British Airways #33, a 747 departs London at 8:45AM. Victor is seated next to me. A 350 lbs English rugger enroute to see the British Lions play South Africa. He’s funny and adventurous; we talk a lot about cars since we each have an affinity for engines larger than 5.0l.
In the center is a wonderful family of four. The parents constantly play and sing to the two girls throughout the 10 hr flight. I am delighted by the girls and the abundance of kisses and nursery rhymes.
This next bit is for Lisa. The drive from Johannesberg to Praetoria is about 40 minutes and my driver seems to be a nice young man, polite and comfortable with my questions. I was impressed when I first spotted him, dressed much better than other limo drivers at the airport in a sportcoat and tie. Enpol is from Pietersberg in the north and has a wife and 15 month old daughter. He gets about four days off each month, working 8-12 hours a day. For his services he earns 2500 Rand (~$300) a month. He lives in a two-bedroom apartment where the rent is roughly 1000 Rand (~$120) and his groceries are another 600 R. I found it curious to note that his expenditures for housing and food roughly parallel my own as a percentage of net income. He laments that he has no way to save, or attend school, and wants any job that will earn him more.
Enpol is a high school graduate but his nature, appearance and language seem to separate him very easily from most I’ve seen so far, or expected. He aspires to purchase a car of his own so he can lease the vehicle as a taxi. I was intrigued by the notion that he did not even consider driving the car, as he does now for someone else. Once he owns a cab, his aspirations are purely as an owner/investor with an employee to do the work. But he will almost never be able to afford one at his current income. I suggest that he combine his efforts with friends or family to achieve his goal. He laughs and says that when it comes to money – there is no trust. He faces a prisoners’ dilemma with any potential co-investor. So I relate to him how important trust is to achieving success, and tell him the story of Bernie Madoff. A man recently put in jail for 150 years because he violated the trust of others. Enpol looks at me as if punishing someone for this type of act is lunacy.
The hotel is twice as nice as the Heathrow Sheraton, as is the service. One night in this room would cost Enpol half a month’s pay.
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