Stickers In Kombis Often Offensive

By Frederick Kebadiretse
Staff Writer | Monday January 25, 2010 00:00

 

The latter is usually accompanied by a small picture of a big woman occupying the centre front seat having squeezed the driver into a tight corner with a complaining face. If you commute by kombis around town, you will know what I am talking about because you probably have come across one or two of these message stickers inside the kombi.

Kombi drivers really have a funny way of communicating with their clients or passengers. This trend of placing some message or information stickers have become so popular these days that one just has to get into the kombi and familiarise themselves with the rules put by the owner to avoid any misunderstandings along the journey. Failure to abide by some of these set rules may get you into serious trouble with the 'kombi men' as they have come to be known. The men can get very mean if for example, you board a kombi in the morning with only a P50 note to pay with. They will ask you if you do not know how to read as it is written in bold letters that you should not bring that amount of cash in the morning because they do not have enough change. If you think they will let you go without paying, forget it. They will rather seize your P50 and tell you to come for your change later during the day or tell you to try and find change somewhere immediately.

I recently noticed that these days the 'kombi men' have taken their communication to a new level. Last week I came across a couple of weird messages on stickers inside some kombis around town. One such sticker read, 'small house wanted, contact driver for details', and the other read, 'I am tired of seeing your G-string, please hide it'. The latter I guess addresses the issue of some young girls who have a tendency of wearing low cut jeans or tight skirts which pull down when they board a kombi thus exposing their thongs, or G-string as they put it. The dress trend has become so popular among the youth that maybe it has become an eyesore for the kombi-men who are exposed to that on a daily basis.

This trend of putting stickers has also spread to privately owned vehicles and cars. Even though some carry good messages like 'Jesus Saves,' 100 percent catholic,' some car owners can place very annoying and provoking stickers on their cars like 'o nchenametseng? 'Don't laugh, your daughter is inside' and 'BABE' on board.' One driver said he was recently annoyed by a picture of a middle finger placed on the rear of a car he was following, as if the driver is giving a rude sign to anyone who cares to peep at the art.

Even though some commuters take it lightly, some people are very displeased with some of these messages that they will not board the kombi concerned. Malebogo Ditlhong, who commutes from Tlokweng everyday to work at the Gaborone bus station says she just does not have a problem with the stickers. 'I take it that it is just kombi-men being kombi-men. I normally do not read too much into the stickers,' she said. She, however, acknowledged that some stickers carry important messages, like the one on big notes in the morning, because that usually causes a delay to other commuters if someone does not have change.

Another commuter, a 43-year-old mother, who preferred to be called Mma-Gosego said she does not like some of the stickers because they carry insults.' Ga ba na maitseo,' meaning they do not have manners. How can they put something like 'I do not want fat people in the front seat?' Everyone should seat where they want,' she said. A 21-year-old female UB student who preferred anonymity, and is also a commuter said some messages are really not 'cool'. She said they could make some people feel discriminated if they are not allowed to seat anywhere they desire in the kombi. She said it is a bit rude to put such messages and suggested that kombi drivers should rather come up with a polite way of communicating with their customers.

A Broadhurst Route 2 driver who preferred anonymity said he put the stickers on his kombi for easy communication with his passengers. He said the stickers are not there to offend anyone but to convey important messages with the passengers. He said even though a lot of passengers are okay with the stickers, some can get very cross reading the stickers. He said the one that deters fat people from sitting in the front seat usually gets them in trouble with some passengers, as they feel discriminated. 'I usually ask a passenger politely to consider another seat if I feel they are going to disturb my driving because of their size,' he said.

He explained that the sticker is meant to show passengers that their body size may tamper with the driver, especially when they change gears. The other sticker he explains warns those who expect favours, because they know the driver. 'We happen to know a lot of people around town, so some expect a free ride because we know them, so it is just to remind them that we are in business and everyone has to pay,' he explained. He said the other sticker warns passengers to signal in time when they want to disembark because some people will signal when they have already reached their desired stop, forcing the driver to come to a quick halt thus endangering himself and other road users.

He, however, dismissed those kombi owners that put stickers with insults and provoking messages in their kombis saying it is not a good way to deal with customers.

Senior Transport Officer (Inspectorate) at the department of Road Transport and Safety, Kealeboga Letlhogonolo, said it is unlawful to put provoking messages or insults on public transport or even on private vehicles. Letlhogonolo said the vehicles usually do not have such stickers upon inspection, but the drivers will go and put such after their vehicle has passed inspection. He said what public transport owners do is unlawful because once they have been granted the permit, the vehicle becomes public transport and they are expected to abide by the conditions of the permit.