Johannesburg mini-bus taxis: An accident waiting to happen

I once took an adventure of note:

I caught a taxi from Randburg taxi rank to Sandton.

This is my adventure:

I arrived at the Randburg Taxi rank and walked in the gate to see a huge area full of taxi’s with signs above where each was parked stating their destination, and once I found the lane with the taxi I needed to use I walked towards it. I was then approached by more than one driver asking me, “Mlungu where are you going?” So I said Sandton. “Aaah, you must use this taxi,” and he points to a very very old blue taxi. I look at it and I look back, “This one, are you sure?”

“Yes, mlungu!” as he pushes me into the taxi. I find my seat next to the window as the taxi is empty and I try to open the window. It doesn’t open. So I’m like ok… I will play with my phone whilst I sit here. Next thing, people start coming to the open door asking, “Sunninghill? Midrand? Sandton?” So I say Sandton and some move on while others climb in, and so this happens until there are 16 people squished into one of those very very old 1960’s VW vans. The ones hippies used…

So off we go, I lean into the lady next to me and say, “How much does this cost?” She says, “R7,50, mlungu.” So I hand her my money and off we go down the road out of Randburg through Bryanston, and as we are chugging up the hill I hear a scream and look over to the two people sitting beside me. The door is gone. The driver pulls over, jumps out puts bricks under the wheels and I’m thinking, “Ok… where are the brakes?” Needless to say the driver then makes the passenger in the front help him pick up the door and then re-attach it to the vehicle. He tells the passengers to hold it from the inside and I just laugh.

As the passengers climbed out at their points, the door holders change. I was the last to get off this taxi and said to the driver, “I won’t be able to hold this by myself.” And he said, “Don’t worry, mlungu,” and stopped his taxi, again placing the bricks under the tyres and then he put the door in the taxi and made me move to the front.

I got home in one piece, laughing, but this is the state of our public transport. And I personally don’t find it safe. I am starting to think that it’s time to name and shame the taxi drivers and the taxi owners and government needs to start doing something about the death-traps most of the South African population use more than once daily.