#YourStory – A day in the life of a car guard

When your own country is a war zone, fleeing to another country might be the only option to survive.

When you find yourself in that situation, decent work might be the least of your worries as the only thing in your mind at that time is to survive.

The NEWS spoke to Mr Chris Kayembe, a car guard at Greenstone Crescent about his job and asked how shoppers can ensure the safety of their vehicles while they are shopping.

Mr Kayembe is from Congo and he came to South Africa because of the war taking place in his country.

While growing up, Chris never thought he would ever grow up to be a car guard because all he ever wanted was to be an accountant. After finishing school, he went to study and became an accountant.

The situation in his country forced him and many others to flee and he found his new home in South Africa. However, life has not been easy for Mr Kayembe because when he arrived in Johannesburg, he had to find a job – any job – that would pay him, even if it meant working as a security guard.

“When I arrived here, I just needed a job so I could take care of myself. Unfortunately when you are an asylum seeker, it is very difficult to get a decent job and it doesn’t matter how qualified you are in your own country. When you apply for a job, they want you to have an identity document and they do not take asylum papers,” said Mr Kayembe.

He said when he first came to the country he worked as a security guard. He is now working as a car guard and said he has been doing this job for four years.

“I make an honest living as a car guard. I wish the government could allow us to apply for decent jobs with our asylum papers. South Africa is my home now and I am doing my best to provide for my wife and our three boys. I take my job very seriously because I think being a car guard is more than just looking after people’s cars. We also assist customers with their trolleys, and when there is an incident where one driver bumps another car, we help them out with taking the statements. We do our best to ensure the safety of the cars,” said Mr Kayembe.

Mr Kayembe advised shoppers to ensure that their vehicles are parked properly to avoid unnecessary bumps on their vehicles.

“Some people don’t pay attention to how their vehicles are parked, especially if they are in a hurry. You need to park in the lines provided for your vehicle to ensure the other person who will park next to you will have have enough room to park and be able to open their doors without bumping the vehicle next to them,” he said.

He also urged people to physically check if their vehicles are locked because there are people who jam cars.

“I urge motorists to please trust car guards because we are here to ensure the safety of your vehicle,” said Mr Kayembe.