And in all that time I have resisted the temptation of road rage.
Oh, but ‘izigcebe’ (local mini taxis) drivers push me to the brink of insanity, every single day.
Izigcebe, which loosely translates to miniskirts, are normal cars that are used to transport people around the kasi.
I do admit they are very convenient for travelling short distances, but they are the bane of fellow road users.
Some people even call them “amaphela” (cockroaches). I wonder why….
My favourite sgcebe move is when two of them stop at the same point in the middle of the road, on opposite sides, while dropping off passengers.
Yes! And for a few minutes the rest of us will sit quietly in our cars waiting for them to complete this task.
Oh, and then often they just hit the brake in front of you, without warning.
If they even suspect the person walking towards the road ‘might’ need a taxi, they stop – dead brake!
What happened to hazard lights?
And what happens if you are ever unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident with one of these cars?
The answer is: tears – lots of them.
The challenges include expired driver’s licences, worn out tyres, failing brakes, previous misdemeanours – the list is endless.
They often beg you not to involve the police, and most of us have let it slide.
This leniency is part of the problem, I think.
Being nice is really not working out for us.
