Delivery scooter drivers plying their trade in Johannesburg to transport food and groceries to scores of households have been accused of driving without official driving licences.
While some have proven to be immigrants, the alleged foreign nationals have also been accused of driving around, trying to make a living, without documentation to be legal in the country.
The drivers have also been involved in traffic incidents. They face a lot of criticism from ordinary South Africans daily as many believe they lack driving skills.
In an investigation conducted by The Star on Pixley ka Isaka Seme Street, a scooter driver was arrested after he was stopped by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department following his failure to produce a valid driving licence.
Speaking with a foreign national from Arusha, Tanzania, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, The Star exposed a network of corruption occurring in the industry.
He claimed that although he had never taken a driving test, he had transferred money home to his cousin, who then completed one on his behalf and returned it to him.
He informed The Star that he would be able to drive around Johannesburg delivering food and that the average price to finish the deal would be about R3 000.
Another incident occurred in Protea Glen, Soweto, last week when a scooter driver, rushing to deliver something to a customer, struck a child on a bicycle and then drove off.
Delivery food app companies have since distanced themselves from these incidents, saying they used agents to employ their drivers.
Another investigation by The Star revealed how easy it was to join the scooter-driving business by merely applying online with poor vetting and regulation.
JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla could not confirm nor deny some of these incidents to the publication yesterday but said he would conduct investigations of his own.
However, a JMPD officer, who cannot be named because he can’t officially speak for the department, said they arrested many of the drivers daily because they had no papers.
“We get them all the time. If they have not failed to produce a valid driver’s license then they don’t have proper papers to be in the country… and if it’s not that, then they have hit someone resulting in a road rage incident,” the officer said.
Recently, the Department of Labour was issuing fines of R2 000 to employers who employ undocumented foreign nationals at their establishments.
However, scores of delivery scooter drivers operating at some of Gauteng’s busiest malls remain unbothered by the raids and continued crackdown.
The Star spoke to a few drivers who say they earn between R500 and R1 000 a day delivering food to customers in and around Joburg.
“We have not been visited by Home Affairs of the Department of Labour. However, we often fall victim to theft of our stock, food, and equipment,” said Joakim Kuloe, a Ugandan national who operates in Rosebank.
According to Kuloe, his R18 000 bike was stolen a few weeks ago, and in order to get a new one and keep working, he had to pay R10 000 upfront.
“I have papers. I work here legally but what happens is that we encounter challenges almost every day. My bike was stolen and I was forced to get another bike to continue working. My cellphone was also taken but luckily they did not harm me in any way,” he said.
Joe Felix, a Tanzanian resident of Rosettenville, stated that he too possesses the proper documentation to remain in South Africa. He claimed that living in South Africa was preferable to living in his native country.
“I have been here for more than one year and four months. I have the right papers to be here and every three months, I go for the renewal of my papers. The only problem I have is that we get knocked by motorists and there are certain places like Newtown Junction Mall where it is difficult to work because of attacks against us. Anywhere else, we are able to work,” he said.
Efforts to get comment from the Department of Home Affairs were fruitless.
Both the department spokesperson Siya Qoza and the minister’s spokesperson Duwayne Esau did not answer their phones nor return messages sent by texts.
The Star