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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Lifestyle Writer
“You find joy in the things you do,

Shoe shine boy seldom ever blue,

You’re content with what you’ve got

So shine, shine, shoe shine boy”

This verse, taken from the popular song, “Shoe Shine Boy” by the late famous American trumpeter, singer, composer and actor Louis Armstrong, is a suitable description of a section of people whom you will find serious on their jobs at most leading hotels the world over.

These are people you also find at street corners asking to polish your shoe. They have interesting stories to tell about their job.

Although the shoe-shiner in Armstrong’s song is in some parts portrayed as someone whom people look down upon with scorn because of his clothes that are “worn and torn”, your typical hotel shoe polisher is the exact opposite.

Go to any five-star hotel locally like Meikles and Monomotapa Crown Plaza in Harare and you will see that shoe shiners are smart and work hard at what they know best — polishing shoes for the hotel’s clients.

And they do it with finesse.

Watching them at work, one can tell from the smart blows they apply with their brushes and cloths leaving customers’ shoes glinting like mirrors, that these men indeed love their job to the core.

Saturday Herald Lifestyle, this week took time to chat with some of the shoe-shiners from hotels to the streets.

“This job is fun, my brother. I have been in this profession for about 10 years now.

“Through it, I have managed to look after my family, and why should I complain?

“This is just like any other job, although this one has few people who ever think of ‘pursuing’ it as a career,” said Justice Mukamba who operates from Meikles Hotel.

Mukamba polishes shoes for $2 per pair and said per day he can shine shoes for 10 or more people.

He said this job dates back as far as history itself, when there were shoe-shine “boys” for royalty.

“This is an old profession, I must say, it dates back to those ancient times when shoe-shine ‘boys’ were required to polish shoes for the royal members.

“Shoe-shine ‘boys’ survived time and moved on with it, where in some countries they are employed even in palaces or residences of top government officials to do this type of job.

“They can, however, double to incorporate duties of wardrobe monitors or make-up artists, you name it,” he said.

He said he started off as a car washer.

“I never dreamt that one day I would be in that person’s shoes as a shoe shine man but life always has its bag of surprises for you, and here I am, polishing shoes for people.

“I used to work in the Meikles garage washing cars and that is where I grew the passion of cleanliness. The way I polished cars is the same way I do shoes,” he jokingly said.

The affable 38-year-old man said the job requires one to be always jovial and cultivate good public relations.

“Since this job is part of working with the public, what it means is that you have to cultivate good public relations. Always remember that customer is king, no matter what.

“I always make sure that I am jovial and open in my job so as to strike up a good rapport with the customer.

“I do my work whole-heartedly, and always strive to bring out the best level of satisfaction from my clients so that they will always come back tomorrow,” he said.

He added that a good shoe-shiner, just like any other employee at the hotel, is vital and ensures the smooth functioning of the place.

Just like the weather itself, the profession also has its good and bad days.

“There are times when customers who are grumpy, grouchy, moody, stressed, bad-mannered, you name it, come to you not only with their dirty shoes to be polished but also end up heaping their moods on you.

“In this case, as a human being, sometimes you are tempted to respond to fire with fire but then you remember that you are here for a job to do, and that is when you restrain yourself.

“Bad days are those when it rains and it becomes muddy, which means you have to contend with dealing with muddy shoes,” explained the father of two.

On the other hand, being a shoe shiner comes with loads of benefits.

“This job has many advantages. One of them is that you get to meet people from different walks of life, locals and those from abroad, who speak various languages, have different backgrounds from politicians, businesspeople, artistes, all these celebrities who have big names, come to you asking for shoe polish.

“You feel very important on your job and sometimes, they chat with you in a way that makes you feel good and great inside, while others offer you tips on life and tips for the pocket.

“I have a client who brings many pairs of shoes for me to shine,” he said.

The shoe-shiner at the hotel has his way of doing things, which is different from his counterpart on the street.

The shoe-shine boy on most of Harare’s street corners is the exact opposite of the shoe polisher stationed at the hotels.

While the hotel type is the typical smart guy, educated, classy, with access to mingle with the who-is-who through his profession that ensures that he meets such personalities, the street guy resembles something else.

He is known for his ‘touting’ approach to his business, he is street-wise both in language and approach.

While he is on the streets for a similar reason with his ‘‘cousin’ shoe-shiner operating from Meikles, Monomotapa Crown Plaza or any other — which is, earning a living — the street shoe polisher is known for his ‘rustling’ tactics so as to squeeze that precious dollar from passers-by.

It seems kind words such as modesty and customer care do not exist in their vocabulary, as one person who once fell victim to their dirty tricks, Tawanda Nkala, a stoke broker, testifies.

He said he was still new in Harare after relocating from Bulawayo when the street shoe-shine boys preyed on his ignorance of the new location.

“I was new here and they asked me to come closer to where they were so that they could polish my shoes.

“They sweet-talked me into polishing my shoes but then dawned on me that they were trying to rip me off by overcharging me when they were halfway done with the job.

“They were asking for payment which was very unreasonable.

“I resisted and reported them to the police, and ever since that day, they always flee whenever they see me passing by,” Nkala said.

A 28-year-old George Silundika shoe-shiner, Simon Sakwe said his case is different as he takes the profession serious.

“I know of such stories about people being victimised, but I am just a different person. I started the business in 2008 and I have earned a living through it.

“I charge $2 but customers usually give me what they can offer. I apply starch liquid which we obtain from renowned shoe shops. Per day I do five to eight people depending on the weather and other factors,” he said.

He said he is different from shoe-shiners at Meikles because he focuses on suede and nude-buck type of shoes (converse, sneakers, leather and plastic among others).