Nothando Makhubela
Gogo Ester Mgidi started working at a local taxi rank as a cleaner and worked her way up.
She was employed for 37 years as a taxi driver at the Ogies Phola taxi rank and always dreamed of owning her own taxi – of being her own boss.
Mgidi made her dream come true on 20 July when she bought a Toyota Quantum.
“I am so happy to own my first taxi today. It was a long struggle but I own my own taxi and I take passengers from Witbank to Ogies,” she told Scrolla.Africa.
“In this industry, you must first respect yourself before you can be respected by others.”
She said her family was always opposed to her owning a taxi, especially given the constant violence in the taxi industry.
“But now I am Witbank’s first taxi driver and owner,” she said.
“I’ve been driving taxis for 37 years. Some days are just hectic for me because I’m getting older; my body gets tired, especially when I have to rank six times a day, but I love my job. I always transport Kusile Power Station workers from Phola/Ogies to their mine. I enjoy driving.
“A lot of women in Mpumalanga and other provinces always motivated me to push for me because we do engage in SANTACO’s Women’s Desk. That’s how I got help in applying for and qualifying for a taxi.
“God is always faithful. I had nothing in hand, but my application at ABSA bank was approved after I submitted all the required documents,” she said.
She left her job as a domestic worker in 1983 because the money she was earning was not enough for a single mother to feed her three children.
She got a job as a cleaner at the taxi rank and that’s where her love for driving was born.
She tried to get a code 10 licence so she could drive buses but the restrictions of the time meant she could only obtain a code 8 driver’s licence. Through her dedication and pushing for more, she got an opportunity to be a taxi driver in 1985.
“Working with men is difficult. Taxi owners still believe a woman can’t work in this industry and they look down on female drivers,” she said.
With the money she earned she was able to provide a better future for her children. And she helped her community by donating school uniforms.
Her children Sizwe and Bafana are in college while her daughter Bontle is a qualified teacher.
She encourages women to never stop dreaming and pursuing their dreams.
“Women should not be limited. Any job that a man can do, a woman can do and even better if she works hard.”
Solly Vilane, chairperson of the local taxi association, said: “We are very happy to be working with Ester. She is a calm and kind grandmother to us all. We have a lot of respect for her.”
