It was going to be a trip down memory lane. At least that’s what I thought as I prepared to try out the vaunted Soweto Business Express.
Soon after arriving at Ikhwezi station in Mofolo, I discovered that the world had changed a bit since igado/ibomba was the transport of choice.
Though Khwezi (the ‘i’ is hardly ever pronounced) had been where I took the train to school and Orlando stadium, the ticket station was not where I’d last seen it. ”Eh, uncle where do I get the ticket — for the train?” I asked the newspaper vendor.
I felt like a barrie, a veritable Jim Comes to Jo’burg, especially as the vendor’s response was a bit too loud for my liking. I wished I could tell curious bystanders that I wasn’t really that much of a newcomer.
The staff riders, variously known as Dillinger or Rambo, are still a familiar feature. But notably absent is Bra Mebra, who spent his afternoons selling something station hawkers called injection begnovate — apparently a skin-lightening cream — and, in the form of Mr Mashinini, his mornings as a strict Afrikaans teacher at Daliwonga school.
I wished that those who stared at me disparagingly knew that the reason I’d stopped using the train was that in the early 1990s, Inka— I mean swearing Zulu-speaking impis, made a habit of throwing people out of moving trains.
I was here because Metrorail is wooing what they call the ”Soweto middle class” to abandon their cars at the station and take the train — the Soweto Business Express — to Jo’burg.
In return for this sacrifice, the rail utility is offering a mode of transport with all the comforts of at least an economy-class flight. Even better than Kulula or Mango, it has tables with sockets available for laptop usage. It even has a coffee dispenser. The Metrorail spokesperson assures me that in case of cable theft, a diesel-powered alternative is at hand to guarantee that users are not inconvenienced.
It looks good — especially if you have the bucks. For a normal monthly ticket, commuters pay R88. The Business Express will cost about R350 a month.
Things have changed since we — as what today are called ”learners” — used the train as a kind of school bus to get to Veritas, Matshidiso, Phesescho, Matseke and, of course, Daliwonga.
Even the Ta-Msy (the ticket examiner) is a woman. Unlike then, when the last coach, idumani, was the place to be, the Metrorail guy asked me to wait so that I could ensconce myself at the front end. Eish!
All that has passed. I am back at Khwezi and rubbing my hands gleefully as I wait for the train.
But some old habits die hard. It is late. I have been standing there since 6.20am and it is now 20 minutes later and a full 10 minutes since the Metrorail representative said the train was leaving ”now”. After about 45 minutes it arrives.
On this morning, there are no passengers — though there are many security guards. The Metrorail guy spots me and I jump in.
As we proceed to the coach where his colleagues are sitting, I wonder whether this train, too, will one day host church services, as the average train does. I doubt, though, that Soweto’s so-called ”black diamonds” will be interested in the political school that almost every peak-hour train once offered.
From Khwezi, the next stop will be Parkie, Johannesburg’s Park Station.
As we pass Mzimhlophe, I am appalled to see pre-cast fencing around the station. In days gone by, commuters jumped off the road and headed for a gaping hole in the perimeter fence, saving money on the train ticket and valuable time queuing at Orlando Stadium.
I am rather relieved, then, to notice that some forward-thinking individuals have removed some of the pre-cast to create a passage for those who simply don’t have the time or cash to be tied down by red tape.
New Canada, Longdale, Langlaagte, Mayfair, Braamfontein and finally, Parkie. It has taken almost 25 minutes from Mofolo to Jozi. Impressive. I know that by car, it would have taken at least an hour.
The nice people at Metrorail arrange a lift to our Rosebank offices, which takes another 20 minutes — and a full 10 minutes from Zoo Lake to 7th Avenue. Okay Metrorail, point made.