Camps Bay car guard Andre Ilunga has doubled his daily income since embracing technology.
These days, a single tip is sometimes more than he earned in an entire day, before he gave his clients in Cape Town the option to pay him using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, SnapScan, Zapper and Scan to Pay.
Ilunga is among a growing number of car guards offering hand-held card devices or QR codes as payment options in an increasingly cashless society.
“I have been watching the cars here in Camps Bay since 2001. About five years ago, cash started to become scarce. We also have a lot of visitors from other countries who seldom carry South African money,” Ilunga, 48, told the Sunday Times.
“Three years ago, everything changed when I started using Street Wallet."
The platform offers a vendor a free QR (quick response) code that allows customers to scan and pay. “The customer scans my code and they leave. When it started, only Zapper was available, but now with all these other options, it works very well.”
Ilunga He feels it in his pocket.
“Before this, in busy Decembers I was happy to make R500 to R600 a day. Now I make double that. Some days I get single tips that are almost what I used to make for a day’s work,” he said.
Lolo Kimbina, 46, works in the Cape Town city centre. “I have been working here for six years. At one time it was hard to break even on a day’s work. A lot of people just shook their heads and said they did not carry cash,” he said.
“Now, I use my code. If someone tips me today, I get a digital voucher from Standard Bank before lunch tomorrow. I do not even need a bank account.”
Kimbina is more than just surviving.
“I used to work all the time. Now I can put something on the table for my wife and my three kids, and also take Sundays and Mondays off."
Kosta Scholiadis, the CEO and founder of Street Wallet, told the Sunday Times they do not charge the car guards a monthly charge.
“We charge 5% interest on the transaction, with zero fixed or upfront costs.”
He is proud of their product.
“We have seen an increase of up to 100% in tips, in some cases, for car guards due to our Street Wallet solution. It’s easy to give a R5 or R10 in cash, but on card, most give substantially more — up to R30 on average.”
In KwaZulu-Natal, going cashless has certainly added value for Durban car guard Thabani Nguse, who once scored a R600 tip through Zapper.
He said since using the electronic payment which also works off a QR code but is usually linked to a business account, patrons can’t pull the “I don’t have change on me” excuse.
Having worked on Florida Road — one of Durban’s most popular entertainment strip, filled with pubs, restaurants and clubs since 2015 under the Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP)— Nguse said: “We understand receiving a tip is part of gratuity. Sometimes people want to tip us but at that particular time may not have the means.”
On days like this, he is grateful for the cashless payment system arranged by the UIP for him. “I think the highest amount I’ve ever had to pocket from a single motorist is R600,” said Nguse.
He said busy periods in the city include the Durban July weekend, when the streets are abuzz with revellers — but it also depends on the generosity and state of sobriety of the patrons. “You may find that someone can park the whole day here and give you R10, while another could be in and out of a place and give you a windfall of about R200. But unlike cash, you can’t see straight away the amount of the tip you get. It is only when you check your account that you see,” he said, adding that people were also reluctant to carry cash for fear of being robbed.
Not far away, Sizwe Mngoma, 26, who is originally from KwaMaphumulo in northern KZN, keeps an eye on the cars at the popular deli, Col Tempo. The deli owner set up the QR code for him, a plastic pocket around his neck for ease of use.
“Over the years, patrons at the restaurant have seen fit to tip me. Now with the Zapper, it helps, but some of the customers tell me they don’t have data, don’t have the app or they are not tech savvy enough to have the app. But that’s not all the time, and I think it works better than carrying cash,” he said.
“With Zapper, I normally cash in my earnings every Tuesday, and it helps me to control my spending better because if I had the cash on me every day, I think I’d spend it buying lunch,” Mngoma grins.
Several car guards who have not moved onto cashless systems, say their income has declined.
Sipho Dlamini, 34, watches cars in Greenside in Johannesburg. “I have been doing this job since 2009 here. I am part of this neighbourhood,” Dlaminihe said.
A lack of cash is an increasing problem for him.
“More and more of my customers don’t carry cash anymore. I must also say some lie when they say they don’t.
“Our parking spots are very tight. You will see the customer struggling to park and run over to help. That driver will watch every move of mine like he’s watching a movie. Then I see him go into the shop and pay with cash. I also see the shop owner give him change in cash. When he comes out I am suddenly invisible."
The last few years have been rough for Dlamini.
"When I started here, I’d get a tip from five out of every 10 cars that came. These days I am happy if two give me money,” Dlamini said.
If a cashless customer wants to tip, he does have a plan.
“The owners of the shops here are kind to us because we keep their customers and their cars safe. If someone wants to swipe, they’re allowed, but very few are willing to do that.”
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