South African long distance Buses rated from WORST to BEST

 

 

I spent the last 7 years of my life living in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape which is almost 15 hours drive(Non-stop with a private car) away from my hometown but since I don't have the luxury of a private motor vehicle yet whenever I travel home I depend on airlines and buses. I fly whenever I feel its urgent or pressing, but other than that I have no qualms about doing an overnight bus trip from one city to another. Although not convenient time-wise, a good long distance bus trip helps me relax, think, read books and chill out for a while but this is often not the case as I've had many terrible trips due to the nature of services rendered. I've travelled with different bus coaches that I'm well rounded on what to expect from each specific bus company.
 I've laid several complaints to some bus services not because I'm always trying to be a difficult customer- sometimes the bus tickets are very affordable which is good news mostly for the poor who can't afford anything else, but even with that in mind it doesn't mean bus companies must get away with offering substandard service.

If you are thinking of doing a long-distance trip to any place around South Africa this review will help you choose a better service;


Rated from WORST to BEST
10. Eagle liner

I travelled with this bus a little less than

 2 months ago(December 2017) from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. They happened to be selling the cheapest tickets during the festive season therefore I had no choice, i'm a cheapskate!. I knew from the brochures and Posters that this wasn't going to be one of those comfy trips. The name even scared me a little bit but I wanted to get back to P.E by any means. The service exceeded my expectations, it was worse than I thought. From the lack of order in weighing the baggage to messy boarding procedures, I was sweating and thirsty by the time I sat down on my seat because I had to defeat other people physically(including the driver) in order to find a seat. It was anarchy!
When I found a seat I came to the sad realisation that they are rigid therefore they can't recline.
There was also no Lavatory to run to in case one is pressed and needed to relieve themselves during the trip this meant that one had to hold in whatever wanted to escape from their bowels.

The good side to Eagle liner coaches is that they have USB charging portals for when your phone battery is low, this is excellent it almost made me overlook all the cons.

 9. City to City

The last time I used city to city was in 2010 and since then I cut ties with this coaches. I remember vividly I stopped using it for 2 main reasons; 1. No lavatory-which means I couldn't drink as much water as I wanted for the fear that i'd want to use the loo, this bus doesn't favour that kind of diet.
2. It is unhygienic, DIRTY, DIRTY! I sat next to a woman with an infant, who during the trip changed her child's nappy right on my lap then proceeded to eat fried chicken and pap afterwards. I was traumatised from the experience that I never went back to City to City.

The good side is that its one of the most affordable bus services to travel with, especially on the route between Gauteng and Limpopo. Its also safer to use it instead of a taxi between these two provinces.

 8. DMJ

 Nothing new to comment on. Similar to City to City. A bit better because of the exterior. Nice going with the Yellow and Blue!
The good thing is that they are affordable.
The downside is that I don't trust them yet, i'll need to be with them for a while to succumb but it might not happen as they mostly travel the route between Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
7. Intercity Xpress

This is from the same family as Eagle liner. Intercity is the more attractive brother who gets more attention because of their good looks but doesn't offer anything different to their sibling. I hate to admit that when I first saw this bus moving around town in P.E after making a drop off it caught my eye quickly because of the colours and it looked petite but we all know how looks can be deceiving, its almost similar to eagle liner.

The good thing is people will see you coming out of a beautiful bus and not suspect what the deuce went on in there.

6. APM(African People Mover). Looks quite presentable on the outside. Affordable

I've already written a review on this bus service last year which garnered interesting responses. I guess I expected more from a bus company that has the word 'African' in it. You can read the review here
African People Mover; Please brothers, you need to do better, I believe in you guys!

