Built on resilience. Driven by people. Inspired by the journey.
Every great journey has a beginning, and ours started in the most unexpected way: with Pokémon GO!
Tashriq and Tamzin met by chance while playing the game. Tamzin needed a Pokémon that Tashriq happened to have, and what began as a simple conversation soon turned into chats on WhatsApp. Neither of them knew that this little interaction would become the beginning of their love story — and, eventually, the foundation of a business.
When they met, life wasn’t exactly going according to plan. Tashriq was unemployed, and Tamzin was on the verge of retrenchment. They were navigating a long-distance relationship, with Tashriq living in Paarl and Tamzin in Cape Town. After two months of chatting, they finally met in person on 23 October 2020.
The years that followed brought plenty of challenges. There were job uncertainties, financial pressures, and moments when it felt like life was testing them at every turn.
In 2021, Tamzin fell pregnant and was retrenched when she was five months into her pregnancy. She had to leave where she was staying and move back in with her parents. Just one week before giving birth, she managed to secure another job, although it paid significantly less than her previous one. At only six weeks postpartum, she was faced with an ultimatum from her manager to return to work or lose her job. She had to return.
Still, they kept going.
In March 2023, Tamzin secured a great new job, while Tashriq landed a contract position with the City of Cape Town. Things were finally looking up. But when Tashriq’s contract came to an end, they found themselves back on what they affectionately call Struggle Island.
Sometimes, the beginning of something extraordinary looks nothing like a business opportunity.
A friend introduced Tashriq to Uber, and he discovered that he loved being on the road, meeting people, and enjoying the flexibility of driving. But making a sustainable income in such a competitive industry was difficult. In the beginning, the money Tamzin earned from her job was being used to pay for the vehicle Tashriq rented.
Something had to change.
Tamzin began advertising his driving services, and that’s when the story started to take a different turn.
Customers loved Tashriq. The reviews they left spoke for themselves, and word began to spread. Before long, bookings were coming in because people trusted the service he provided and the experience they had with him.
That’s how Tash Tours began to take shape.
Before Tashriq completed his tour guide training, Tash Tours was already established and operating as a driving service. He was always honest about what he offered: he operated as a driver and never represented himself as a tour guide before he was qualified to do so.
But the customer feedback revealed something exciting. People weren’t simply booking a ride; they were responding to the person behind the wheel, the care he took with his customers, and the experience he created.
What started as a way to make ends meet was becoming something with real potential.
Tashriq went on to complete his tour guide training, taking the next step towards growing the business and expanding what Tash Tours could offer.
Then, in May 2026, life brought Tamzin another unexpected turn when she lost her job.
But this time, the story wasn’t only about finding another way to survive. It was also about stepping into something they had already been building together.
Tamzin completed her own tour guide training, and today, both Tashriq and Tamzin are accredited tour guides.
Behind the scenes, Tamzin has poured her heart and soul into the marketing, brand concept, creative ideas, and vision that shape Tash Tours. While Tashriq’s love for the road and his connection with customers helped lay the foundations, Tamzin has worked to bring the bigger picture to life.
Together, they are building something that reflects both of them: their resilience, their creativity, their love for people, and their determination to create something of their own.
Tash Tours wasn’t born from privilege, perfect timing, or having everything figured out. It was built through uncertainty, sacrifice, hard work, customer trust, and the courage to keep going when life didn’t go according to plan.
And perhaps that’s what makes this journey so meaningful.
Every review, every booking, every customer who chose Tashriq, and every idea Tamzin brought to life helped build the foundation of what Tash Tours is becoming today.
We started with a Pokémon, navigated Struggle Island, and somehow found ourselves building a tourism business together.
Our journey is still unfolding, and we know there is so much more ahead.
We are proud of how far we’ve come, grateful to every person who has supported us, and excited about every road still waiting to be explored.
This is Tash Tours. This is our story. And we’re just getting started.