"So Helpful": SA Woman Shares 10 Lessons After 1 Year as a Mr D and Takealot Driver

• A South African woman who has been driving for Mr D and Takealot for a year shared an honest account of what the gig economy is really like
• She outlined 10 things she wished she had known before starting, from onboarding documents to how the job consumes your personal life
• South Africans who have worked as delivery drivers flooded the comments with their own experiences of the job

A South African woman known on TikTok as @childfreebychoice_sa marked one year of working as a delivery driver for Mr D and Takealot with a candid video filmed from inside her car on 13 November. She was not there to sugarcoat anything.

Her video, which she titled "1 year since I became a Mr D and Takealot driver: What I have learnt," was a reflective look at the realities of gig work in South Africa, covering everything from how to register as a driver to what the lifestyle actually does to you as a person.

She said a major concern going in was how the platforms market the earning potential. At onboarding, drivers are shown figures like R5,000 or R10,000 a week, presented as realistic targets. What is left out, she explained, is that those numbers depend entirely on how many orders you receive, and that is not something you can fully control.

"The money is not as consistent as it is introduced."

She also noticed a significant drop in the number of orders she received compared to her first year, which she put down to a growing number of drivers joining the platforms and competing for the same deliveries.

Beyond the logistics, her most striking point was personal. She said the job had a way of swallowing your entire existence. "This job will consume your life," she said, adding that your sleep, your thinking, and your daily routine all begin to revolve around being online and chasing orders. Watch her one-year reflection as a Mr D and Takealot driver:

Mzansi delivery drivers share experiences

Fellow drivers and viewers were quick to respond in the comments:

@linda said:

"Recently stopped after one [year]. I was basically working for petrol; there's no money there, just wear and tear on your vehicle."

@lithaD wrote:

"I absolutely hated this job 😭"

@Wato shared:

"This was so helpful. Thank you. Looking forward to the series."

@Tlegow SA said:

"I quit 3 weeks ago; my mechanic told me straight up that I am messing up my car. I replaced bearings, then the following week it was the tie rod, only to get 4K, which I still have to minus petrol from."

@animoe advised:

"Low-consumption vehicles that consume 4.4L - 5.5L to see profit, don't drive like you're in a drag race."

@Alzpadaychy added:

"I've been there, done that. For my sanity, I left. It wasn't for me, and I wasn't getting enough orders. If I got [orders] it was long distance with no tips 😏"

@AllenBongs/KaysuccessClothing said:

"It's been 2 months now; I already have a strategy. I don't work hard; I work smart, enjoy it now."

Other Briefly News stories on South African delivery drivers

• A Checkers Sixty60 rider stunned social media on 7 November 2026 after TikTok user @beautywithwhitney8 filmed him navigating city streets with a full-sized headboard strapped onto his delivery scooter, thoughtfully concealing his face to protect his job.
• Surveillance footage shared on Instagram by @thefeedjhb on 15 October 2026 showed a Johannesburg courier standing next to his open delivery box and snacking on chips, sparking a fierce debate online.
• A Johannesburg Takealot rider brought infectious energy to TikTok after @samuelrsa4 posted a clip on 14 October 2026 of the driver steering with one hand, waving at motorists, and busting enthusiastic dance moves while cruising down a busy road on payday.

Source: Briefly News