5. Translux

For those of you who know me personally and have had conversations where I was defending Translux, I take most of what I said back. I was young and ignorant back then but having tasted what good quality coaches feel like, I almost never want to see the inside of Translux again.
My relationship with Translux began in 2010 in my first year at University, I got left by one of their buses then they offered me a seat in one of their other coaches headed in the same direction, same day. I fell in love with that kind of service.  The drivers were also kind to offer me a blanket to use during the trip-this is where I was hooked.
 For the next 4 years or so Translux would be a saint in my eyes, they could do no wrong in my eyes, "they do me no wrong", I claimed, despite the fact that most of their coaches were infested with cockroaches, they drove at an overwhelming high speed for such large vehicles and their entertainment was wanting.

Translux is not the worst but it is not the best either, their service is average. The coaches are often clean if the cockroaches are on holiday. One thing I do like is that their drivers are more friendly than say, all the buses I've used mentioned in this post. They have etiquette when it comes to customer service during the trip.

4. Citiliner

I used this one for the first time about a month ago travelling from Pretoria to Mpumalanga. I was excited for the journey because I'd heard wonderful things about it, it is Greyhound's little sister after all therefore I expected quality service. Quality is what I got!. The coach was clean inside, the atmosphere was well ventilated so no odors were smelt!
Although the Coach that was designated to take us was late for the boarding then had mechanical problems, they sent another bus later and the trip was still satisfactory.

What I appreciated the most is that unlike other bus companies, they do notify their customers whenever the bus is delayed which saves us the trouble of pestering the ticket sales people about what's happening. This to me communicated one thing; Citiliner people respect their customers.

3. Eldo Coaches

 

The first time I heard of Eldo was in 2016, they were still relatively new in the market but I didn't trust them one bit until I was desperate. I had to go on a trip from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town this past December and I was looking for the cheapest ticket I could find and voila! there is Eldo, the strange bus i'd been trying to avoid for more than a year.
Just like any other bus service in South Africa, Eldo was late for boarding....I mean who can blame them, they also use African time. I got into the bus and my fears evaporated;
Their service was impressive. The drivers were warm & friendly, the  coach was tidy, there were charging portals, there was good entertainment and the speed felt safe and we arrived at the promised time to our destination.

For a company that hasn't been around for too long they are doing very well and I hope they will keep up their excellent service because I plan on travelling with them again in the future. I highly recommend them!

2. Intercape

I always joke about how these guys are 'ruining their testimony' because for a company that is open about their faith you'd expect excellent service in every manner. They are well-known for mechanical breakdowns which affect the duration of the trips and for years this alone clouded my judgement on the quality of their service.
 I would be in heated debates with my friends about which is better between Translux and Intercape and i'd be contending for Translux but after using Intercape from 2 years ago, it has become my Translux. The interior of the coaches is excellent. The two doors to exit with and lavatories really make the trip comfortable- not forgetting their excellent choice in DVD's. What gets me the most when i'm travelling with Intercape is the pre-recorded greeting&prayer they play at the end of each trip.
You do get your money's worth!


AND THE BEST BUS COMPANY GOES TO...............................???????????*Drumroll*

1. Greyhound (dreamliner)

Greyhound lives up to their promises, quality, luxury, safety...you name it...if you are looking for a cheap bus by all means go via #10 but you will miss everything that could be better about your travel. Greyhound offers excellent service through and through. Consider all the good qualities of the above mentioned buses combined; behold! you have Greyhound!
I mean they have business class seating in Dreamliner...! Impressive!

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are based on MY OWN personal experience with each company, if you feel you have differing opinions please leave them down below, the comments section is where we can argue :)

STRANDED: The first time i got stuck in an elevator

I recently watched an episode of a TV Sitcom called 'Men at work' where one guy called 'Milo' got stuck in an elevator for what he described to be "the longest 45 minutes of his life", he recalled the experience as horrific and I could identify with that feeling as I recalled my own experience.

