07/03/2021
Hitchin' a ride in Masvingo, Zimbabwe
I had lost track of time. It was past 5 pm, and I was running late. Under the blistering sun, I stood by the road, waiting, for over an hour. Cars, trucks and bikes drove by, most were fully packed with passengers. The waiting felt like forever.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait much longer. Mr Sergeant (driver), an off duty police officer stopped for me. He asked whether I was lost, then apologetically offered me a seat in the back of the car, to which I didn't even think twice.
Like most Zimbabweans, Mr Sergeant was courteous, soft spoken, and genuinely interested in my story, and reasons for visiting Zimbabwe. I was too, in theirs. He kindly gave me a lift back to Masvingo town, where I had left my rucksack at the local bank. It sounded like a good idea then, to leave my belongings there.
It was already 6:15 pm, and upon reaching Masvingo, the bank was closed. Not going lie, I was worried and frantically started to look around. To make matters worse, I had a bus to catch at 8:30 pm. It was a very anxious few minutes.
Luckily for me, the staff at the bank were thoughtful, more than I was. They had left my rucksack by the road, with a local street vendor. I missed it first time, because the vendor was actually sitting on it. Much relieved, I wholeheartedly thanked him, and Mr Sergeant. In return, they thanked me for visiting Zimbabwe. I offered to buy Mr Sergeant a beer, but he politely declined. We spoke for a few more minutes, shook hands, then bid good bye.
That night, I caught the 8:30 pm bus, towards the Zimbabwe-South Africa border. A very long journey, but I was glad to have my rucksack back.
Location: Masvingo, Zimbabwe, Africa
🇿🇼 🇿🇼🇿🇼
