Commuters queue for transport at the Mabopane Taxi Rank. Picture: James Mahlokwane Commuters queue for transport at the Mabopane Taxi Rank. Picture: James Mahlokwane
Pretoria - The beginning of lockdown level 3 on Monday saw scores of commuters at taxi ranks and bus stops as they returned to work.
Motorists filled the roads to go to Pretoria from suburbs like Mabopane, Soshanguve, Rosslyn, Ga-Rankuwa and Winterveld.
With people returning to a normal routine, public transport queues lengthened and informal traders selling essentials like breakfast and airtime returned to their posts.
At the Mabopane Taxi Rank, while some taxis were taking passengers, some taxi drivers were getting their taxis washed as they waited their turn to collect passengers.
Taxi drivers David Phata and Amos Mfuphi said they were happy and ready to return to work properly because they’ve struggled to survive financially.
Commuters queue for transport at the Mabopane Taxi Rank. Video: James Mahlokwane
However, they said their biggest concern was that they did not have sanitisers and equipment used to fumigate a taxi. They said the stuff distributed to them by the government was not enough.
Phata said: “Transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo came here and distriubted hand sanitisers and gloves and masks but I think there is just too many of us. We ran out, and although we buy our own masks, we can’t afford to buy sanitisation products to clean the cars daily.”
Another driver Collen Ndlovu said he could not wait for this day to come but now that it had arrived, he’s afraid of being infected.
“The problem with this disease is that it is actually a virus that you cannot see with your eyes. I could be driving, talking and exchanging money with someone who has it without knowing,” he said.
Commuters Dineo Maja and Amos Mokoena said they were happy to wear masks and protect themselves against the Covid-19 virus because any contraction could place the health of their children at risk.
Mokoena said: “My biggest worry is being infected in a taxi while going to work and then going home to infect my children. That would really break my heart because my children are still so young. At the same time I need to return to work or otherwise they won’t have food. We were barely surviving as it is.”
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** If you think you have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus, please call the 24-hour hotline on 0800 029 999 or visit sacoronavirus.co.za
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