Urbanities,
Vol. 4
·
No 2
·
November 2014
© 2014
Urbanities
80
he is convinced that what happened in his country is about to happen in South Africa; that is,
that the blacks will seize the land from the whites, unleashing ‘a reign of terror just like the
one at home’. The rumours already circulating in Samora Machel (the township where he
lives) that they are ‘just waiting for the old man (Nelson Mandela) to die, then all hell will
break loose’ have already convinced Desmond that South Africa is about to relive what
happened in Zimbabwe.
He told me that on the evening of the final he had managed to take some English
tourists back to their hotel. When he asked them the final score he made it clear to them that
he was disappointed their team had lost. He had told them he supported Manchester United
because one way of keeping hold of a customer is to show that you are friendly and obliging,
especially with tourists. That evening, half of Long Street was celebrating and the other half
was in mourning over the result of the final. Desmond felt that if he were able to win over a
customer like that he would be able to return to Zimbabwe sooner.
Working as a taxi driver in Cape Town is considered a dangerous job, especially during
the night shift. It is quite normal for taxi drivers to be robbed, especially in the townships.
‘Choosing the wrong client or venturing into dangerous areas could mean losing your life.’
Desmond applies two basic criteria when choosing his customers: the first is observation (of
the person and how they behave) and the second is trusting in an inner guide, which Desmond
claims is an angel who ‘has been protecting me and giving me advice since the day I set out
from my country to come to South Africa.’ He says,
‘When I’m not sure whether to take a customer or not I trust my inner guide. He’s
been helping me through since I set out on my journey. When I left home I didn’t
have enough money to get to Cape Town. However, I decided to take the risk in
any case, planning to stop in various places along the way where I would find
work. I crossed the border into Botswana and arrived at the capital from where my
plan was to move on to South Africa. I met nine guys who were heading for Cape
Town. Six of them decided to cross the border at 6 o’clock, while I joined the
other three who intended to leave at 9. This choice enabled me to reach the city. In
fact, I found out later that the six who left before me were captured at the border
and arrested. Right from the moment I decided to leave home, I’ve felt a strange
power inside me, a kind of unusual instinct, which guides my decisions. I think
it’s an angel. When I had to choose between the first and the second group I had
no hesitation. Guided by my angel, I chose the second, and it’s him who tells me
whether to pick up a customer or not.’
With Desmond I headed to Khayelitsha where he went shortly after he arrived in Cape
Town and he recalled his first impressions of the city:
‘When I arrived here I thought I was going mad. I had spent 10 days in the
Hillbrow area of Johannesburg at the house of a friend from Zimbabwe. It was
hell on earth. At night we could hear people screaming, gunshots and sirens. It’s a
place inhabited only by criminals. I don’t think there’s a single ordinary worker in
the whole neighbourhood. I said to myself: I can’t live like this, and I decided to
