Why I enjoy being an e-hailing driver – Ronnie Nyakale

Actor Ronnie Nyakale, appearing in House of Zwide on e.tv as the villainous Sizwe, has described his experience as a ride-hailing driver for his side hustle as fulfilling. 

Nyakale’s prolific resume includes acting credits in Generations: The Legacy, Yizo Yizo, Blood Diamond, Machine Gun Preacher and Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema.

Late last year, Nyakale went viral on social media after one of his fans, a passenger, shared a video clip of being driven by the famous star.

Nyakale said though his fans are often star-struck and curious during their rides with him, for the most part they are pleasant. 

“Being a ride-hailing driver is an eye-opening experience”, he said. “You get to drive to places you never thought existed in this country, from lavish estates to the worst roads in townships. You get to drive with different classes of people and engage with them on levels you wouldn’t normally do as an actor.

“I enjoy riding with everyone. I even advocate for more people to join this line of work. I usually tell my supporters that if I can do it, as famous as I am, what makes it impossible for you to do it?

“South Africans usually worry about ‘what people will think’ when it comes to doing certain jobs, but why care about people’s perceptions? The most important thing is getting multiple income streams instead of living in poverty. I always say pride stands in the way of you and success.”

Nyakale made his decision to become a driver five years ago to make extra cash. He next plans to open a fruit and vegetable market.

“[At the time], I wanted to make more money to use on things that I wanted to buy, like alcohol. I prefer to use my main [acting] income on my family’s needs and bills, and the other streams of income on things I just feel like buying,” he said.

Known for playing tough television gangsters such as Papa Action in Yizo Yizo and Cosmo Diale in Generations: The Legacy, Nyakale admits that going back to TV with his new role on the e.tv daily drama was not a smooth ride.

“My first day on set was quite hard. I found it difficult because I was so used to the set and running order on Generations for 10 years; that was my routine. So, being on a new set made me feel as if I was new to acting or new to the game,” he said.

“But later that evening, I remember telling myself, ‘Ronnie, this set is similar to the one you started at, over two decades ago, as Papa Action ... why are you stressing yourself? You’ve got this’. This is when I started to ease into the role of Sizwe, which made the second and third days a breeze.”

Nyakale said juggling the long hours of both his careers can be tricky. 

Though he’s grateful for the opportunities his acting career has afforded him, the celebrity life is not for him. “I’m not about fame or all that stuff. I prefer not to be in public as much. I’ve been like this since I entered the industry decades ago,” he said.

“I made sure to structure my life in such a way that it doesn’t require me to be out there [in the public eye]. On my off days, I usually buy drinks from the tavern and hang out with my friends at my house.”