 

 

I was a final year student at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and staying at a Student accommodation(whose name I won't mention) in the CBD of Port Elizabeth. One fateful morning I was going to write a test and I was running late, rushed out of my room and ran for the elevator, it was so quiet that day at res that when I pressed the button to request the elevator to come to my floor, voila! in less than few seconds the elevator was open.....I was the only person in the elevator which was very weird because I stayed in a Student accommodation that was busier than Marabastaad in Pretoria, But it didn't occur to me that something might have been up with the elevator.

 

Few seconds into the lift ride the elevator came to a halt. It was now jammed between 7th and 8th floor of the building, the lights inside soon started flickering. I suspected the electricity in the building shut down.

It looked like a scene from a horror movies, you know; those predictable movies where a light flickers until the monster/serial killer appears behind the victim. At this time I was starting to feel agitated because;

1. What if nobody ever rescues me?

2. What if I need to use the loo?

3. I get claustrophobic when i'm in closed spaces, what if I suffocate to death? Is this how i'm gonna go?

4. My phone lost network so I couldn't call for help!

 

 

Many other thoughts ran through my mind, I knelt to pray

Tried going over my study notes but nothing could distract me; I was trapped with no way out. so I started chanting "Help!" softly. When I realised nobody could hear me I started screaming while trying to beat down the door but my attempts failed.

I had to accept that the elevator is my new home, I had missed human interaction to an extent where i was so worried that by the time I get rescued I would have forgotten human language and will be looking like a hermit.

 

Here I am safe and sound!

I guess its true what they say "Every cloud has a silver lining". The elevator maintenance guy came to my rescue. He did the things that made the elevator to move to ground floor. I emerged from the ground floor with my clothes damp from sweating and boy did I feel the shame- finding more than 20 students waiting to see who was in the elevator. I only discovered after I got out that I was in there for less that 10 minutes, not 45! But boy did it feel more like hours.

 

before my experience, I always laughed and ridiculed others for making a big deal out of getting stuck..."its just an elevator!", I would say. Its funny until it happens to you. 

 

PS* This blog might serve as a reminder to anyone reading to always take the stairs for the reason that electronics will inevitably fail at the least convenient times

and its important to say goodbye to your loved ones before you board an elevator because you never know how long you'll be trapped in there, could be a minute, a year or two.

 

1 year after the split: Reflections on Watsapp

 

Yesterday(10th November 2017) around 2:30pm I went back on watsapp. For those who don't know already- let me give you a lil backgroundnd story. Tuesday 18^th October 2016 is a remarkable day in my calendar because thats the day Watsapp and i finally called it quits. Our relationship had been rocky for few months with periods of silent treatment and occasional arguments. When someone tells me "i'll watsapp it to(pictures, phone number/secret) you" i almost cringe because anyone who says such is unaware of the great split, its at that moment that i make the announcement "Watsapp and I are no longer together" this is often met with "whattt? who on earth isn't on watsapp?" or "you rich people neh?" yet nobody ever bothered to ask what really happened.

One of the main things I appreciate about Watsapp is that its affordable, most of my friends use it so communication is made easy. On the other hand I was often anxious because of the way the app is set up i.e blue ticks and last seens, those two features induced much anxiety, including the blocking button which didn't help because i'm a serial blocker- One wrong text or blue ticks then someone is sent packing. Being away for 1 year 23 days taught me a lot of things; bear in mind that i'm not trying to demonise Watsapp or any other social network but these are some of the reflections I've had in the past year:

1. I can live without it

 

In the era of Instant messaging and Chat, watsapp exceeded the expectations of its consumers far better than its competators i.e Mxit, 2GO,weCHAT,BBM,etc. It offered good, less fussy communication at a minimal cost. I was happy with it at first for this reason but as time went by i realised my life was almost getting tied to this messaging app

2. I'm less anxious

 

Maybe this is just me but i remember feeling anxious and often irritated at some of my contacts when my message is delivered and read but no response returned. I am glad i hadn't been blue ticked in over a year.
I'm less anxious because even though i use other social networks to chat, Watsapp was the only one that had a sense of 'urgency', its an Instant messaging app and everyone is available to chat, all day, everyday. It doesn't even offer the option to logout of the app which means unless you switch of your mobile data the app is running all day, everyday.

