Ghost riders: the invisible lives of Johannesburg food couriers – photo essay: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung South Africa Office

15.12.2021

These men are among an army of thousands of riders who spend up to 16 hours a day, usually seven days a week, frantically ferrying food around the city.

Photo by: James Oatway

An army of riders ferry food around the South African city, their lives and travails largely unseen by the people they serve.

With the support of the FES South Africa, photojournalist, James Oatway spent several months accompanying them in their daily work. His powerful photos and their personal testimonies were published in the Guardian, documenting their challenges as well as their great solidarity. The photographic essay can be accessed here.

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
South Africa Office

34 Bompas Road
Dunkeld West
Johannesburg

+27 11 341 0270
+27 11 341 0271
info(at)fes-southafrica.org

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The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is a non-profit German foundation funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, and headquartered in Bonn and Berlin. It was founded in 1925 and is named after Germany's first democratically elected President, Friedrich Ebert. FES is committed to the advancement of both socio-political and economic development in the spirit of social democracy, through civic education, research, and international cooperation. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is the oldest political foundation in Germany.

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