Tanzanian taxi driver honored for his honesty to a tourist

By Apolinari Tairo

Honesty paid off to a Tanzanian taxi driver who showed a high level commitment in serving foreign tourists and other visitors. The driver had won a national and international recognition as a Good Samaritan other than business opportunist.

DAR ES SALLAM, Tanzania (eTN) - After showing the highest level of honesty to foreign tourists visiting Tanzania, a taxi driver here in the Tanzanian capital city of Dar es Salaam could not believe that one day he will make the headlines.

The driver had twice gave back traveling documents, a camera, a credit card and cash to tourists who had forgotten them on disembarking from his taxi cab. He once gave back an expensive digital camera to an anonymous visitor who had forgotten it in the car.

The Tanzania Tourist Board and the Area Police Force recognized the driver, Hamza Ramadhani, and prized him for his unique honesty, a culture missing in most taxi and tourist vehicle operators in East Africa.

It is common to hear of tourist muggings in Tanzania and East Africa or Africa as a whole and it is a rare occasion the media come with headlines of the honest taxi or other vehicle operators showing up to give back traveling documents and valuables forgotten in their vehicles

Usually, most foreign tourists visiting Africa found themselves robbed other than getting support from their hosts’ drivers as what happened to the British tourist Ms Muray Douglas who found her traveling documents and cash given back to her by a honest taxi driver.

Probably, the first of its kind to be reported in Tanzanian media, the taxi driver was awarded this week by the Tanzania Tourist Board management for his unique honesty that portrayed the good image of Tanzania and which other taxi drivers should emulate.

The Tourist Board’s chairman Daniel Yona said the exemplary driver took back a wallet containing traveling documents including a credit card and cash to Muray Douglas, who had hired the taxi driver on April 12 this year.

“He had shown a good example of honesty and a high level of hospitality to our visitors for portraying a positive image of Tanzanian culture in serving tourists,” Mr. Yona said.

Tanzania Tourist Board is the government institution for marketing tourism and had decided to award the driver to recognize his honesty to the visitors and encouraged other taxi drivers to follow his example in serving both foreign and local clients.

TTB chief executive officer Peter Mwenguo warned those drivers robbing tourists to stop and be diligent to visitors.

Posing as a safe destination, Tanzania is not common in tourist violent robberies except a few pockets of muggings reported to hit unsuspecting tourists along the Indian Ocean beaches and the Zanzibar archipelago.

Printable Version | published Nov 28, 2007

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