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Feature Yoliswa Dube
Many Zimbabweans continue venturing into the lucrative but dangerous taxi industry despite the known risks associated with the profession the world over. It seems the harsh economic environment prevailing in the country that pushed many out of formal employment appear to be the main pull factor. Relatively cheap cars imported from Japan have seen the country’s cities flooded by taxis and pirate taxis over the years. Taxi-drivers or cabmen have to toil for long hours running past midnight into the early hours of each day. They face a cocktail of dangers in their line of duty. For some, however, it is an interesting job as they are always in the loop of what happens in the lives of their regular clients.
They encounter clients from all walks of life – and some customers make use of their services as means of keeping their lives private. Of course, most operate under an oath of secrecy to protect the interests of their clients. But their line of duty is quite risky and unpredictable. They suspiciously or inauspiciously carry criminals, cheaters and others who will be intent on good business.
“It’s very dangerous for anyone to be out driving at night, worse when you have to transport strangers. However, in my case it’s different because I have been in the taxi business for a while now and have over the years established a customer base.
This means I can afford to be selective. I’ve resorted to transporting only my regular clients on appointment or when they call,” said Mr Melusi Tshuma, a local taxi driver. He says it’s highly risky picking up strangers randomly at night. “You just can’t trust strangers. You might think you’re helping someone out but you could end up being a target of these criminals.
They might think you have a lot of money on you yet you wouldn’t have made a single trip all day,” said Mr Tshuma. Not too long ago, a city cabman, Mr Njabulo Ncube, was attacked by a gang of thieves who smashed his cab window while he was at a traffic light controlled intersection at around 2AM.
“I shouldn’t have stopped at that traffic light so late at night but that doesn’t change what happened on the fateful day. “My thinking was there are always motorists on the road and it would be safe for me to stop and ensure the coast was clear first.
“Some people will be coming from nightclubs or anywhere. There’s always traffic at any time of the day but in hindsight, I really shouldn’t have stopped,” said Mr Ncube. After the thieves smashed his cab window, they dragged Mr Ncube out of the car, and made away with $30 and a cellphone.
“I sustained minor head injuries and a couple of cuts and bruises here and there. It all happened so fast and there was no one close-by to help me,” he said. Mr Ncube crawled back into the cab before driving home in a huff.
“I was still in a state of shock and couldn’t believe what had just happened. My wife was shocked and inconsolable when she saw me injured and bloody. We didn’t sleep that night. “First thing in the morning, she accompanied me to a clinic before I called my boss to notify him of what had happened,” he said.
His incident is not an isolated one. Another taxi driver, Mr Busani Moyo, recounted how three people hired his services from a fast food outlet to Suburbs, a residential area located a few kilometres from the Bulawayo Central Business District.
“The two men and a woman came to my cab window and asked how much it would cost them to get to Suburbs. Of course, I didn’t suspect that they wanted to steal from me. If anything, they were the vulnerable ones as it was late at night,” said Mr Moyo.
At knife-point, he said, they demanded money from him. “Fortunately, I had just come from my house where I had left all the money I had made that day. I only had $12 and a cellphone on me. They took that and disappeared into the night,” said Mr Moyo.
Like sex workers, taxi drivers are never completely safe as they have no way of predicting what dangers may befall them. They have to deal with drunken customers and some who may prove to be difficult and unruly. There is no way of predicting the customers’ intentions.
More often than not, the cabmen face the dilemma on whether or not to let the client go and lose the much needed cash or oblige and expose themselves to danger. At times, they get customers who fail to pay for their services after they have reached their destinations.
Taxi drivers cannot afford to move around with cash yet they also need a few dollars for change in their operations. “We’re fully aware of the risks of the trade and try hard to minimise them. For example, you can’t afford to wait for anyone who signals for a lift at night. It’s usually women who are used as a front for the gang to get a cab driver to stop.
“Once you stop, other members of the gang hiding elsewhere pounce on you and before you know it, you’re left penniless and harmed,” said another cab driver who preferred to be referred to as Madzibaba.
Sometimes, he says, one can find a woman sitting in the middle of the road appearing distressed. “Human instinct kicks in and you’re compelled to help. But this is a trap, and before you know it, you’ll be the victim.
The best is to avoid stopping for anyone in the middle of the road at night, keep all doors locked and when safe, proceed with caution even when traffic lights are signalling you to stop,” said Madzibaba.
Unlike public transporters who are, on certain levels represented by associations, taxi drivers do not have any such organisations. It is “each man for himself and God for us all” kind of trade where each cab owner and driver have to worry and protect their interests.
“It’s because as businesspeople and taxi drivers, we’re not united. We don’t have any associations because of disunity yet we face similar challenges. “People are only concerned about making money yet there are other problems we face in our operations,” said Madzibaba.
The chairman of Express Private Car Commuter Services (Expriccos) Mr Mpikelelo Khumalo said there was a need to have an umbrella body to take care of the interests of taxi drivers and owners.
“There should be an organisation that governs taxis. Since we deal with members of the public, we need to be answerable to them. “We need an umbrella body that will govern the operations of taxis.
“Even when there’re incidents, there has to be somewhere central to report to, a place that will help put forward the concerns of taxi operators to the responsible authorities,” said Mr Khumalo.
As it is, he says, taxi operators only need to comply with stipulations of the Road Traffic Act for commercial private vehicles. Mr Khumalo says Government should help facilitate the formation of a governing body to address challenges that taxi drivers face.
Online Reporter