin for a couple of years before I sold it and bought a Peugeot 404 station wagon, popularly known as o-asinabeni. At that time I had grown to be very experienced and felt it was my duty to impart my knowledge and skills to other people.
Because I had already been driving for a long time, I became known as the sage of most commuter transport operators at that time. I taught most of these whipper-snappers how to drive and the tricks of the trade," he said.
When the Peugeot 404s era came to an end, being pushed off the market by trendier models, Marambakuyana said he sold his, opting to buy a Volkswagen, which saw him grow even more popular with commuters and others in the business.
"I then bought a Volkswagen, popularly known as ibhombo in 1997, which made me more popular with commuters who would scramble to get into the vehicle," he said animatedly.
Marambakuyana grew up in Magunje area in Hurungwe, in a family of nine children.
"I was born on 3 March 1924; there are only two of us remaining in our family. I attended Charles Gray School, where I only went up to Standard Four before I ran away from home and came to Bulawayo in 1949 to look for employment. I was in the company of my friend when I ran away from home. I had no bus fare and actually snuck into a train and hid under the seats all the way from Harare to Bulawayo," he reminisced of his naughty but yet adventurous childhood.
Once in the City of Kings, he found out he had nowhere to go after his friend abandoned him in Makokoba.
"My friend abandoned me on arrival and I had nowhere to go or anyone to turn to. So I made my way to Woodville, where I spent the night under a tree. The following morning I walked to town where by sheer luck I bumped into another friend from school, who was as surprised as I was to meet in Bulawayo. I then told him about my predicament and he gave me some temporary accommodation at his workplace in Kingsdale. I would go to the house where he worked at 11pm and sneak out at 4am so that I did not get him into trouble with his employers.
"After a couple of weeks of difficulties I was fortunate to find a job and was offered accommodation by a certain white man. I worked as a messenger at his home. I would also do the gardening," he said.
He later got me a place of my own in Makokoba, where I met my first wife, who I then married in 1963, after moving to a bigger place, here at Thokozani Flats. Sadly my wife passed away in 2004 and I then remarried another wife, who sadly also passed away in 2009," he said.
After the death of his second wife, Marambakuyana said he found love and solace with his present wife Nomathemba Gumede (39), whom he said has been a pillar of strength and a shoulder to lean on.
"My third wife has been there for me through thick and thin and I love her dearly. I have eight children with one following in my footsteps of having a passion for driving. He drives a haulage truck. The other is an engineer in South Africa," he said.
Asked what his secret to longevity was, he said he made sure he stayed away from alcohol, cigarettes and women.
"I managed to get to this age because I made it a point to stay away from alcohol, cigarettes and women. A healthy lifestyle will definitely add more years to your life," he said.