Bitter plight of local taxi drivers in the spotlight

Taxi drivers are entrusted with the lives of commuters they transport on a daily basis, but they  are faced with extraordinary challenges.

The plight of these men of the road was laid bare during the funeral of one of their own, long-time taxi driver Thinawanga Edward Tshikhudo of Mugumo outside Thohoyandou. Tshikhudo (54) died a fortnight ago after hijackers shot him and sped off with his taxi in Gauteng.

During his funeral service on Friday, which was attended by colleagues from the taxi industry in Gauteng,  relatives, friends and community members, Tshikhudo was described as an exemplary and dedicated driver.

Taxi owner David Ndaba plunged mourners into a more sombre mood when he opened up a can of worms about the challenges faced by taxi operators on a daily basis. "The life of a taxi driver is always at the mercy of passengers, who do as they wish at any given time. Passengers tease us as they wish and if one of them does that, they'll all laugh at you and they derive pleasure from that. If, as a driver, you reprimand a passenger for doing wrong, they all turn against you and this is the life we have to cope with on a daily basis," he said.

Ndaba further indicated that taxi drivers are regarded as uneducated and uncivilized. "We are just like any law-abiding citizens of this country. We are trying to make a living like any other person, but our lives are always in danger. We carry death in our vehicles on a daily basis."

He added that it became worse for those who transported passengers at night. "We are not safe at all and something should be done to make our working environment safe. Our communities should also change their negative mindset and take us like one of theirs," he said.

Pastor Milton Mudavhi of the Christ Tabernacle of Hope Church in Louis Trichardt delivered a moving sermon and urged mourners not to despair amidst the challenges of life but to believe in God all the time.

The deceased's elder brother, Harrison Ramadzanga, said his death had left a big void in the family. "We are putting everything in the hands of God and we hope the killers will be found and brought to book," he said.

Pastor Reuben Todani, who grew up with Tshikhudo, said death had robbed them of a good person and that it saddened them that it was not a natural death but a man-made death.

Date:27 August 2016

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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