- Nolonwabo Mdambatya spends R2,040 every month on daily taxis to get from Khayelitsha to her security job in Century City.
- Local taxi bosses say they will not raise their travel fares right now despite the massive recent petrol price hikes.
Nolonwabo Mdambatya pays R102 every day just to get to work and back. The 40-year-old security guard travels from Khayelitsha to Century City in Cape Town.
She earns R6,000 a month. But a large part of her money goes straight to local taxis.
Mdambatya pays R17 to travel from her home to the taxi rank. She then pays another R34 to reach Century City. This costs her R2,040 every month.
Recent petrol price hikes left her scared that taxi bosses would increase prices. She says she will stop working if fares go up.
“I won’t have a choice but to quit because I will be working just to pay for transport,” Mdambatya said.
After paying for taxis, she only has R3,960 left to cover food and a funeral policy. The high cost of living means she can no longer buy everything her family needs.
“I have already cut a lot of things that we were eating, such as red meat, eggs, and powdered milk,” Mdambatya said.
She said she stopped buying KFC for her children so she could afford basic groceries.
She tried renting a room near her work for R600 a month to cut travel costs. But the plan failed because she still had to buy food for her family back home.
Local taxi groups have stepped in with good news for struggling commuters. Codeta chairperson Nceba Enge said the group will not increase fares right now.
Santaco spokesperson Makhosandile Tumana said the Western Cape branch is waiting for national leaders to guide them.
Trade union Cosatu says workers are facing a cost of living crisis. The union says recent fuel price hikes average R3 a litre and will make food even more expensive for families.
