A Bonteheuwel gaatjie received an honorary award from a local school on Wednesday for his project to give elderly residents free rides on his taxi.
Mimosa Primary School buzzed with excitement on Wednesday as their local hero, Yaseen Abrahams, 25, gave a talk to learners about their civic duty and what prompted him to start his project.
The learners gave him a certificate of appreciation for his efforts in making Bonteheuwel a better place.
Yaseen started a project to give pensioners over 70 years old free rides.
His plea on social media for other taxi drivers and gaatjies to join him went viral as Capetonians applauded the initiative he started with driver Ashraf Cassiem, 38.
Estrelia Visagie, the Care and Support assistant at Mimosa, says as part of a personal life skills project run by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the learners honoured businesses, organisations and individuals who are making a difference in their community.
“There are 24 learners in the project and they wanted to say thanks to these people. So we had various business owners and organisations that work in Bonteheuwel to thank them. We read about Yaseen in the [Daily] Voice and were very impressed by the initiative of this young man. The children were very excited to hear him speak,” she says.
Smiling at his certificate while sitting in a taxi outside his home, Yaseen says he did not expect to receive it.
“This was really unexpected and I never thought a simple post would go so far. I really just wanted the other drivers to help us help the elderly. I am very proud. I mean, I am just a gaatjie,” he says.
monique.duval@inl.co.za