- Sindiswa Zibukwana, 49, has not been home to Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape since 2020. She lives in Gugulethu, Cape Town.
- A one-way taxi fare is R1,150 a person. Return tickets for her family of six cost R13,800. She does piece jobs four times a month.
Sindiswa Zibukwana, a 49-year-old domestic worker, has not been home to Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape since 2020, because she cannot afford the fare for her family.
Zibukwana lives in Gugulethu township in Cape Town and earns from piece jobs. The return fare from Cape Town to Ngcobo for her family of six is R13,800.
“It is not by choice, but because I cannot afford the R13,800 return fare for six family members, including me. A single fare for one person is R1,150,” Zibukwana said.
She last went home in 2020.
“I didn’t know that it was the last time, as increased fares forced me to stay in Cape Town. I am surviving on piece jobs as a domestic worker and cleaner, and I work four times a month,” she said.
With the money she earns, she buys food and electricity. Her fare matches the going rate. Taxi associations in the Western Cape raised the single fare from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape from R1,000 to R1,150 from Monday, 18 May, saying rising fuel costs forced them to.
Santaco Western Cape spokesperson Makhosandile Tumana said at a media briefing in Bellville on 14 May:”A single trip to the Eastern Cape has increased from R1,000 to R1,150.”
Special trips cost more. A special trip leaving on Thursday costs R1,400, and on Friday R1,350. That is R2,300 for a return trip on the standard fare for one person, or R13,800 for six.
Fares can rise again in December. Last year, the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) raised long-distance fares by R100 from 1 December. Early in October, Santaco announced that they would not raise fares for now, but an increase is not ruled out.
Her children want to go home, but she has told them they cannot until she gets a permanent job. The family misses weddings, funerals and festive gatherings.
“Watching my kids lose touch with relatives, culture and traditions makes me sad; that’s why I started washing other people’s clothes in the township,” she said.
She hopes to save enough for December 2027.
“If I manage to save, I won’t take all of them home at once. I have three kids, a grandchild and my mother. So I will try to save for two, then for the others the following year, because I will never be able to take them all at once,” she said.
For now, the family keeps in touch by phone.
“We are only keeping in touch by calls and video calls so that we can see each other. We also plan the video calls because we don’t always have data, as it is also expensive,” she said.
She wanted to sell chips and vetkoeks but says she cannot, because of extortionists who demand money from people selling things.
“If it weren’t for the extortionists, I would start a business and save money to go home, but starting a business is not easy because of the extortionists who are demanding. They don’t care if you are selling sweets or chicken feet; they want a share,” she said.
Somila Dyalivani, a family member in the Eastern Cape, said they understand her situation.
“We understand her situation, and we can see that everything is expensive. It is not only fares but also food and electricity. We know that one day they will be able to come to the Eastern Cape, we also can’t visit them because of the same issue: money,” he said.
