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A Mr D Food rider has spoken out about their experience working for the company, including how much they earn per delivery and the penalties for not working, despite the company's telling them not to reveal any information. After discovering the demanding conditions delivery riders in South Africa endured in their day-to-day jobs, MyBroadband and BusinessTech spoke to numerous riders to better understand their experiences. It immediately became apparent that they were reluctant to do so due to instructions from the companies they worked for. "We are not allowed to speak to journalists," was a typical response. When asked about this, Mr D said that it is "not aware of any general directive instructing drivers not to speak to the media." "As a platform operating in a highly competitive last-mile delivery industry, we maintain strict confidentiality standards." One rider called Carlo, whose name has been changed for anonymity, was willing to speak about his experience working for the Takealot-owned company. Carlo said he has worked for Mr D for two years. It is important to note that delivery drivers in South Africa are not employees but rather independent contractors or gig workers, meaning they do not receive the benefits and protections an employee does. However, they can select how many hours and days a week they are willing to work. This is also the case in the e-hailing industry, allowing many to earn an additional income by working on the side. While he said that the number of days he works per week differs, his workdays remain the same at 12 hours from 8 am until 8 pm. Carlo says he can deliver between 15 and 20 deliveries daily, earning R28 per delivery. This works out to about R420 on a lousy day and R560 on a good one. While this brings in an average of R11,760 per month or just over R40 per hour, significantly more than the national minimum wage of R27.58, it also has to cover Carlo's riding expenses. These include fuel and vehicle maintenance, leaving him with R8,500 at the end of the month. According to Carlos, covering these expenses is the biggest struggle of the job, as Mr D does not subsidise any of it. When asked about this, the platform said that driver expenses are tracked, and payments are adjusted monthly to cater for changes in fuel costs. Carlos also owns his motorbike, so he does not have to pay rent, which many others do, costing roughly R450 per week. Even though one of the benefits of being an independent contractor is choosing when one works, Carlo says that all Mr D riders are required to work at peak time on Friday. He said that riders who are not online during this period face a penalty. However, Carlo did not elaborate on this penalty. Mr Delivery was acquired by the Takelaot Group in 2014 and its food delivery service rebranded to Mr D Food two years later, while its courier business became the Takealot Delivery Team. It would take another eight years before the food delivery platform turned a profit. Naspers, the owner of the Takealot Group, reported that Mr D was profitable for the first time at the end of the 2024 financial year. "Mr D has built a leading two-sided food-delivery marketplace in South Africa by providing superior service and better restaurant selection to customers, as well as an economically attractive channel to increase sales with minimal incremental cost or effort for restaurants," said Naspers. "In addition to the partnership with offline grocer Pick n Pay, Mr D expanded its product categories to include pet food and accessories, gifts and flowers as well as general merchandise, moving to a convenience-delivery model." In addition to speaking to Carlo, MyBroadband and BusinessTech also interviewed Patience, who works for Pick n Pay asap! |