Are car guards treated well?
Car guards in the parking area are the first people we get to meet when we arrive at the mall. These are the people who make sure that our cars are safe and, sometimes, cleaned when we are in the mall. Now how do we treat those who welcome us at the mall? Do …
Car guards in the parking area are the first people we get to meet when we arrive at the mall.
These are the people who make sure that our cars are safe and, sometimes, cleaned when we are in the mall.
Now how do we treat those who welcome us at the mall?
Do we treat them with respect or do we treat them with an attitude that they are below us?
This is a story about car guards who hustle at the Palm Springs Shopping Complex on a daily basis.
Car guard Gladstone Mzimkhulu “Mzi” Dlangamandla says, “I’ve been working here as a car guard for over 22 years now. Some people pay us and others don’t.
“I try to support my family with the money I get from here but most of the money I make, I make through washing the cars here at the centre.
“With the money I make I am able to go to the butchery and buy meat.
Also see: Are they watching our cars illegally?
“My children are able to go to school as I pay for their transport and I am able to also buy bread for them so that they can have lunch at school,” says Dlangamandla.
Dlangamandla says even though he is able to provide for his family, he wishes to leave the job because he was operated on his right hand and he uses his hands to wash the cars which cause him pain and as winter is fast approaching, he won’t be able to work most of the time.
A customer at the mall, Phillip Zulu, says, “Car guards treat me well. I won’t speak on behalf of other customers. Nothing bad has ever happened to me or my car ever since I started shopping here. As you can see my car is clean because Mzi always washes it.”
Zulu says Dlangamandla never demands more payment from him as he always pays Dlangamandla the amount which he feels to pay and says he doesn’t to be charged by Dlangamandla as it has been years since Dlangamandla has been washing his car and making sure that the car is safe whenever he’s at the mall.
Another car guard, Tshireletso Maphilepa, says, “I have been here for almost four years and so far there are those who treat us well and those who don’t.
“Others don’t want us to look after their cars but when things go wrong, we are the first people they tend to ask.
“I sometimes make R80 a week but it is not that bad as I don’t have a lot of responsibilities. I only take care of myself.”
The center management of Palm Springs Shopping Center were asked for comments on complaints received about the parking at the center.
Mordekai Khosa of the Palm Springs Management says, “The complaints we get range from harassment to stolen goods by car guards within the parking lot of Palm Springs.
“It is important to note that unfortunately, the parking lot at Palm Springs is not owned by Growthpoint Properties. This parking lot is owned and maintained by the municipality for which Growthpoint Properties pay them a rental.
“The center management have addressed the aforementioned issues with sector policing in Springs who have responded and assisted by profiling the car guards on-site.
“Those who have passed the screening process will be receiving official identification in the form of bibs and identification cards.
“Stemming from the argument that wrongful activities are committed by those under the pretense of being car guards, the approved car guards have agreed that once their sanctioned identifications have been received, they will undertake to implement self-policing in conjunction with sector policing and the center management,” says Khosa.
Khosa says the safety and security of their tenants and shoppers remains their top priority.
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