3. I'm capable of beating addiction

On the 18th October this year i low-key celebrated my 1 year away, that day was like an epiphany. I realised if i could stay way from chatting for a year then everything else is rock and roll. You might think i'm just being extreme but i have what they call 'an addictive personality', i used to check watsapp like its the morning paper. First thing first when i woke up was to login and see who sent something interesting while i was sleeping.
 

4. There are other ways to communicate

I wasn't planning on stepping back to the 90s completely but i  i enjoyed  phone calls and e-mailing. I received a lot of backlash from close friends because those are outdated ways of keeping in contact but i think we should be free to communicate with whatever medium works for us, i mean people have a thousand ways to get us anyways.  if they don't email, they call, if you don't answer they Facebook you if not they slide into your Instagram DMs all that matters is someone
 

5. A year isn't that long

But things change quickly, now Watsapp has Statuses,stories,video calling and recently Options to delete messages for you and the receiver , things progress quickly. The world is in a big damn hurry! I was thinking that I've been away for such a long time but i couldn't help note that one of my friends Tshili hasn't been on Watsapp since 2011. People can live without these things hey.

7. I have more time to do other things

This one applies to all social media, I deleted Watsapp then in January 2017 I sent Twitter and Instagram packing too. For the time that I was gone/ cutting back on Watsapp, Instagram, Twitter and occasionally Facebook- My quiet times with the Lord have been enhanced- I spent more time reading, praying and less time stalking people, fishing for complements, and seeing things that don't build up my relationship with God and other people. I spent less time arguing over trivial things(yes I was that person who does an all-nighter on Watsapp because of an argument).  John Piper once said one of the biggest uses of Facebook and Twitter on the last day will be to show that Prayerlessness was not because of lack of time. This really convicted me.

 

Are we spending more time that we ought to online?

Could social media be part of the reasons why some of us are often depressed?

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

CHALLENGE:10 Things you should probably stop saying to short people

You know you are short when................ ?
Answer: when everyone thinks you are short, including other short people!

Believe it or not...there was a time i used to be tall. I think in grade 7&8, i was taller than most boys in my class- all the girls were anyways then BAAM! one day i just stopped growing and everyone else grew more and more. One friend of mine uses this story to poke fun at me till this day- he was a midget while i was a giant, now i'm the midget and he is........well he didn't grow either so we both midgets!


Throughout high school i was aware that i was shorter than lots of other people and i didn't mind until people started pointing it out. Over the years i've heard people say some really weird and unnecessary things to me concerning my height. While i understand that not everyone is trying to be mean-spirited, sometimes the comments can hurt and can cause insecurities.



It also doesn't help that my brother who is 7 years my junior towers over me and people are often quick to point that out.

Heightism is real in this world. I've always been told never to consider career streams like Aviation or modelling because of my height, like don't even look in that direction girl. My apparent crime was be born a short person!




Some people have dished out bizarre comments concerning my stubby height, if you relatively tall and have said some of this to shorties......STAAAAAAAAP! Short people also have feelings.......tiny feelings(short pun!).


I Speak for the tribe:


1. "WOW i didn't know you were this short"



This comment stings- i love the personal discoveries that you making but if you could just not bring it towards my direction.....it would be cool. I've had people who have known me for years say this to me and i get puzzled. Sometimes i just smile and walk away.


2. "I feel so tall when i'm next to you"



I'm glad in my 25 years of living i've served my community in this regard- i'm glad i could boost others' self-esteem while they destroyed mine.


3. "Don't you wish you were taller?"



No, i don't actually. I just wish i had nicer friends sometimes


4. "Why do you drive so close to the steering wheel?"



Because i have small legs! common sense is not so common i guess.


5. "At least you are not as short as (INSERT another short person's name)".



