Every morning she gets up, bathes, gets something to eat and grabs her keys. But before she leaves the house, she looks around wondering if she will make it back home after work.
She's not a police officer, a firefighter or a soldier or in any other profession where getting into dangerous situations is a part of the job.
She's a driver for one of the popular e-hailing services in the country.
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Sebelelo Thankane* has been in the business for two years. She works in Cape Town.
“I started driving in 2018 and saw it as an alternative way to make an extra income. It was a side hustle that really helped sustain me and my child especially as a single parent,” Sebelelo says.
Sebelelo (36) started driving after her contract ended. She had worked as an administrator and because she had bought herself a car while employed, she decided to hit the road.
“When I started out, my family members were concerned and feared for my safety as when I’m out there driving, they cannot really protect me. To be honest, I was also scared but I needed the money so I had to put my fear aside and trust that I would be safe.”
The first year wasn't so bad, she says. But as time went by, she had some issues.
“I have had so many unpleasant encounters, I would not know where to start. I have been hijacked twice, at gunpoint."
“On one of those particular days business was going well, and I had stayed out driving later than usual. I had convinced myself that this was going to be the last ride I would take, then after that I would head home,” she shares.
“When I arrived two individuals entered the car and no alarm bells went off because they said they aren’t going very far. Five minutes into the ride, one of them pulls out a weapon and asked me to stop the car.
She blamed herself, she says. She wondered if she should have just gone home earlier.
“But then it happened again and I realised that it wasn’t my fault, it was men that were making it unsafe on the roads for me.”
Not only does she worry about passengers, she also has to guard against minibus taxi drivers who sometimes have issues over territory with e-hailing services in various areas.
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“At times I have to ask my passengers to get into the front seat so that it doesn’t give off the idea that I’m a cab driver.
“They target us in the township, saying we are taking their customers,” she adds.
“I have heard stories and seen it with my own eyes how drivers like me have been pulled out of their cars and beaten by taxi drivers. I avoid some locations for that exact reason. I fear for my life.”
Sebelelo says because she's a woman, she's had to be selective about the type of customers she picks up. Sometimes she doesn't accept requests from men.
“Sometimes when a request pops up, I always check the person’s name and if it’s a man, I always hesitate to accept or offer my services to them.
“Whenever I accept a ride I always approach from a distance and try to see who it is that I am supposed to pick up. I hate that I have to do this but if they seem ‘dodgy’ I cancel the request,” she says.
She has to be hyper vigilant.
“I advise my female passengers to do the same. Sometimes women breathe a sigh of relief when they see that I am their driver because they feel safer with me behind the wheel.”
Even though it's a scary business, she can't give up the job, Sebelelo says. It brings in money that goes a long way in her house.
“If I had the luxury to just stop, I would. I hate living in fear for my car, for my life or even the fear for my daughter whenever I leave to start my day.
“It’s really horrible that it has come to this and I wish that it wasn’t this way because we deserve the peace of going around without fearing for our lives.”
This archive story was originally published on 18 September 2020.
