POLOKWANE – “It took almost losing my life through an abduction on May 17, 2017, to discover, or maybe develop, a deep-seated passion for public transport advocacy.”

These are the words of media and communication professional Mmatshikidi Rebecca Phala (31), who recently reflected on the moment that reshaped both her life and her career.

Phala, who grew up in Mankweng and studied at the University of Limpopo, entered the media industry in 2017 as a newsreader at a Polokwane-based urban radio station.

Her talent and curiosity quickly saw her transition into talk radio and later step into the role of news editor.

In 2022, she briefly joined Review-Observer as a lead journalist, where her instinct for public-interest reporting continued to shine.

But her defining journalistic passion, public transport advocacy, began on a night she will never forget.

A night that changed everything

After working late at the station, then located in Polokwane’s CBD, Phala walked to the taxi rank only to find that the last taxis to Mankweng had already left.

With no transport available for her 30.8 km journey home, she attempted to find an alternative, and was abducted in the process.

She survived the attack, but the event left a mark that shaped her future.

“In hindsight, the experience made me worry so much about other commuters, their safety being number one,” she said.

“Because of the platform gifted to me through work at the station, I made it a responsibility to follow up on the affairs of the taxi industry and transport in general.”

Becoming a voice for commuters

From that moment on, Phala immersed herself in transport issues.

She attended meetings, covered industry demonstrations, and interrogated challenges facing commuters and transport operators alike.

Her reporting became so detailed and impactful that the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety often requested her specifically to host transport-related outside broadcasts.

When she moved into communications at the Ekurhuleni Municipality’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in late 2022, she began questioning whether the transport sector was simply a beat, or a calling.

That answer came quickly.

A career redirected by purpose

Just weeks into her new role, Phala delivered a presentation at a public transport gathering in Durban.

Members of the South African National Taxi Council were so impressed that they poached her to join their communications operations.

“It is almost always our experiences that define or streamline our future,” she said, reflecting on her unexpected but purposeful career trajectory.

Phala says she has come to understand that her strength lies in championing the stories of the underdog. She finds fulfillment in connecting taxi councils, the media, and the public, bridging gaps in communication and understanding.

“My favourite thing is to learn, and this industry affords me that daily,” she said.

“I hyper-fixate, ask questions, find solutions, and that is what my job entails anyway.”

A new chapter

Today, Phala leads Prime Narrative Co., a public relations and communications agency. She also works as a respected master of ceremonies and continues to advocate for commuter safety, fairness and accessibility in public transport.

Her journey, from surviving an abduction to becoming a powerful voice in the country’s transport landscape, stands as a testament to resilience, purpose, and the transformative power of storytelling.