I hate this pity comment, don't boost my confidence by instilling pride- i dream of a time when people would be tall, short, beautiful, etc within their own right, NOT compared to another person.


6. "You're still not my height with heels on"




This is an ancient short people problem- wearing the highest heels we could find and still being shorter than everyone. No need to point it out. I personally hate it when i'm wearing heels and people ask me to take them off so they can see how little i am.

PS* People wear heels because they are cool fashion items, not just because we want to look taller!


7. I hate it when people say "it must suck to be so short"



It doesn't................oh who am i kidding? Do you know i can't reach the top shelf without climbing the table top?, i have to tiptoe in most pictures with my tall friends and BTW learning how to dress is like a life skill that takes a while to master.


8. "Are there any tall people in your family?"



What does my family have to do with..............wait....What?

This question makes me wonder if the person asking thinks i'm short because my parents went to a short people's convention then fell in love then had short kids. If you've asked this STAAAP! I have a lot of tall relatives from both parents side, doesn't mean i have to be tall by default. I also know tall friends who have short parents these things happen.


9. Whenever someone sees me hanging out with another short friend "Awww you hangout with one another coz you both short?!"



yes, because we have short people' Storkvel where we console each other about not being vertically blessed.

10. The biggest challenge of being short.... when you've heard all short people jokes but people still crack them anyway



If you are tall and have hurt a short person by any of the above- go and apologize.

If you short and don't get any apology, just remember God made you the way you are, instead of feeling depressed all the time about your height.

YA YA YA You might be disadvantaged in ways by being so tiny but there are Pros e.g You don't have to trim your nose hair coz nobody can see it since they all up there. There's no blanket thats too short for you and OH! having enough leg room in a plane or bus is never an issue since you have short legs. There are many other reasons why being short is awesome.




If you still not feeling better after that.....well deal with it. You only get one body, you can either sulk for life or embrace being a midget :-)

22 Unforgettable Memories from my childhood

10 months ago i turned 25, 

 Looking back at the past 25 years ...along the road there has been many moments of grief, hardships, struggles and confusion which often made me bemoan my circumstances, yet at the same time I can't help but be grateful to God for the good moments that I have experienced, the few years I spent with my father, the chance to laugh, the friendships that blossomed over the years, etc. I'm also grateful for my childhood memories that are filled with rainbows, absurdity and happiness.

In about 2 months i'll be turning a year older, oh i miss the days when i didn't have to be so serious about life! Now i'm an adult and adulting has proven to be more challenging than i anticipated. The old days were simplier, even though i can't go back to where i came from, i have the memories carved into my brain

Here are 22 memorable things from my childhood:

1. Bladder training

This was mandatory 

2. My dad nicknamed me "Nzie"(Locust) because I was very active as a child(running/jumping around, noisy, inquisitive), that name scared me for a while because my cousins used it to annoy me and it always sounded like a mild rebuke and i was not about that Introvet life!

3. No Sunday school, No 7 colors
One of the neighbours who lived straight down the road threated to convince my parents to not allow me and my brother to eat Sunday kos if we didn't go to church

4. The last conversation i had with my dad. He adviced me to finish school. He always said if a boy promises me an Aeroplane i should ask him to provide an airport too. He said boys are gross.

5. My Kindergarten class once went on a trip to Meat Centre (literally 3km away from my house&900m away from the creche)

6. My older brother pocketed my lunch money. We were in the same Primary school. My mom used to give him R8 to share half with me but he would give me lunch from home and kept my R4

7. My older brother and I skipped school to watch WWE wrestling specials. We had DSTV very early on.

8. my sister and brother convinced us to cook and eat a whole crate of eggs(48), our maid snitched on us. My sister was shambocked because of it. she paid the price.

9. My little brother was the perfect addition to my family. i was 7 years old and in grade 1 when my little brother was born...my mom convinced me she got him from "Ha-Kutama"; it was not until i was in grade 9 when i realised babies are not from Ha-Kutama. 

