Sweats for insults, controls traffic without pay

He is a familiar face at Khama Trading Centre in Machinjiri, Blantyre, especially to motorists.

Mafia Geoffrey, 40, is seen controlling traffic at this busy place notoriously known for congestion that creates long queues on both sides of the road.

MacMillan Kamanga, who stays at Chikapa, a couple of kilometres down the same road, acknowledges Geofrey’s presence at Khama.

“It used to be a nightmare to pass through Khama, sometimes you would spend half an hour or more. Minibus drivers are a nuisance, they block the road either way.

“In their scramble for passengers, they drive dangerously and end up causing traffic jam,” he says.

And that is when Geoffrey becomes handy. He works hard to clear the way, including asking some drivers to park off the road to make the road passable.

“The worst times are between six and seven o’clock in the evening, when minibus and kabaza operators make a killing from people returning from work,” says Geofrey.

Insults, beatings

On paper, what Geofrey does looks simple, but this is probably the only place in Blantyre where motorists, especially minibus drivers, are assisted to be orderly by someone who does so voluntarily.

But Geoffrey discloses that some minibus drivers are uncooperative and, sometimes shower him insults when he instructs them to do something.

“Amati ndidzafa m’mphawi [they say I will die poor], and use foul language on me. It is painful, but there is nothing I can do about it,” he stresses.

The man from Chiradzulu reveals that although his interaction with minibus drivers sometimes turns ugly, he does not fight back because he believes his job does not allow retaliation.

“This is the life I lead. I will not stop because of these setbacks, because all I want is to ensure that people go to and from their offices and businesses on time, and safely.”

Despite all the hard work and, of course, the insults, Geoffrey has been relying on Good Samaritans for the 18 months he has helped to maintain traffic order at this place.

According to him, on a good day he gets enough for a modest lunch at a restaurant. 

Of course, that is for him alone. But he has a wife and five children to feed at home. And the children need to go to school, too.  He also has to pay K40 000 for house rent, which he says is always his priority, though he affords it with lots of challenges.

“Sometimes I go up to the 20th before paying rent. On a number of occasions, I have been evicted for non-payment of rent.

“It is difficult to do something to pay for rent because I am always on the road controlling traffic,” he says.

The beginning

Before surfacing at Khama, Geoffrey earned a living from doing landscaping, emptying septic tanks, digging pit latrines and other tasks.

He also provided security to some politicians, especially during campaigns.

“I was comfortable, but the traffic chaos at Khama appealed to my heart and I thought I could do something and contribute to the community by bringing order here,” he says.

Blantyre City Council chief executive officer Dennis Chimseu says he could not comment on Geofrey’s issue because he does not know that there is any arrangement between him and the city council.

But Police say they are aware about Geofrey’s presence at Khama.

Limbe Traffic Police Sub-Inspector Fred Mwalwanda says what Geoffrey is doing is voluntary work.

He says: “But the police, through the community policing branch, provide him with resources such as reflective jackets to make his work effective.

He admits that Geoffrey is sometimes insulted by people which, he observes, cannot be ruled out considering the type of people he deals with.

Mwalwanda, however, says Geofrey has been advised to report to police any motorist that endangers lives of other road users by choosing to be disorderly.

Without elaborating, Mwalwanda insisted that police work closely with Geoffrey.