By Buziwe Nocuze
- Khayelitsha taxi workers earn a quarter of total weekly profits, and soaring fuel prices mean drivers take less cash home.
- The Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association warns taxi bosses will raise passenger fares unless the government cuts levies.
Taxi drivers in Khayelitsha say rising petrol prices are shrinking their weekly pay. The high cost of fuel means taxis bring in less money, which leaves drivers taking less cash home.
Sinewonga Dakuse drives a taxi in the township and earns a cut of his weekly takings. He said the petrol price hike is hitting drivers hard.
“A driver who is making R6,000 a week is getting 25% of that money, which is R1,500, but now that we are making less than that we are getting less,” Dakuse said.
He said drivers pulling in only R4,000 a week now take home just R1,000.
Another Khayelitsha driver, who asked to stay anonymous, said the pay cut forced him to leave one of his savings clubs.
“I was one of the people who had two stokvels. I am a breadwinner. The salary I was getting didn’t cover all my bills, that’s why I had a stokvel,” the driver said.
He said drivers cannot blame their bosses because petrol prices are the real problem.
Passengers are also worried about how the fuel costs will affect them. Nokubonga Fakade lives in Khayelitsha and spends R1,024 a month travelling to Nyanga township.
She said an increase in taxi fares would crush commuters who are already struggling to survive.
“We used to buy groceries for R3,000. Now we have to cut a lot of things we eat. Sadly for transport, we cannot cut anything,” Fakade said.
Makhosandile Tumana speaks for the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) in Khayelitsha. He warned that taxi fares will go up if the government does not step in to help with fuel levies.
“At the end of the day, this doesn’t only affect us but also the drivers and the passengers,” Tumana said.
Pictured above: The petrol price increase is affecting the drivers’ salaries.
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
