By Dalphine Tagwireyi
Zimbabwe’s fragile economy has pushed unemployed and desperate graduates into spending their time patching potholes in an effort to make a living.
It has now become a norm for motorists to pay them as they patch up damaged roads.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, 29-year-old Gerald Makambani from Harare said he has shelved his psychology degree certificate as he has been struggling to get a job since 2018.
“I didn’t know that I would trade my graduation gown for wheelbarrows, picks and shovels, but every morning, I take my tools and find potholes on any nearby busy road,” he said.
“I had grown tired of applying for jobs because I wasn’t receiving any favourable response. We have a broken economy, so there is no way I will be employed any time soon. So I now have to hustle.”
Makambani said his parents were against his idea of patching up potholes, as they said it was embarrassing for a graduate to be doing menial work.
“They have now accepted it, after seeing my frustrations of applying for jobs for five years with no luck. Instead of being a menace to society, I would rather make an honest living, as I take home R90 daily.”
Zimbabwe’s road infrastructure is dilapidated and in 2021, the government declared the roads to be a state of disaster. However, nothing has been done to date, as potholes have become the order of the day countrywide.
Thirty-year-old Tinashe Maxwell Mbedzi said that he chose to put away his graduate degree certificate at home. He felt it was a better option to fill potholes, compared to other unemployed graduates who end up abusing drugs.
“They are failing to cope with reality, and so taking drugs is a coping mechanism to escape from reality. Spending the whole day patching up potholes is better than destroying my life with drugs. And though things are hard, I will never lose hope,” he said.
A Harare motorist, Washington Marumbi, said that the young men are doing a great job.
“Our municipalities are failing to fix roads, so we always give these guys tokens of appreciation whenever we can, as they are actually saving our lives, because potholes cause accidents.”
Pictured above: A member of parliament assisting young men patching up potholes after the rains in Harare
Image source: Supplied
