Tar surfacing (Tara yemusana)

We do praise South Africa a lot for their state of the art infrastructure, especially roads but many do not know that Zimbabweans have over the years played a big part in the development of such. I sometimes wonder if the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development is aware that we have thousands of Zimbabweans who can do road construction well.

When South Africa was gearing up for the successful 2010 FIFA soccer world cup; many rose to the opportunities especially in construction.

Amazingly Zimbabweans as innovative as ever introduced TAR SURFACING mostly to South African households, businesses and eventually some were subcontracted or contracted by big companies to do road works of national roads, freeways, runways etc.

I did not consult with the guys who pioneered tar surfacing hence won't mention their names but this is the true events of what transpired.

Around 2006/2007 some three guys from Harare, well skilled in civil engineering came to the high density of Tembisa to do their trade; first of its kind by individuals as mostly big companies and the municipalities were heavily involved in road tar works.

They printed boards, TAR SURFACING with their mobile numbers clipping them on poles at intersections around areas mostly in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Buying hot premix asphalt (bitumen) was very expensive and only the rich could their drive ways, private roads to be tarred.

One day, these guys visited the asphalt plant in Roderpoort, South of Johannesburg to buy tar for a piece they were serving for a client around. They talked to some drivers transporting (using 10 ton single and 20 ton double diff trucks) tar to highways. They struck some good deals that were later used for a lengthy of time as a twenty ton hot premix (covering a ground of exactly 300 square metres). They charged around R120 a square metre and obviously scooped R36 000 with expenses of less than R6 000 and that is inclusive of everything (buying tar, hiring equipment, labour and other). Such a job, unlike paving bricks takes a day or two to complete hence R30 000 profit (tax was avoided in most instances). Mostly these guys did from five hundred to more than a thousand square metres hence they profited big time.

By the end of 2007, a few Zimbabweans were heavily involved in tarring mostly of households' tar works (driveways, car parking's, private roads, pot hole filling) etc. They afforded to buy luxury cars most the Mercs and BMWs worth more than R300 000 and cash. Mostly would own three to five or more private polished luxury cars and only a few added business equipment (bakkies, tippers, TLBs, bobby cat, graders, asphalt pavers, dump levellers, penetrometer etc.)

Taste for preference was the order of the day. More money meant more wives and many girlfriends for most (meant vana vakawanda vasina vana baba), show off etc. Leaving the high density for the low density suburbs for many tar bosses (long before xenophobia), paying high rents some even two places for two wives and other rentals for girlfriends. Some received a lot of calls from banks who offered to help expand their businesses after huge sums of monies were deposited in their accounts (metre and couple).

Some would even empty everything in pubs/spots and enjoy with friends. Parties every Friday were common with a livestock slaughtered. One tar boss even went to a "whites only" pub to enjoy there. They reminded him that though he had a lot of money, the place was for whites only (long after apartheid was buried, it is still the case with some whites). This tar boss also boasted that he had sex with almost every colour (Indian, blonde, brunette, Arab, Asian [Thai] prostitutes etc.). I heard some would transfer money to girlfriends as far as Harare and hook up in Beit-Bridge just to spend the weekend. Some would pay a fortune to have sex with a celebrity lady. A lot of promotions by tar bosses for top Zim musicians to do shows in Joburg or Pretoria (Macheso). (WHEN MONEY SPEAKS ALL LANGUAGES).      

Exploitation of fellow Zim workers was the order of the day for these tar bosses; that is they were used, misused, abused and then ditched into the sewer. Such was an awakening for these beasts of burden as they quickly learnt to be their own bosses (not a lot of rocket science involved) and retaliating by taking clients from their former bosses and charging lower (between R50 and R80 a square metre).

By the end of 2008, many Zimbabweans probably close to a thousand were doing tar surfacing (a few South Africans, Malawians and others as well). This service was on demand and with many suppliers meant lower chargers mostly the newcomers as they charged from as little as R30 to about R45 a square metre (liitle or no profit at all). Many could not cut costs and could not deliver on time as there was stiff competition for tar mostly meant for the highways hence the tar bosses would scramble for left overs. Only renowned tar bosses got such tar first. This resulted in mostly tar bosses charging lower, either doing a mediocre job (less thickness, used BTB, rubber hot premix [rough cheap tar] etc.) or running off with the deposit and disappearing into thin air). They would convince a client by bringing just a wheelbarrow, a few spades, couple buckets of prima etc. The client (convinced that the job is about to start) would pay a deposit of between R5 000 and R50 000 or even more. It is always difficult when a client pressurised them into accepting a far too low charge, with rent to pay, food and so on you would feel for these guys. Mostly the rich clients would lure them by telling them that Zimbabweans are very clever, well-educated and not like lazy South Africans but deliberately paid low to such tar bosses who harvested thorns at the end of the day.

Some two guys were luck that after they charged R97 000 for a four thousand square metres, a white lady who seconded tarring for paving bricks warned them that the company was a platinum mine giant and was not broke. She told them that for paving, a white contractor had charged R650 000 and the guys quickly changed their quote to R320 000. They won the job and obviously thanked the lady somehow. It helped them to buy themselves each a double cab Toyota and some stands back home. Mostly white contractors would charge between R500 and R600 a square metre for the same job. Most whites started marketing for the Zimbos, charging a lot and rewarding some Zimbos with something for continuity.   

Tar truck drivers (main supplier) became increasingly clever â€" if on that day the tar was on demand, they made the Zimbos to bid; only big names won at the end of the day because of their influence. Some who again charged lower would also persuade the drivers to offload at a client's premises promising that the client would not hesitate to pay. Having done that, they will tell the driver that the client will pay later or other excuses and leaving him/her with no choice as he/she has to rush and load; also as stolen staff there is little one can do (one man's loss, one man's gain).

The loan sharks (mashonisa, vezvimbadzo), benefited well in this industry. Tar bosses when broke would borrow from them, R50 000 to more than R100 000 and leaving a car worth double as collateral. The interest was 50% a month and most would obviously fail to pay. Only a few tar bosses gained as garages would value such cars way below the borrowed money. The loan sharks became clever by requesting the garages first to rate the cars their worthy and only then would they part with their borrowed money. A number are millionaires today.

Recently as it was difficulty to get tar, vana hwindi also joined acting as middle man (with a lot of influence) between tar bosses and truck drivers (suppliers), charging way above the price of drivers. Zimbos have since realised that probably when one charges the right price and buying straight from the plant, you can make a good life out of it. The problem is that hot premix asphalt is still very expensive and mostly for the rich. Probably chip and spray is better.

You tour around many cities of South Africa today you will see these boards "TAR SURFACING".

Embarrasingly many Zim missed the big opportunity to make it big for themselves (forgot it wouldn't last forever hence did not make hay while the sun shined), but those few who got the opportunity used it well and they are living well deserved lives through "TARA YEMUSANA".

AMAZING HOW ZIMBABWEANS LEARN FAST.