As I was waiting to turn into a street the car behind me was pushed against Shafeeka because a taxi had slammed it in the back. Luckily no one got hurt, the taxi driver, the man in the car behind me and his wife and child, and lil'ol' me, all unscathed. The two other cars were in a bad state though.
The taxi driver was speeding, and because I was waiting right behind a little hill to take a turn, he couldn't see me and the other car standing still. He slammed the breaks, but too late, with the known consequence. The taxi driver looked subdued, of course, but also very tired. His eyes were little slits, and he worked a bit slow. My hunch is that he just ended his 24 hour shift and was exhausted.
You see, most taxi drivers have to work 24 hour shifts in alternating days. So one day of driving, one day at home, etc... You often see the drivers sleeping in their cars, somewhere along the road for that reason. I have spoken with quite a few taxi drivers and most of them have this kind of rotation. Obviously that makes me wonder about issues as safety and reliability, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that these types of accidents are quite common.
The little family had Malawian nationality, and when I presented my Belgian passport to the police officer I saw a slight hint of confusion taking over his face. As if he was thinking: "Three cars, three nationalities? Jasses!".
That might have been the reason that he dismissed me rather fast. Within 5 minutes I was allowed to go. I was spared the hassle of written testimonies and other paperwork. A quick look at Shafeeka's behind was enough to assess that I had no damages to claim and apparently that means I was no longer required to stay.
I hope the Malawian family will be able to sort things out with the taxidriver, because my gut feel tells me they will face a lot of hassle to get their damages paid out.
In earlier posts I told you about my dutch friend and colleague Florens, who became a father here in Cape Town shorlty after we arrived. His wife Claudia and their baby daughter Charlotte went to the Netherlands for a three week holiday. That means that Mr Florens regained a bacherlor status - to a certain extend of course. It was very easily decided that we had to do all kinds of things that you can't do with a baby carriage, and possibly a wife attached to it. Hence the mountaint trip I told you about, and a couple of parties of course. I also suggested to give Florens a township experience, by going to Mzoli's.
Mzoli's is a bouchery in Gugulethu, one of the biggest townships of Cape Town. They offer a very simple yet fun formula: You go to that place, order your meat, and they'll braai it for you. You can then eat it whilst enjoying the crowd and a beer bought in the local liquor store (which is basically a garage turned into a store). All of this steeped in township flair, which mainly means a lack of organization and hygiene, a good portion of chaos a lot of very friendly people and overall a lot of fun.
Over the years, Mzoli's has become a hangout for people that want to see and be seen. They drive up in their (sometimes fancy) cars, show off their sound systems, have a drink and dance and chat a lot. The success is slowly but surely changing the area. More garages are turned into shops or bars.
However, if you want your legendary Mzoli meat, you have to stand in line for a looooooong time, and you have to fight your way to the braai where you have to try to get your meat braai-ed before others do.
The first time I went there, me and my friend Rob decided to bribe one of the guys in order to jump the queue. But much good did it do, after a while we found out everyone was bribing the cooks!
The most amazing part about going there are the people. It is so easy to strike up a friendly conversation. And it is not an exception that someone tells you how much they appreciate it that white people are coming to a township to party and see how the majority of the South Africans really live. Those are often older people coming over to shake your hand and thank you for coming. I imagine its because they really experienced the days of apartheid the fullest (apartheid was only abolished in 1994).
Still if you go there, you shouldn't forget you're in a township. Crime rates are high, a lot of thieves and robbers are lurking, waiting for a chance to jump you. You're often warned for this, but so far I haven't seen, heard or experienced any of that. Let's hope it stays that way.
