Covid unemployment nearly drove Tshwane mayor to e-hailing work - Clone

Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has revealed she nearly became an e-hailing driver in 2020 after a period of unemployment.

Moya joined the city of Tshwane in 2016, serving as group head in the office of the chief whip until 2019. She subsequently served as chief of staff in the office of the executive mayor from 2019 to 2020.

Responding to a viral conversation on X about the importance of taking any available job while waiting for a dream role, Moya shared her own experience.

“In 2020, I almost became an Uber driver,” she said. “I had the car and everything prepared, but I got something else instead. You need to do anything to put food on the table.”

Despite holding several qualifications, including a PhD in political science obtained from the University of the Western Cape in 2021, Moya said academic success did not shield her from the realities of unemployment.

“I was without an income for 11 months. It was during Covid-19 while I was completing my PhD. I needed to provide, and during that time friends were few. Life doesn’t always go our way.

“I had worked since I was 18, and all of a sudden I had nothing. I learned a lot from that experience.”

She admitted the struggle exposed gaps in her early financial planning. “It showed me I didn’t prepare properly as a youngster. My financial management was poor, and I possibly took it for granted that I would always have an income. I couldn’t blame anyone but myself.”

Moya said she enrolled for her honours and master’s degrees because she could not find work after completing her bachelor degree.

Her journey shifted in 2021 when she joined ActionSA as chief governance director. She was sworn in as a proportional representation councillor in Tshwane in 2023 and was elected executive mayor in 2024.

Social media users commended the mayor for her transparency and resilience, with many sharing their own stories of professional setbacks. Moya encouraged her followers to remain “agile” and not let their degrees limit their willingness to work.

“A degree should not limit you; it is meant to make us adaptable,” she said. “I don’t think we talk about these experiences enough. Perhaps if we did, people would have a better appreciation for the fact that life is not linear.”

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