All I wanted whilst growing up was to be a taxi driver.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”. This is the question that has brought supremely – amongst many – hilarious and at times answers that give ambition a bad name among black communities in Mzansi.

Once upon a time in high school (apparently you can say that if you can’t remember specifics) a teacher asked a class I was in this ‘small moment’ question with a ‘huge significance’. Either our class at the time was too unique – or too aware of obstacles created by poverty that we gave answers that warranted a frequent random release of the rod from the teacher (the withholding thereof, notorious for spoiling children). Whether our collision with that rod was meant to wake us up to the reality of the importance of having dreams and achieving them - or to take the teacher seriously at the time – I never got to know. But the question stuck in my mind, more so, the answer I gave – which let me add was not met with the rod as we had observed that some answers were dangerous, thus kept a good distance – it was met with a pronouncement that would warrant a teacher, in today’s terms: a weekend spent in jail.

“I want to be a taxi driver”, said yours truly in all honesty to the teacher. Up to this day I cannot tell you right away what it is about taxis that fascinate me, but maan I have a healthy constant attraction to them. Come to think of it, I haven’t met many people who became what they once wanted to become - when young. Either one or all of the following happened: they out-grew their dreams, dream entirely different dreams, stopped dreaming, or their dreams were deferred. Whatever happened, most people are not where they always wanted to be, I’m no exception. Anyways, the teacher summarized most of our dreams as rubbish – although we objected that they are achievable and have direct results. We also reminded the teacher about immediate wealth to our dreams, she did not want to hear any of it, she even asked “why are you wasting time here”. Duh… me thought. Age! I’m still too young to do that, besides my parents would disown me were I to leave school for that. Point is she gave us a long lecture about the difficult life we would meet and that education is very important, permanent jobs (not necessarily decent) and being ‘normal’. We reluctantly bought the idea – not making any commitments. Frankly, for most of us, our dreams were slaughtered there. Although upon matriculating as we were parting, we joked that ‘we’ll meet in the taxi-rank’.


Since then, I eventually moved away from my dream to pursue ‘clean career which make better money without risking your life everyday’. I was becoming content until about a month ago, whilst working in this knowledge factory (research institution), I met this Zulu guy who also worked there, but based in Pretoria, he was on a week assignment in Cape Town. After exchanging greetings his cell phone rang, he spoke to it a little and thereafter turned to me, ‘taxi drivers’ he said. I asked him, what’s his story there – this guy I had learned that he holds a PhD in Statistics and has produced a lot of publications. He told me that he owns quite a number of taxis – bought them after obtaining his PhD! Attempting to explain this mystery he said “don’t you know that Zulus are in the taxi-rank!”. Infact he expressed his disappointment that in all the years I spent in Cape Town I haven’t secured one or two taxis of my own. So is that why I love taxis? I’m Zulu *more confused*. This is the same ‘logic’ like saying “truck drivers love women because of diesel smell in the trucks”.

It is then that he told me that he always wanted taxi – but couldn’t get them when growing up as it was a frowned upon business – due to killings associated with it – thus his return now. If anything I learnt from this guy is, no matter how ridiculous your dream is – hold on to it, it is yours. Ray Kroc of McDonald franchise once explained his interest in the business by stating ‘It has nothing to do with burgers, I always wanted to own buildings – separate from others, it didn’t matter what was therein – burgers were the fortunate choice’. Perhaps the biggest favor we can all do for ourselves, is not giving up on our dreams – because they have a way of haunting you and giving you no peace.

Yours truly still dreams of waking up one day – in his front yard to see his Toyota Hi-Ace Siyaya parked there!