Food delivery riders in Cape Town, Joburg work hellish hours for peanuts, study finds - EWN

Food delivery riders in Cape Town and Johannesburg are working long hours for little pay, with some reporting that they have as little as R50 to R100 a day coming in before expenses, according to a new study.

The research, conducted by the International Labour Resource and Information Group (ILRIG) between July and September, examined the working conditions of 60 food delivery riders in the two cities.

Researcher Dan Montgoma said one of the biggest challenges facing riders was the low wages they received for their work.

Drivers were paid per order rather than for the time they spent working or waiting for deliveries, meaning they could spend several hours on the job without earning anything if no orders came through.

"They were paid per order and not per time spent on the job and also not per waiting period," Montgoma said.

"It doesn't matter whether the rider is to spend three, four hours. If that rider does not have an order during that period of time, the rider was not compensated for that."