‘Abomageza’ want to redeem themselves, says taxi marshall
Drivers work on how the community views them.
In the townships, taxi drivers are called ‘abomageza’, according to Ivory Park taxi marshall Walter Chauke.
The Ivory Park Taxi Association (IPTA) has decided that this perception needs to change.
“We as taxi people have to look good and authentic as business people, so on Mondays and Fridays we have to wear formal clothes and look respectable,” said Chauke.
“Taxi drivers are fined if they are found not wearing formal clothes on Mondays and Fridays,” he said.
“When someone looks decent, I doubt they will have the nerve to misbehave, and the conversation with passangers is also formal in a way. This strategy has been and will be continuing for a long time.”
It is evident that other taxi associations in the township have adopted this strategy. Tembisa Taxi Association (TELTA) and Kempton Park Taxi Association (KETA) have their own dates to wear formal clothing.
Chauke said whether or not passengers stop calling taxi drivers abomageza, the association remains proud of this initiative.
