Accolade for taxi boss
Mildred Redman received an award in recognition for commitment and resilience in the taxi industry.
Working in a challenging industry dominated by men, at some point it may make one give up, but not Mildred Redman of Marburg, who has been a taxi owner for 31 years.
Mildred was recognised at an awards function hosted by the South African National Taxi Council in Durban recently, for being one of the most successful women taxi owners in the Ugu region.
She received an award in recognition for commitment and resilience in the taxi industry. She said she was treated like a queen for a weekend at the event, along with other women taxi owners, at a top hotel in the city.
She joined the taxi industry in 1992 after she was retrenched.
At first, she joined Bambanani Taxi Association (Margate route).”When I joined the association it cost a thousand rand and I was driving the taxi myself.”
Her taxis were stolen on four occasions after she started out, and she was once stopped by the police because the taxi she had bought was stolen, and it had to be impounded.
“In the long run, I managed to buy a new taxi which then led to my business blooming.”
When asked about her secret to working with men in a male-dominated industry, she said: “I turned out to be just like them, I was just as rough and if they had issues with my taxis loading, I would stand by the door and tell them to their faces that my taxi will load.”
“Nowadays the industry has learned to accept women and treat them as equals. We even have a women’s league which I chaired.”
With regards to taxi violence, Mildred said there was a time when she had to go into hiding for a long time because her life was in danger.
“I was wanted, a bullet waited for me. A strong group wanted to take over and it happened that I was a target too. I was hiding in a church in Johannesburg.”
She explained that taxi violence has increased, and it is the reason the industry is no longer as profitable.
Mildred has five children, four daughters and a son. She said her son was shot dead, however it was not taxi-related.
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