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Transport costs ground workers, employers
Ephraim Nsingo, Inter Press Service (IPS)
October 13, 2008

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=44234

Every evening, Barbara Taruvona, the owner of New Styles Hair salon in Harare has to face a queue of her employees at the entrance to her office for their daily cash allowance for transport.

"At times I struggle to get enough cash for all of them to go home and be able to come back the following day. We used to give them weekly transport allowances, but now that the fares are changing daily, we are now giving them allowances every day," she told IPS.

Employers in Zimbabwe are grappling with the rising costs of public transport for their workers. A single trip on a commuter omnibus costs the local equivalent of 60 US cents at the parallel market exchange rate. Fares are reviewed daily in response to changes in the exchange rate. On Oct. 10, it cost Z$7,000 to get to most high-density suburbs in Harare.

"It is not that we are not sensitive to our customers, but our fares are directly linked to the cost of fuel. Rising costs of transport shouldn't be viewed in isolation, they are just but a symptom of the crisis we are in as a country. Unless the real problem is solved, commuters will continue to suffer most," said Taona Zinumwe, who runs a fleet of commuter omnibuses in Harare.

With Zimbabwe's inflation officially pegged at 231 million percent, public transport costs have been rising on a daily basis, and this presents a great challenge on ordinary workers who commute daily to and from work. Harare operators are snubbing further destinations like Tafara, Mabvuku and Chitungwiza, forcing some workers to "sleep in" at their workplaces, going home on weekends only.

"This may get me in trouble with the authorities, but we have no option," Taruvona said.

But there is a related challenge that has almost grounded Taruvona's business: she cannot withdraw her money from the bank. Businesses are allowed a daily maximum withdrawal of only Z$10,000. This was equivalent to one US dollar on Oct. 10.

"The money I am allowed to withdraw at the bank is not enough for the transport requirements of one employee. As you can see, I have a team of 13 female hairdressers, eight male barbers, and an administration complement of three members. To make things worse, most of my clients pay using cheques, and these take many days to clear. I have to make do with what I get from the few customers who pay in cash. If it continues like this, I may have to close shop."

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) recently banned the use of electronic transactions, and all transactions are now in cash or bank certified cheque. This has impacted negatively on business, forcing some companies -- including the country's second-largest conglomberate, fast foot and retail giant Innscor Africa -- to suspend operations.

In addition to the frustration this causes, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President Lovemore Matombo said rising transport costs are disrupting productivity in the work place.

"Because of exorbitant transport costs and the cash crisis at banks, most workers are failing to report for duty five days a week. They can only work for eight hours for the whole week, suggesting that 80 percent of production is lost per week," said Matombo.

"Some workers spend much more money on transport than they earn at the end of the month. In as much as workers are be willing to continue at their job, the current circumstances are now making it impossible for workers to report for duty."

Because of the struggles they face in going to work, noted Matombo, the very survival of some key economic establishments is now under threat.

"Workers are carrying the burden of irresponsible political decisions, and that is not good for us as a country," he added.

Gertrude Munetsi, a commuter from Chitungwiza -- a satellite town about 30 km south of Harare -- said unlike in the past when transport was a small fraction of her total spending, it is now her major expense. She is an attendant at a leading outfitter in Harare.

She said: "When I started working here nine years ago, I managed to put my children to boarding school and bought a house in Chitungwiza, and would go shopping at the end of each month. Right now, I can no longer do all those things as all the money goes to transport. I am struggling to take my nine-year old son to a conventional primary school in Zengeza (a suburb in Chitungwiza)."

Civil servants have also been left helpless by the exorbitant costs of transport.

"Teachers can no longer afford to go to work. In fact, the government is now sponsoring an industrial action by teachers by not giving them enough money. Teachers' salaries are just not enough even to take them to the nearest payment point to withdraw money, so they just sit home and do nothing," said Takavafira Zhou, president of the militant Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ).

Clever Munatsi, a rank marshal at the Market Square Bus Terminus -- the biggest taxi rank in Harare -- said over the last three months there has been a significant decline in the number of people who board minibuses at the rank.

"There has been a big decline. Most people have resorted to walking, while others now prefer open trucks, which are cheaper. Those who still board here always complain our fares are too high," said Munatsi.

According to an official from the Ministry of Local Government, which regulates commuter omnibus routes and fares, it is currently difficult for the government to control the operations of public transporters.

"At the moment, we are all waiting for the constitution of the inclusive government. Most plans are based on the operations of the new government, and it's really difficult for us to control them," said the official, requesting anonymity.

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