MUSUZUNGWANENI – There is a new and courageous message of hope to the unemployed from Gigomu Nemavhea (39) of Musuzungwaneni Village, near Muhotoni.

He could not find employment and, for the past seven years, he has been surviving through fixing the gravel road between Mbahela and Dzimauli in exchange for cash from motorists. He owes his courage to his pick, spade, shovel and wheelbarrow, which help him to support his unemployed wife Christina (23) and three kids.

Mirror paid a visit to Gigomu and found him digging up a rock in the middle of the road next to the Mutale River.

He said: “Laziness only breeds misery and it is important for the unemployed to do something to support their families. Many people laugh at me, but I am proud because I can support my family. Though I am not well educated, I have vowed that I will never engage myself in criminal activities. I will rather work hard to support my family.”

Although there are municipal graders that fix the road, Gigomu said it takes a while for them to come and this encourages him to put in more effort as the gravel road gets damaged on a daily basis. He said he becomes busier on rainy days because the road is easily damaged and he has to put an extra effort to satisfy his clients.

“There is little fortune in this job, as I can take home approximately R30 per day. On good days, I can make about R70 and this is enough to keep the family fire burning.”

Gigomu says his loyal clients are taxi drivers and teachers who use their vehicles to travel to their schools on a daily basis.

“They have been supporting me for the past years because they know that my contribution increases the lifespan of their vehicles. I have managed to take my kids to school through this little income. Fhumulani (11), Vhukhudo (6) are attending school at Mbahela Primary School, whereas my wife takes care of Mutshidzi (3) at home.”

Nicknamed ‘Bulldozer’ by the local community, Gigomu quickly dismissed rumours that he uses drugs because he does the heavy job daily without getting tired.

“Those are baseless rumours from jealous people who do not want to see me prosper. I encourage other unemployed community members to take matters upon themselves and create informal jobs for themselves.”

Thinawanga ‘Father’ Luruli, a taxi driver who always gives some cash to Gigomu, says: “Although many people can look down upon Gigomu, we support him because he is contributing in the development of our taxi industry business. The fact that he is not engaging himself in criminal activities is a clear indication that he is a responsible person who is ready to bring development to our area.”