Their working day starts at 7am and some only leave at 6pm on a week day.
Most car guards are looking for permanent jobs but cannot find jobs, so they have found a way to support their families.
Pieter Taute’s move to Gauteng didn’t bring him any luck in finding a job, therefore he became a car guard.
Most of the people he deals with during the day is friendly and generous, but then he says there are the not so friendly ones too.
On a good day he gets about R200 which helps him to buy food and support his family of two.
Tsakane resident Thomas Skhosana says he is married with four children and couldn’t find a job.
Isaja Makgoga has a wife and three children.
Isaja and Thomas try to make an honest living by watching cars in the parking area.
Both men believe they prevent break-ins.
They make between R40 and R70 a day.
With this money they have to buy food to support their families and save some for taxi fares too.
But not only do they watch cars, they also keep the parking area clean from litter.
The friendly smiles of these two men can be seen in the parking lot between Seventh and Eighth streets, CBD.
They have been working there for almost 16 years and will continue to do so until they find permanent jobs.
Phil van der Walt is a car guard at Spar and says most of the people are usually rude and arrogant and look down on him for what he does for a living.
“Some of them are very friendly,” he says.
On a good day Phil gets around R150 a day, depending on how busy it is.
He works seven days a week and also does part-time work at the Springs Market as a packer.
He is a car guard for the extra income.
Johannes Ntlapo has been a car guard for over a year.
Johannes also washes cars and says he makes around R100 on a good day and R60 on a slow day.
He works from Monday to Sunday.
Johannes says he makes a lot of friends and people are usually nice to him.
Pottie Potgieter was watching cars at Springs Old Boys’ over the weekend and says he gets a lot of people who are rude to him.
He has been a car guard for more than 10 years.
Pottie is a mechanic but cannot get work because he was in an accident a few years ago and he says that no company wants to hire him due to his injuries.
On a good day Pottie gets around R200 and says that on a bad day he goes home with R20.
