Paulina Ndalikokule 

NKURENKURU – A 44-year-old woman who has ventured into the transport industry as a taxi driver at Nkurenkuru, has encouraged women to overcome their fears and take up any opportunity to make a living. 

Marion van Wyk said she has always had a passion for the transport business.

Her burning desire, she recalls, emanated from the excitement she would get when helping her father, a bus driver, to park his bus at home.

She moved to Nkurenkuru four years ago. However, after losing her job last November, she became puzzled about how she was going to put bread on the table for her parents and two children.  Van Wyk decided to drive her friend’s car, which she was using to teach her how to drive, as a taxi between Nkurenkuru and Rundu. From there, a business idea was born. 

“I realised that it was not going to work to drive from Rundu to Nkurenkuru because I couldn’t do it every day due to the rules of first-come first-served at the terminal. So I decided to create a WhatsApp group to get clients to and from work, drop children to schools, pick up customers alongside the road, and also be on standby for dial-a-cab,” she said.

Van Wyk, who is now three months into the taxi business, said she faces challenges as a “woman in a male-dominated industry”. 

“When I used to drive from the terminal, the guys said they would only give me a week, believing I would give up by then. But it is three months now, and I am still trying,” she said. 

She said they are faced with challenges such as gravel and sandy roads in the locations of the town, as well as language barriers. 

“I have been stuck more than two times, but I cannot give up or be discouraged. We understand that Nkurenkuru is still an upcoming town. I have also managed to learn a few commonly-used words by the locals to communicate with the customers,” she said.

She stated that despite the challenges, she is content with how much she makes monthly.

She is further determined to buy a car, and own a driving school one day.

Taxi ranks and roads remain a challenge for the operators in the upcoming town. 

The chairperson of the Rundu-to-Nkurenkuru terminal, Petrus Macai said they currently operate under a tree, an environment which is unconducive for both drivers and customers.

He said although the Nkurenkuru town council has provided them with a plot for their taxi rank, they cannot operate from there yet as it needs to be constructed. 

“When it is windy like this or when it rains, it is a problem because we operate from a tree. We don’t even have chairs for our customers to sit on while they wait for the car to get full,” he said. 

Macai pleaded with good Samaritans to donate any amount toward the construction of their terminal.  They have managed to raise close to N$ 11 000. 

He said they will need up to N$500 000.

*Paulina Ndalikokule is an information officer at MICT Kavango West.