By Nontokozo Gemani
- Maseko, from Tsakane, wakes at 4.30am and takes six taxis a day to reach his job in Rosebank and back.
- Stats SA says minibus taxi fares jumped 11.5% in June alone, while petrol costs rose 31.7% over the past year.
Xolani Maseko takes six taxis a day to get to work and back. He earns R8,000 a month at a call centre in Rosebank, and R2,760 goes on transport.
He lives in Tsakane and wakes at 4.30am to beat the traffic before his 7.30am shift. He is left with R500 after transport, groceries and electricity.
“I usually only have R500 left for myself. The economy is much worse now,” he said.
Statistics South Africa says minibus taxi fares jumped 11.5% in June. Passenger transport costs rose 12.5% over the past year, and petrol was 31.7% higher.
Domestic worker Nomvula Masango, 46, pays R76 a day to travel from Tsakane to Springs and back, out of the R250 or more she earns on a working day.
Buses used to serve her route and cost less, but they no longer run.
“Sometimes we sacrifice our groceries so that I can be able to save for taxi fare,” she said.
Mandisa Gama, 29, a receptionist in Benoni, pays R70 a day to travel from Langaville, about R1,510 a month, nearly a quarter of her R6,329 salary.
A staff taxi used to collect her last year.
“This year we could not get the staff taxi and I have been feeling the pain of paying for taxi fares,” she said.
“I spend almost R2,000 for groceries, then electricity and bills. After that I am left with no money,” she said.
Taxi operators are under pressure too. Mduduzi Ngubani, from Duduza rank, said fuel costs him R400 to R600 a day.
“We no longer fill the tank. We are unable to fill the tank,” he said.
For Maseko, Masango and Gama, the cost of getting to work does not end at the office. It follows them home, in smaller grocery budgets and less money for themselves.
For Maseko, Masango and Gama, the cost of getting to work does not end at the office. It follows them home, in smaller grocery budgets and less money for themselves.
Pictured above: Minibus taxis parked at a taxi rank in Gauteng.
Image source: Supplied
