On the farm: Joys and tales

Sydney Kawadza Senior  Features Writer
Huddled in the corner of the store, the old man gazes blankly outside while nursing a two litre container of opaque beer. He slowly strokes the grey stub on his chin in a reverie that would be associated with a person making a grand plan that can change the course of the world.Unfortunately, his blank stare is nothing but a reverie of the good things that seem to be buried in the past, a past that he would never experience.

Gondayi Magurashu is a regular at Tara Bar but his trips to the watering hole have become inconsistent because he can no longer afford the luxury of his beloved “scud”.

A stone’s throw away from the bar, a group of tired-looking schoolchildren share a loaf of bread.
It being a Friday, it is evident that they knocked off early, that is, around 1pm but it is almost 4.45pm and it does not look like they are anywhere near their homes. They await tomorrow, when they will trade the pen for the hoe on the fields for part-time work — known in these parts of Zimbabwe as “migwazo” — on surrounding farms.

Farm workers here engage in the routine of mechanical labour and wondering if they will be able to make ends meet. That sums up a day for farm workers who “service” the farms at Hota, Mapere, Chigamba, Rimbiki, Miclem and others in Mvurwi.

The lives of the people at the farms are deplorable with the shortage of almost everything that would make the bare minimum comforts. They live in mud and pole houses. They lack proper healthcare and education. The natural seasons — and the whim of their employers — define their daily lives.

There is no shortage of babies, as many women here are almost always either pregnant or chasing after toddlers who will one day join the daily drudge.

Lazarus Petros of Suwoguru in Mvurwi sells second-hand clothes to farm workers.
“I have observed that as much as they work hard the money is not enough to cover all their expenses and when we sell our goods to them we do not expect to receive the whole payment.

“The arrangement is on mutual agreement that I get part of the money as they get paid so that I do not get disappointed or get into fights. We are trying to assist each other,” he says.

Chidziva Farm owner Mr Bigboy Parafin says life on the farms is very difficult, even for the farmers.
“People here face serious cash shortages even for us who own the farms. We have to pay them but sometimes it is very difficult to pay them,” he narrates.

“There are people who are lucky enough to have a few extra dollars and they can afford to spend on those who are desperate. Some clever people use this money to lure another man’s wife.

“Look at this time of the year, some have their children being sent away from school for non-payment of fees and the people who loan out their money can be manipulative.

“Some of the people cannot afford to pay back the money and are taken advantage of because they are just poor,” says Seleman Makumbila.

Mr Parafin, who was working his 12 hectares of tobacco, says his workers get anything from US$3 a day for their labour.
“I am working with five workers but the number will increase when we start harvesting. Most of these are migrant workers who really do not need accommodation.

“They move from one farm to another as long as there is work. We try by all means to pay them but it is not that easy, especially when a farmer has not yet sold his or her produce,” he explains.

Some farmers engage schoolchildren on weekends.
“We usually get some notebooks, pens, rulers and other stationery because our parents cannot afford these. It is not an easy life but we have to get an education for a better future,” says a Form 1 pupil. The General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe believes there is need to bear with the workers.

“The situation on the farms needs much attention from all stakeholders, including the farm owners and Government. There is a lot that needs to be corrected besides the wages, including schools and health facilities.

“People at the farms have been disconnected from the fellow citizens in towns and cities and that is why there such challenges as shortages of cash,” GAPWUZ general secretary Mr Gift Muti says.

He adds: “Beneficiaries of the land reforms got farms but they do not have the necessary infrastructure and would rather engage seasonal, casual and contract workers who are difficult to administer and to plan for.”

Mr Muti says there is need for outreach programmes to spread awareness of HIV and Aids and other diseases like cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea.

He laments the plight of children on farms.
“They do not access the media and technical development is not accessible to them and they are always behind.”

Farm Community Trust of Zimbabwe executive director Mr Godfrey Magaramombe goes on: “They (farm workers) fail to break even while some do not even get their wages and its worse on farms where people have no access to transport and other social amenities.”
He, however, commends Government for providing amenities like schools and clinics.

“Children are not travelling long distances to school although there are some school that need to be upgraded as they go up to Grade 5.
“There are also some farmers who pay fees for their children and that is quite commendable but there are some health facilities that do not have qualified staff and drugs.”

Mr Magaramombe wants farmers to implement agreed wage structures timeously. There are tales to tell, too, and these capture the very essence of farm life in its social dimension. Sekuru Magurashu has a story to share after a promise of another two litres of opaque alcohol.
“Kana mukanditenga mupichika sapaturuka chintu (Even if you take my picture nothing will come out),” he says in bastardised Chewa mixed with Shona and Nyanja.

The confusion comes as a result of speaking the three languages for years. The local people have Christened the language “chikombonia”.
“I am not sure when we came to Zimbabwe from Malawi but I have seen it all. I have seen the use of juju in my years on the farms and all these people are idle and that is why most women are pregnant or have small babies.

“There is nothing to do here. When people come from the farms they go home because they do not have money to drink but there are some who have no choice but to try and spend some time with friends scrounging for one or two beers,” he says.

He is a repository of folk lore, some of it quite incredible.
“Do you know that two drivers cannot use the same vehicles? Haimuke (it will not start)! I remember when one of the senior drivers at a farm who could not come to work as he was ill,” he begins.

“Murungu just assigned someone else to drive the car. The car did not start and the one assigned to drive it started complaining that there were bees stinging him in his shoes. No one else ever drove that vehicle. The farmer suffered a loss in deed.”

There is a lot of promiscuity on the farms. Mudhara Chigurushu says he has seen some women go to bed in one house and be seen washing dishes at another house the next morning.

He says the men who don’t drink are busy chasing skirts.