A zebra crossing with a difference

Zebra Cabs, a company that is empowering the metered cab industry by enabling owner-drivers to buy new vehicles and thereby establish their own small business, celebrated Mandela Day by creating a unique ‘Zebra Crossing’ in Gauteng.

On 18 July a fleet of more than 120 cabs, all decked out in the signature black and white stripes of one of Africa’s most iconic animals, drove together from Corlett Drive, via the M1, to the company’s headquarters in Midrand. They were supported by a Metro police escort.

This ‘crossing’ of the large ‘herd’ was to honour the memory of Madiba and the spirit of doing good. The mass drive will conclude in the handing over of a cheque to the value of R67 000 to Khensani’s Collection, a non-profit organisation operating mainly in Diepsloot. The organisation gives priority to education initiatives in its mentoring and community upliftment activities.

The public is invited to join in the Zebra Crossing by promoting their favourite charities on social media platforms by using #ZebraCrossing. The organisation that receives the most votes via the hashtag will receive a donation of R6 700 from the metered cab company.

In conventional road safety terms, a zebra crossing is a place where people are prioritised over vehicles and thereby enabled to safely reach their destinations. “So, our Mandela Day Zebra Crossing is an additional way for us to express our own corporate ethos of helping people cross safely, successfully, and sustainably from the informal to the formal economy,” said the company’s head, Ana Bonanni.

“In this particular instance, we are emphasising the need to help South Africa’s youth cross from disadvantage to both economic and social success.”