He's off and I'm here.

When I caught the cab today that was to take me to work, I saw homey waiting half way up the hill, when I had clearly stated that I was on the corner. When he realized I was his guy, he proceeded to roll down and opened the door. The rotund face of weary Xhosa man, I hoped to not be in for too much conversation:

“Kuhle mhlekazi?”

“Akonto tata, siyazama, unjani wena?”

“Hayi ndi right. Undisaphi namhlanje?”

“11 on Addereley.”

“Let’s go then…”

He explained that he had to stay up the hill because Cabnet refused to pay for a new battery and that they said it was cause he used the heater (Are we not in winter? ) and because he left the car radio running.

“Can you see a radio here?” He asks, but before I can respond he carries on to talk about how he would need the car to be on, in order to use the heater otherwise it would simply play the role of air conditioner.

“Informal employment is sometimes, not the right thing ne? Because now, some people have more rights to exploit others. The Muslims and coloureds here in Cape Town, the Indians there in Durban and even the blacks are doing it to each other. It’s only the whites who are not allowed to exploit people there. The government is busy going around to the farms and looking for children, saying that it’s child labour, but don’t even do anything here in the city. Some of the buildings here have little children maybe about 10 or 11 years old busy sewing in a factory, but you don’t see cause the doors are closed and locked with those big chains. Here at the taxi rank there a children who should be at school but are busy learning to be gartjies and they don’t do anything. Why? There in Gauteng there was a factory that burnt down and seven people were burnt to death because of those locks on the doors and the government kept quiet? As long as they stay in power it’s fine.

 All they say is: “Here have these monkeys”

 so that they can still make money and tell us that they’re giving us jobs but all they are doing is exploiting us. Indians, the coloured and the Chinese are allowed to exploit us so long as it’s not the white man. And they know we’re still going to vote for them. That’s why it’s fine for me to work this hard because I need to make sure that my children get educated so that they can’t be exploited like this. Because it’s not so easy to exploit someone who is educated.”

“I’m going to have ask that we get into this lane so I can go to the bank.”

“Okay, I’m just going to have to put myself in here… Don’t worry that’s what we need to do, sometimes you must just take. Don’t worry about this monkey making a noise with his hooter, people were making the same noise when he was doing the same thing to get here, now he’s acting like an angel.”

He starts laughing

“Hey! I’ve heard songs, I heard this song that says an angel is crying. Have you ever seen a picture of an angel? Have you? It’s always a picture of this pretty white girl? White people are full of shit. Before they came here, we didn’t have these ideas of angels and gods, we were fine. There were just people. And then they came here with their shit stories of jesus. Hayi…”

“Xholo ukhuphazamisa tata, kodwa I need to get out here so I can get the money.”

“Oh, okay.”

I draw the money and pay with the little tip I can afford. His eyes seem flat and without character but still they manage to scrutinize me.

“Enkosi ke buthi, I’m sure we’re going to be seeing each other again anyway.”

“Ndiyabulela tata.”

“Shap ke mngan’am.”

He’s off. And I’m here. 

Just because I'm a punk ass soft kinda guy I'ma play you some cheese now