Kindness from Gqeberha e-hailing driver saves passenger’s life

• E-hailing driver, Bartho Dick is known for pranking his customers.
• Bartho Dick’s kindness helped Natasha Mulusa greatly and “saved her life”.
• Natasha Mulusa has since received an amazing opportunity to move to the Netherlands.

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Known for his smile and infectious laugh, e-hailing driver and TikTok sensation, Bartho Dick from Booysen Park in Gqeberha, enjoys spreading joy by pranking his customers, but four years ago it was his kindness that allowed him to comfort and save the life of a passenger who was in distress.

As a young boy, Dick always enjoyed pranking his brother, Charlton, and now many years later he continues to prank his customers as an e-hailing driver, to bring a smile to their faces and spread some joy.

Aware of his love for entertaining others, Charlton suggested he start sharing videos on TikTok.

Dick said he initially began sharing videos about his experience to change the negative perception of e-hailing drivers, and to encourage both drivers and their passengers to respect one another.

In addition to this, he said that he wanted to add a fun element to his e-hailing trips by doing various pranks.

“Many of my passengers enjoy my pranks, especially on Monday mornings when many people experience the Monday blues. I try to create a different vibe and many people ask me where I get the energy from, especially on a Monday,” said Dick.

“My belief is that we must be grateful for a new day.”

Living by the motto “Doen dit net mal, dit is al”, which translates to “Just do it in a crazy manner, that is all”, while giggling, Dick said he plans to get a fart machine for his next few pranks.

To his surprise, in November 2022, a simple video which he posted on TikTok, showing a dove flying into his car and casually sitting on his shoulder, went viral and now has almost 400 000 views.

Since then, he has gained almost 7 000 followers, with his regular viewers eagerly waiting for his next video.

Another of his videos that went viral on TikTok in October 2023, is a three-part video that shows Dick chuckling after a passenger forgot his phone in his car.

In the video he said that his intention was to hand over the phone, but that he could not resist pranking his former passenger and teaching him a valuable lesson about taking better care of his iPhone, a smartphone brand well-known for being expensive.

“Since he is an emergency worker, I knew that he needed his phone. I had planned to give the phone back, as I do with all the passengers that forget their phones in my car, but before doing so I wanted to prank him,” said Dick.

For the next few hours the phone continued to ring multiple times, and finally he answered, putting on a comical accent, and posing as someone who had “bought the iPhone from the e-hailing driver”.

After a few phone calls and “negotiations” Dick met with his former passenger to hand over the phone.

“He was so surprised to see that it was me, but he also surprised me when he said that because of our connection and the good feeling I gave him during his trip, he did not believe that I would steal his phone,” said Dick.

Despite his comical side, Dick, who initially began working as an e-hailing driver in 2020, has also had many deep connections with some of his passengers.

One person who he has impacted greatly without initially realising it, is Natasha Mulusa who shared a post on Facebook recently about her encounter with Dick four years ago.

She said that she initially wanted to thank him privately for “saving her life” in February 2020, during a time when she was in deep depression, but she struggled to find him on Facebook.

Natasha Mulusa from Gqeberha relocated to the Netherlands in 2023.

Photo: Supplied

In a bid to find Dick, in a Facebook post which has since gone viral, Mulusa bravely shared about how she was at the lowest moment in her life, and in a place where nothing made sense.

She said that after requesting an e-hailing trip, Dick picked her up in Walmer, and while travelling to her destination in Central he asked her how she was doing, and she began crying.

Mulusa said that he did not know it at the time, but she was ready to commit suicide.

She said that Dick then asked her if he could stop his car, and proceeded to get out of the car and asked her to get out as well.

“He gave me a very warm hug and I just cried,” said Mulusa.

“I never shared many details about what was really happening in my life, but he gave me a word from God. I don’t remember his exact words, but I remember very well that it helped and healed me so much.”

Mulusa said that she believes that Dick was sent to remind her that God was with her through the challenges she faced, and it was also a reminder that her story was not over.

“I don’t like using the word coincidence, because I believe that every detail of our lives has been orchestrated by God,” said Mulusa.

She said that she wanted to thank Dick and “give a man his flowers while he is still alive”.

After sharing her story on Facebook, Mulusa said that she had no idea that the feedback would be so positive, and that she has been overwhelmed by the response but also grateful for all the heartfelt messages.

Dick said that when he received the notification that he was tagged in a Facebook post by one of his friends, he opened the link but was nervous when he saw his picture and he was concerned that it might be a negative post.

He said that while transporting one of his regular customers, he asked her to read through the post before he did.

“I then pulled over on the side of the road and when I read the first few sentences in the post I burst into tears. I never knew that I could have that kind of impact on someone,” said Dick.

He said that as he continued reading the post he knew exactly who Mulusa was, and he could recall their encounter.

Dick said that all this time he continued wondering how she was, and if she was still alive.

“Over the last four years, each time I drove past her pick-up and drop-off spots I wondered where she was, and wished she would request an e-hailing trip with me so that I could see her again,” said Dick.

He said that reading her post “hit hard” because he too had experienced a difficult time in life and wanted to commit suicide.

“I want people to know that every challenge in life is temporary, and that no matter how dark the tunnel is, there is always light at the end of the tunnel,” said Dick.

He said that he was also greatly touched that there was so much positive feedback from others about Mulusa’s post, with the most touching comment made by his friend who said that his late mother, Mary, would have been proud of her son.

Mulusa said that after meeting Dick in 2020, she decided to get a tattoo of a semi-colon, which to her symbolises choosing to continue with her life and not ending it despite facing anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

Now, four years after her brief encounter with Dick, she said that God has blessed her with many things, but the greatest blessing has been healing.

“I am in a better place than I was in the past, and even though life throws lemons at me at times, I always remind myself that I have been through and survived worse,” said Mulusa.

Further elaborating on her blessings, she said that she has also been blessed with an amazing partner, and in 2022 she became a mother to an amazing little boy.

To add to this, she said that last year she received a great opportunity to start a new life in the Netherlands, and has since relocated to that beautiful European country.

Finally, after Dick was tagged in Mulusa’s post, the two connected via video call and both felt as if they were speaking to an old friend.

During their video call, the two shared an emotional conversation filled with tears and laughter.

Dick said that he was relieved to see that Mulusa was still alive, and that he still hopes to speak to her in more detail about her experience.

“She had the most beautiful smile and most beautiful glow. I could not believe that I could finally see her after wondering how she was doing for such a long time,” said Dick.