I'm in Jo'burg.
On the way from the airport my taxi driver - a young man named Jobi - and I were chatting about family and the underground house movement here. This is music, not non-stationary subterranean dwelling-places (ha ha).
He sold me a cd by one of the leading proponents, DJ Mujava. I really enjoyed being sold a cd by a taxi driver and I plan to do this more often. The music itself is funky and hard-edged and appeals to my black side (the left). It's also millions of times better than any of the shit they play on the radio here.
He asked about my family and we chatted a bit about kids. Then I asked if he had a family. He told me that his wife had passed away in April leaving a 5 year old daughter. Since he had to work all hours driving big-shots like me around the place, his daughter was living on the Western Cape with his sister. He saw her every 2 months for about 3 days at a time.
Jobi's situation is desperately sad. The fact that he had lost his young wife made it especially so but, for many young blacks in South Africa, being separated from family is pretty much the norm. Paradoxically they are drawn to the poverty and danger of the big city townships in order to find gainful employment.
Perhaps Jobi was merely 'working tips' with his sad tale but I don't think so. If he was he was spectacularly successful. I gave him a whopping 200 rand tip and told him to buy something nice for his daughter.
Buy something nice for your daughter! Who did I think I was! Telly Savalas?
2 comments:
This generous tip that you gave him - you're going to expense it, I take it?
easily covered under the generous per diem...
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