Thabo Mohlala
Not so long ago, it was a rare sight to see a black person, let alone a woman, driving a train. This was because certain categories of jobs, including train drivers, were reserved for white people. However, as political change gains momentum, some black people have broken job barriers, but the beneficiaries are still mostly males.
But there is a growing number of women who not only want to prove a point about their abilities, but want to challenge stereotypes by going for jobs associated with masculinity.
Mandisa Mazibuko is one of these women. The petite, ambitious 27-year-old is one of the first and few Metrorail passenger train drivers based at the Braamfontein depot in Johannesburg. To her, this is a high point in her life. This week Mazibuko was on the Johannesburg-Pretoria route.
The Daveyton-born woman completed matric in 1997 and, like most township children, did not have the luxury of getting professional guidance about which career path to follow. So it was “sheer luck” that she landed her job. She went for an interview at Spoornet and was employed as an assistant train driver.
But because she likes working with people, she later moved to Metrorail where she underwent a “rigorous” one-year course in train driving. In August last year she started to drive the “juggernaut” by herself.
She also wanted to break the monotony of following careers such as nursing, teaching, social work. “I wanted to do something unique.”
And for this she thanks her supportive mother, who had an open-minded attitude. “My mother encouraged us to follow our hearts, although I must say she was a little nervous at first. She just could not imagine her daughter moving such a heavy machine,” says Mazibuko.
How did her male counterparts react to her? “It was bad. I think people were threatened and naturally wanted to protect their turf. Worse still, that threat emanated from a woman.”
She says some of her male colleagues were downright negative, “naively thinking that because of my gender I am prone to failure. Some were so cold they made the place unbearable to work in.” She received the same reaction from some members of the public and men still “look askance at me. Women reacted with disbelief at first, but they got used to it and some were actually inspired.”
Despite the fact that the train she drives probably weighs thousands of tons, this job is “really cut out for women. I mean, there is nothing that requires brawn here,” Mazibuko says with a smile.
She says that although Metrorail attempts to address gender inequality “the road ahead is still long”. While there might be laws prohibiting gender inequality on the statute books, the problem lies with attitudes of certain individuals who are unwilling to adapt. But Mazibuko is optimistic and believes that if there are “regular workshops where both male and female engage one another, these attitudes will certainly thaw”.
What specific problems does she encounter as the driver? Verbal abuse or in some instances assault by commuters, says Mazibuko. “I mean, sometimes a train would stop in the middle of nowhere, or it arrives late and commuters do not ask for a reason. They just vent their anger on you, which sometimes is understandable.” An example of this, she says, was the recent torching of Pretoria station because of train delays.
“These are problems beyond our control as drivers, even beyond the management of Metrorail. For instance, if cable is stolen there is nothing we can do except to wait for a replacement.”
She says the most common problems that lead to train delays range from power failures to stolen cables and “tracks-out”, where lines are inoperable.
To date Metrorail has employed 23 female train drivers, with the first appointed in July 1999. Asked about the women’s safety records compared to their male counterparts, a Metrorail spokesperson said “their record is 100%, very good”. More females are being appointed both internally and externally. Metrorail recruits from a pool of train guards, which is a promotion at the end of the day.”
The advice Mazibuko has for would-be train drivers, particularly females, is that they must be prepared to sacrifice their social lives, as sometimes they have to work awkward hours.
“One day I would like to see myself managing a depot,” she says with a smile, as she manoeuvres her behemoth forward.