TAXI drivers MEN are having a rough time. Drivers said they no longer make as much money as they did in the past because many people are no longer working.
Making matters worse, they said taxi bosses don’t want to understand this. Taxi driver Nkululeko Mapupa from Etwatwa, Ekurhuleni, was moered black and blue allegedly by his boss when he failed to meet his target for the day.
“He kicked me and hit me with his fists, demanding R1 500 he said I owed him.”
The taxi driver, who ferries commuters between Etwatwa and Benoni, said he was expected to bring R500 a day.
He said his boss wouldn’t listen when he tried to explain he had used some of the money to buy petrol.
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“I work hard for that man and he still doesn’t want to appreciate me,” he said.
Nkululeko said he would be opening a case. He reported the matter to the Benoni Taxi Association.
“He hasn’t paid me for five weeks and when I say I want my money, he says I owe him R1 500. Cars need petrol too. We are not driving with air,” he said.
Nkululeko said what made him most angry was that he had family responsibilities.
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“He only thinks about himself. Other people don’t matter to him,” he said.
Taxi owner Sibusiso Mashaba said he will pay Nkululeko Mapupa the money he owed him. He declined to comment on the assault. The association’s chairman, Mduduzi Mntambo said: they don’t allow taxi owners to assaulted their drivers. “The owner, depending on the harm caused, can be fined or have his membership revoked.”