10. I once back chat to an older guy passing by our house and i paid for it, our maid beat the mess out of me

11. I had "school mothers" who used to give my presents to my older siblings yet i never received them

12. dumping a school mom required a gutted down fish and a dirty D.V.S note!

13. My sophisticated aunt was a teacher in the Junior primary school i attended which boosted my popularity status. It was a big deal if you had a parent or relative as a teacher in the school you attended

14. My neighbour was a teacher in the Senior primary i attended so i never cleaned the classrooms with other kids after school

15. I was a good dancer. Believe it or not, i danced Majorette

16. I was a hated classroom rep at once. Because my neighbour selected me for everything.....i didn't let othet kids flourish

17. I had a new bestfriend every month.

18. In Junior primary, one of my teachers(whose name i won't mention) taught us that a flight from South Africa to Israel is only 8 minutes and i was so gulliable

19. I was selected to be the MC on children's day at Church. My mom convinced me to begin my greeting to the whole church by saying "Hello, I'm gonna be your MC today" and everyone replied "huuuuh?" then i explained "your Master of ceremony,mutshimbidza mushumo" to which everyone applauded and whistled. Thinking of it now that was a very basic moment that needed no applause! lol

20. Playing Mahundwane/Zwavhana(house) with kids in the neighbourhood

21. Thanzi broke my leg while we were playing in one of the Creche swings......then my teacher fed me pap& minestrone soup. yuck!

Then

22. I grew up and realised being an adult sucks. Its like looking both directions before crossing the road then getting hit by an aeroplane. I miss the simplier times, I miss my dad!

INFERIOR.UNSAFE.PRETENTIOUS: my first time on APM

First let me say; this review is long over due. I was meant to have published it on the 16th December 2016 (the first time I travelled with APM) but I was waiting  till I've travelled with it some more. I wanted to give it another chance to redeem itself. I didn't want to misjudge the poor bus service based on one seemingly bad experience.
So far I've used it three times...

In this review i'm not only focusing on the bad,i'll include the good as well-however briefly that will be.

Booking/Reservation: No form of identification is required, the first time I booked my ticket all the saleswoman wanted was my money, nothing more. "Isn't this a bit risky?"- i asked myself even though i wasn't carrying my ID with me at that moment, i didn't consider it luck that they didn't want one incase i didn't have it at my person, i was thinking about my safety.


Price: I paid R350 for a 1 way bus ticket from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg. I was over the moon,I am a cheapskate afterall- the last time i travelled long distance for such a low price, Boom Shaka was still a thing.

Me inside the bus rethinking all my life choices, including this one(for the third time).

Coach: Toilet: the bus is semi-luxurious. It has a clean toilet with a sensor flush- as a person of technology i was impressed by that aaaaaaaand that's the only luxurious thing about this bus. There are so many things wrong with the interior- its like travelling on a City to City with a beautiful toilet.

Seats:In other buses I've travelled with, I've sat on the last seat next to the toilet, not because i enjoy watching people move in an out of the garbage can but because the seats are the best for some odd reasons. Be warned with APM  though. Those seats are not easy to recline and when you do manage to recline them they only do so 0.03%, like the rest of the seats in the bus. This is frustrating for long-distance travel.

Study lights: They do not work-ever. You can't read or watch what you are snacking on. You just sit there and think the whole night about the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.


USB charging ports: This was a good gimmick yeah, i literally ran to book my ticket after i heard someone who gladly gave a testimony concerning this. The ports don't work, APM sold me dreams on this one.

Luggage compartment: Everything is messy underneath those buses. Bags are all over the place.

Speed: The coach travels at a higher speed, they give you this impression that you will get to your destination in no time, first time it kind of reminded me of being in a Roadlink but in APM's case the speed was futile coz we arrived 2 hours after scheduled time. I could have just walked all the way.

