For Sarah Plaatjies, the taxi industry is a family business – and she’s sticking with it

The minibus taxi industry runs in Sarah Plaatjies’s blood. Her uncle preceded her as chairperson of the Barkly West Taxi Association, a position he had assumed after her father passed away.

 

Born in a small village outside Barkly West, near Kimberley, Plaatjies says that “I grew up with the industry around me”. Her father became a taxi operator in 1986, and she has been in the business for more than 20 years.

 

Currently Plaatjies operates on the route between Barkly West and Kimberley, but she’s planning to expand and run a taxi to Gauteng as well.

 

Getting to this point, however, has not always been easy; in fact, when her first taxi was written off following an accident in 2016, she struggled until 2020 to acquire another one. But, Plaatjies says, “I will continue to work in the taxi industry irrespective of the challenges.”

 

Because she operates a relatively new vehicle, Plaatjies is not eligible for taxi recapitalisation, the initiative to assist taxi operators to scrap their old vehicles in return for an allowance that can be used to buy new ones. However, “I would consider this option if I ever had an old vehicle,” Plaatjies says.

 

The biggest challenge she faces in the industry is that it is male-dominated – and little is being done to change this.

 

“Since the taxi industry is a male-dominated environment, women are undermined. The males are not helpful when it comes to empowering females. The government only awards opportunities to men and it’s always the same people getting opportunities.

 

“The change I would like to see in the taxi industry is to see people have no fear of joining the industry. Especially females. The empowerment of women would also be appreciated, especially for the older women in the industry,” Plaatjies states.

 

But she’s undeterred by this state of affairs, declaring: “My future plans are to continue on in this business. I also want to empower other women in the industry.”