Alex T Magaisa 🇿🇼 Profile picture
Apr 26, 2021 11 tweets 4 min read Read on X
The AVM bus - a local icon

1. I was always intrigued by the acronym “AVM” since I was a boy. My search led me to a beautiful history of this bus model & why it deserves a high place amongst the greats of Zimbabwe. I wrote it in a recent BSR but here’s one for the Twitter market.
2. Before the 1960s, bus supplies were largely imported from Britain with Leyland being the dominant company. When Ian Smith declared independence in 1965 (UDI), Rhodesia faced UN sanctions & British supplies dried up. There had to be a new plan, as was the case in other areas.
3. Dahmer Pvt Ltd had been formed in 1961. It took on the challenge of developing the AVM as a “home-produced vehicle” which was mass produced from 1974 (White, 2016). Dahmer was now a Lonrho subsidiary. It started as a short model carrying 64 passengers before rising to 76.
4. This adaptation to difficult conditions brought by sanctions was a great achievement but it is what came later that is even more interesting. Zimbabwe became independent in 1980. This resulted in the lifting of UN sanctions. Those that had left started trooping back.
5. Among the returnees were companies like British Leyland. But they found that the landscape had changed dramatically. The AVM had used their absence to fully and effectively establish itself as the vehicle of choice. Leyland struggled to loosen AVM’s grip on the market.
6. According to Peter White, “The AVM model had become very well-established not only due to lack of alternatives, but also its very robust design, well-suited to the poor road conditions”. On the other hand, the Leyland model struggled with a weaker structure. It was unreliable.
7. More impressively, the AVM model did so well that a new model was made for the export market. Yes, Zimbabwe was exporting buses to the region! The attached picture shows the AVM Export model, which was longer than the local model.
8. The company was taken over by KSM Holdings in 2002. I don’t know if it’s still manufacturing buses. But there are very few Zimbabweans who have never used this icon at some point in their lifetime. If they didn’t use it, they were certainly familiar with it on the roads.
9. Some operators had large fleets with routes all over the country: Kukura Kurerwa, Tenda, Chawasarira, Mucheche, Ajay, Tombs, Mhunga, etc. The AVM was a familiar sight on the roads & bus markets like Mbare & Renkini were a hive of activity upon which small economies were built
10. Very old AVM buses still ply routes across the country. Proud owners & drivers often inscribed affectionate declarations & slogans on them as marks of identification & pride. I took this picture in 2013: “In God We Trust”. Indeed. Let’s raise a glass in honour of the AVM!
11. I never got to know what AVM stands for, but I’m glad my search led me to the story of the model. If anyone knows, please help! Acknowledgement: I could not have put this together without reference to the work of Peter White: The Development of Bus Services in Zimbabwe (2016)

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More from @Wamagaisa

Apr 28, 2022
Havasi vose vanoti CCC vane chido nayo. Naizvozvo havasi vose vanoti CCC vamuchange munavo pakuyambuka. Vamwe vanoti zvino tinoziva sei? Aiwa, muchaona nemabasa. China manenji hachifambisi, chinomirira kuti mavara acho aonekwe. Mukaziva izvozvo moyo yenyu haizodzimbikani.
It’s not everyone who says CCC who is for it. Therefore, not everyone who says CCC shall be with you at the crossing. Some ask, how shall we know? Worry not for you shall see by their works. A mystery takes time to show its colours. Know this and your hearts shall not be broken
Akusi wonke othi CCC omela i CCC. Ngakho ke, masokumele sichaphe umfula asi wonke ozawela. Sizobazi kanjani ukuthi laba ngabethu laba asibethu? Ungakhathazeki! Okulempondo akufihlwa emgodleni Sizobona ngezenzo. Ungabakwazi lokhu, inhliziyo yakho izoba lokuthula
Read 6 tweets
Apr 28, 2022
1. I’ve read the distress call from journalist @daddyhope arising from the Zimbabwean regime’s attempt to grab his private investment at his rural home. As usual, the regime uses surrogates to create false narratives to justify the confiscation & plunder of private property.
2. For experienced Zimbabwe watchers, looting and plundering is a regime favourite. Edwin Moyo’s flourishing Kondozi Estate was run aground by regime looters. Business people live in fear of losing their investments which is worse if they reveal their political preferences.
3. A businessman who was suspected of funding the opposition found himself facing an unreasonable and vindictive tax bill from ZIMRA. Many more are choked into silence if ever they are suspected of siding with or helping the opposition.
Read 7 tweets
Apr 24, 2022
1. When they say you’re putting the cart before the horse they mean you’re doing things in the wrong order. You want to buy a wedding gown before your partner has proposed! Everything must follow a process. This is why debate over the CCC “Congress” is misplaced & misdirected.
2. I’ve been searching for when the “Congress” became an issue of public debate. I took a break over Easter & I missed its genesis then. Back to the idiom: an event of the nature described as a “Congress” is the culmination of other foundational processes.
3. The nomenclature of “Congress” is a reflection of how ZANU PF discourse has shaped our political thinking. MDC simply copied & pasted the language & processes of ZANU PF. The organs were similar albeit with minor modifications such as “Youth Assembly” for “Youth League”
Read 15 tweets
Apr 22, 2022
1. In an environment where traditional media space has long been restricted, social media can be useful to opposition leaders. But just as it is an opportunity, it is also a risk, the latter of which increases in the absence of proper training and message discipline.
2. I’m surprised that some opposition figures see their twitter handles as “personal”. The fact of the matter is that to the public eye whatever they tweet is associated with their party. They have to think hard & carefully how their output will reflect on the party.
3. Going forward, a social media crash course is necessary for party officials. Tsvangirai used to be so frustrated by message indiscipline. You would open the newspaper & find conflicting messages from party officials. And that was before social media blossomed.
Read 4 tweets
Apr 12, 2022
1. @TrevorNcube I’ve read your piece & there are loose ends that need clarity. You say you supported Mssrs Makoni & Moyo in their political projects. It’s common cause that 1. both failed & 2. you abandoned them. Could you elaborate on why they failed despite the merits you saw?
2. Secondly, you pledge a holy petition that Chamisa “attracts men & women who are far better that him to add content, vision and strategy to his ambitions”, an indirect claim that he has none. Is that how lowly you regard accomplished peers like Welshman Ncube & Tendai Biti?
3. Who might these men and women be that you have in mind so that we can also assess their qualities and your judgment. When you joined PAC were you satisfied that Mnangagwa had men and women of the calibre that you suggest? If so who were they and why did they fail?
Read 4 tweets
Apr 8, 2022
1. Yesterday I spent time listening to young people discussing their attitude to voting and electoral processes. I hope @OpenParlyZw recorded it because political leaders need to listen to it. When I was invited I said no, I don’t want to speak for the youth. I want to hear them.
2. And boy, did they speak sense! I learnt a lot from them which I shall share one day in a BSR but there is one thing that cannot wait. It is that the political messaging about elections and the electoral system must change and change big.
3. The young ones say there have been socialised to believe that the electoral system is rigged and that it is pointless to vote. We are always told that it’s all rigged, so what’s the point? We have no faith in the system. That is what they said and I understood them.
Read 5 tweets

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