I have been thinking about this entry for almost a month now, so I'm super excited to finally be writing this entry. Today I want to explain to you how I get around South Africa because I think it's safe to say that the craziest situations that I have experienced have somehow centered around South African public transportation. Before I give you my perspective, however, I want you to read what my Lonely Planet - South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland guidebook has to say about South Africa's Minibus Taxis:
"Minibus taxis run almost everywhere within cities, to the suburbs and to neighboring towns. They leave when full and happily - especially if you've traveled elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa - 'full' in South Africa isn't as full as it is in many neighboring countries. Most accommodate 14 to 16 people, with the slightly larger 'Sprinters' taking about 20.
"Minibus taxis have the advantages of an extensive route network and cheap prices. These are outweighed, however, by the fact that driving standards and vehicle conditions often leave a lot to be desired, and there are many accidents. The reputations of minibus taxis has also been tarnished by isolated outbreaks of gangster-style shoot-outs between the various companies competing for business including incidents where crowded taxis were machined-gunned. Although things have settled down in recent years, minibuses in some areas and on some routes are still considered highly unsafe, and reports of muggings and other incidents remain a regular feature…"
Wikipedia's article about South African minibus taxis is even more frightening to read. But they're the cheapest way to get around and (in many instances) the only way that Peace Corps allows me to travel. Realistically, I have little fear of taking the minibus taxis. My rationale? I know for certain that hundreds of thousands of people ride these minibus taxis everyday without incident and that's the mentality that propels me time and time again to ride them. Besides, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have had some of the most interesting interactions with the raw of Africa in these taxis.
A picture of me at my shopping town's taxi rank. At any given time, I'd guess that approximately 100-150 taxis are waiting to fill up and depart to any number of local villages. Some taxi ranks - like the one at Johannesburg - are so large that people make a living by porting people from the incoming taxis to the correct departing taxi of their choice. These ranks have 1000s of taxis taking South Africans all over the place every day. And, yes, I am wearing American Flag shades - deal with it.
This is a picture of my shopping town's second taxi rank - dubbed the "international terminal" by PCV Christian because you would go to this rank if you wanted to go to another township or city. This is a marginally less busy and nicer taxi rank. Notice the canopy - each corridor underneath has a different destination.
Taxi ranks are chaotic scenes - Gogos (grandmothers) bustling about with all manner of ridiculous and heavy things balanced effortlessly on their heads, goats roaming carelessly about snacking on banana peels, drunkards literally hanging on women who are furiously ignoring their slurred speech, innumerable vendors speeding from taxi to taxi hawking any last-minute item you could want from a random assortment of foodstuffs to gargantuan bundles of steel wool and reckless taxis attempting to reverse in every-which direction amidst an unrelenting and rapid influx of even more taxis. They are very... hostile environments, even if you understand and are able to communicate in the local language. Even if you are a local, ranks present a range of obstacles. I have had to aggressively push away drunkards who were attempting to molest visiting female PCVs, I've yelled at men who wouldn't leave me alone in the rank and I've had to ignore more threatening and racist remarks than I ever thought I would encounter. Some volunteers have even been mugged at taxi ranks - thankfully I have not have experienced anything that I couldn't handle so far.
Entering and waiting at the taxi rank is only the beginning, though. In order to actually get to your destination, you have to find where you need to stand to catch the proper taxi, wait for one to arrive and then actually board the taxi. Now if there is one thing that I've learned for certain, it is that South Africans only rush to do 2 things: leave school and board taxis. When South Africans recognize a minibus taxi driver they snatch up as much of whatever they just bought with startling speed, sprint to the incoming taxi, throw the sliding side door open (sometimes before the taxi has even stopped in its designated space) and use a combination of pushing shoving and weaseling their way inside to get a seat. I have literally been thrown to the ground by a 300-pound Gogo because she wanted the seat that I was eyeing - lesson learned: don't mess with Gogos. After everyone has successfully claimed a seat and all of the passengers' goods are situated in every nook, cranny, lap, space under the seat, trunk, roof, available pair of hands and dashboard, the overstuffed taxi is finally ready to depart. Trust me, you don't know what the phases 'uncomfortable,' 'maximum number of passengers,' 'cramped' or 'full' actually mean until you've ridden in a minibus taxi with anywhere from 15-30 other people. It's CrAzY!!
Although I have lived here for a little more than 9 months, I still regularly employ the help of others at the taxi rank. Despite enduring all of the stress associated with getting from place to place, I often find that South Africans are willing to go above and beyond to help me get to the next taxi, determine what seat I should sit in depending on the amount of stuff I'm carrying or get away from a drunk creeper at the taxi rank. The people here watch out for each other. I've always heard that South African PCVs who return to the States always miss the warmness of the people; I honestly don't know how I would survive in this country without the continual support of random strangers. I can already see that the attitudes and behaviors of many South Africans that I have interacted with has affected how I want to interact with others when I return to the States. I'm definitely not ready to come home, that I am sure!
Okay so I think I've exhausted my discussion of my transport situation, but I wanted to include some more pictures of things I've been busy with since the last time I posted...
The next few pictures are from one of my school Admin Clerk's Christian-style wedding that I attended approximately 4-hours away from my site. I would also like to note that I left my house at 6:00am and did not return until 11:30pm that same day AND I was in a suit & tie the entire time. No bueno but it was worth the fun…
