A different take on car guards
Are car guards a nuisance or a necessity?
The growing trend of having car guard services in shopping centres has been thrown into the spotlight recently, with patrons having a different take on the purpose of the job.
These men, who mostly come from neighbouring countries, spend hours every day clad in reflective gear assisting patrons to carry their groceries to their cars and then direct them out of the busy parking bays in most malls, in hopes of getting loose change in return.
The spike of remote jamming and theft out of motor vehicle incidents in recent months led to the belief that some of the cars guards in various shopping centres were the orchestrators of these crimes. However, some were able to prove motorists wrong by working alongside centre security in a bid to clamp down on lawlessness.
Also Read: Don’t listen to unauthorised car guards
The Northsider recently caught up with a number of car guards in Weltevreden Park. These men, many of whom are well-educated foreigners, revealed that they ended up as car guards after battling to find decent jobs in both their home countries and here.
Most of them indicated that they have been car guards at schools and shopping centres for several years.
“I’ve been a security guard at Little Bean Nursery School for five years, and my job is to monitor the school area, look after the children and ensure that the visitors’ cars are not broken into,” George Nzozila said.
Another car guard in Palm Court, Johnson Shamba, who has been a car guard for 14 years, told the Northsider that he has never had issues with any patron or centre management. He added that the job assists him to put food on the table and provide shelter for his family.
Palm Court caretaker Jackson Modiba added that the centre and its customers have never had a complaint about their car guards. He also mentioned that criminal activity only shows its ugly head after hours, when the car guards are off-duty.
We asked our readers how they feel about car guards in shopping centres close to their areas:
Gustav Witthun felt that it was the shopping centre’s responsibility to provide safe and secure parking.
Kim Dimevski viewed car guards as pointless, saying, “What is the point of them? They can’t stop crime, what are they there for?”
Barry Du Plessis said, “Can you for one moment imagine how many accidents would happen in one day when people reverse out of parking bays. They are a great help and I really appreciated their assistance.”
Lastly, Hilary White said she’s happy to give them money provided that they take her trolley and pack her shopping into her car’s boot.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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