Going from being a petrol attendant to an Uber driver seemed like a step towards a better life for Erick Ndebele and his family until recent brutal attacks on drivers shattered that outlook.
But a recent attack has left Ndebele’s family fearing for his life.
“When I was attacked in March‚ my wife asked me nicely to look for another job. She simply can’t take the fear that this job brings to her and my children‚” Ndebele said sombrely.
“Our major problem is safety. Challenges exist in every job‚ but this rivals them all‚” he said.
After being retrenched and doing a series of part-time jobs‚ Uber driver Patrick Funeka had hoped things would work out for the better.
Funeka said he was a truck driver and at some point a cleaner in a factory in Durban‚ until he came to Johannesburg and found out about Uber from his uncle.
“I then applied‚ went through tests and failed numerously until I was approved‚” he said.