Of Freezits and Buses.

I sold freezits all my childhood. In fact, we all did in my family to supplement my father’s rural primary school teacher’s salary and whatever extra coin my mum earned from her vegetable patch. This was in Sanyati - paArda for those familiar with the area

My parents sent me and my brothers to boarding school kuTown (never mind what @RangaMberi will tell you about Kadoma) and this left the family coffers stretched. The old man had bought a fridge (on account) at Nyore Nyore and over the next decade we sweated out that investment

The main supplier was Highway Wholesalers - an Indian fella who operated a wholesale on the outskirts of the township offering his in-house brand. Highway freezits were smaller, but packed a punch, richer in colour and sweeter than their competition, the longer “Tru-Cool”..

We’d lay the freezits out in the deep freeze section of the fridge (our most prized possession and arguably our most valuable home appliance) but there was an art to getting the perfectly frozen freezit. You had to wake up at 2am to flip them over for them to be even and uniform

The drill was simple; breakfast by 10am - a cup of tea and anything between 4 to 6 slices of bread heavily slathered in magarine (my mother preferred Buttercup to Stork). After that, it was off to the local bus terminus which was the beating heart of our community and our market

The first bus in was always Tombs (Nembudziya) at about 11:30 followed by the ever reliable Zupco (Gandavaroyi) at midday. A few quick sales where always guaranteed to the early birds before the older boys rolled in at lunchtime and the competition became cut-throat

It just wasn’t the older boys u had to deal with, but also “vakadzi vepamusika” who were there pushing their assortment of fruit and vegetables to the weary traveler. It was elbows, hips, armpits, shoulders everywhere and if you couldn’t stand your ground, it would be a long day

3 things were key
•ANTICIPATION-where the bus would actually stop and when it would take off
•IDENTIFYING a potential buyer-eye contact and the ability to read body language
•ALLIANCES-friends at the ready with change to guarantee a faster sale and increased efficiency

Peak selling period was 1-4pm when the buses came in thick and fast usually led by Munenzva 14 driven by “Fox” who had the reputation of being the fastest driver plying the Kadoma-Sanyati-Gokwe route. Tauya, however, was arguably the most popular Bus Servive, Zupco the slowest

Before the advent of the kaylite cooler box, we had to sell out of the manufacturers box which could only hold 20 frozen freezits at a time. Our house was a stone’s throw away from the terminus and so we had a competitive advantage when it came to replenishing product.

The departure of a bus was just as important as its arrival. Once the driver hooted once and began revving the engine, it was time to close the sale and no matter how tempting, it was folly to continue. Many a time I saw a seller try and chase down a departing bus - freezit gone

Mum was the family bookkeeper and she ran a tight ship. Sales had to be accounted for and there were consequences to be had for missing coin or freezit. Punishments ranged from the quickly thrown backhand and warning, to the more severe lashing depending on quantities pilfered

Being in the sticks, freezits were generally defined by colour rather than flavour. Red definitely ruled the roost with Orange tugging at its coattails. Yellow was a decent option as was Purple, but Green was a last resort - an only if there was nothing else product

Just before end of day, one of us would have to troop out to Highway to replenish stock - usually 4/5 boxes at a time. The wheelbarrow came in handy for that and I’m glad to say “old faithful” is still around - a bit rusty and rickety, but that’s a badge of honour after 35 years

Mon-Sat the terminus was our playground. We grew up there, made friends, made a living. But Sunday was church - Kubatana Baptist - for some moral and spiritual grounding, and as my mum hoped, a place that would help us curb the almost instinctive desire to nick from her business

I look back on those days with much fondness and a big smile, because that was my training and apprenticeship for a career in Sales & Marketing. Just like in those formative years, relationships, a knowledge of your market and product remain at the centre of every sale.