Entertainment: Don't underestimate the power of boredom on these buses. You may think, “Oh, how lovely it will be to look out the window for the whole afternoon straight and be totally at one with nature then i can talk to my seating buddy the rest of the journey…” Trust me, there are only so many mountains and fields you can look at before you get totally fed up of looking outside, also i don't know what the demographic is but inside the APM buses I've been in there was no sparkling conversation, no life while travelling. Make sure you bring all your devices i.e Cellphone, Laptop, Kindle, Powerbanks,etc.
APM will attempt to alleviate boredom by playing some movies that no-one has ever seen and the ones people have seen are all rated less than 20% on RottenTomatoes, trust me-i checked.

Drivers: I don't really know whether to blame it on the bus service being new or amateur drivers. The bus drivers don't talk to passengers, they seem sluggish and bored with their work. There are no bus attendants to take care of people especially the grannies in the bus-we all know they have lots of questions and concerns. Just 2 drivers all the way through.


My verdict:
I hope as time goes by APM will live up to their motto! but for the time being they are  INFERIOR. UNSAFE. PRETENTIOUS

Will i stop using it?- Probably not! Its a bargain!

My first time: I got robbed!

                      Face to Face with crime in Mzansi

To the readers; this post is not an invitation to my pity party (that ended a while ago) but i just want to share with you about the first time i got robbed. First let me send a shout out to the man who broke into the car and stole my laptop bag that had my purse in it; Congratulations, you are R 27 and [however much you sold my laptop for] richer. 

So......3 weeks ago i got robbed of all my valuables (Laptop bag- laptop, Wallet- e-Reader, ID, Passport, Bank cards, Earrings (cheap rubies i got from my mother in 2011) and an EXPIRED myCiti bus card). Since I had never had an item lost or stolen from me in my 6 years staying in the "cities" i had always taken pride in the fact that i take very good care of my personal belongings (as contrasted to one of my close friends who has lost more that 5 phones in under 2 years), what i experienced 3 weeks ago was a humbling experience in every manner. I went to a staff meeting around 1 PM and was asked few minutes later to go check on something at the church building.

That fateful Monday afternoon at 3:30 when the security guard minding the building next door to my church building ran inside bawling in Xhosa "Someone is stealing stuff from your car!" (Translated) i thought he was mistaken, i imagined he must have been alerting one of the Xhosa guys i was standing with inside the  building....Unfortunately the man was talking directly to me. I ran outside in disbelief , convinced that he made a mistake, when i got to the car the security guard knew what he was talking about ...behold!, there it was; the window smashed to thousand little pieces and my laptop bag gone...along with my self-esteem and will to live. 

At the moment of realizing what just happened, in my mind the sky became grey and i heard a wolf howl in a distance. It started raining on top of my head although it was sunny in Port Elizabeth that afternoon. I had never ever in my life felt confused, violated and astonished at the same time. A large crowd was starting to draw near the now windowless car like a Paparazzi that had just spotted a famous celebrity in town. 

One of the guys in the audience walked up to me and advised me to "Call the police",[i use the word audience coz it looked like a scene from a blockbuster film and in it i was the main actor]  i have to say i occasionally get agitated and respond quick in stressful situations but at that moment i felt defeated. I just sat down on the ground next to the car. Minutes later i pressed my phone, opened the phone-book and called my sister who is in Pretoria instead of the police. After explaining to her what has happened she burst out laughing and i joined her, we laughed together for over a minute till i decided to face reality. 10111 was the 5th number i dialed, a policeman showed up 20 minutes near the scene and asked what happened then drove off . Anyways i had to replace my bank card and ID immediately, now i have an ID card after declaring that i won't get it anytime soon coz its too portable.

I thought hard about how different things would have turned out if i had been more careful and put my bag in the trunk but seriously, nothing really prepares you for a robbery like being robbed! Experience is the best teacher, sadly. 

Today in addition of owning a new ID and bank card, i own a pepper-spray.