Five Questions: Your responses

Thank you to my blog friend contributors:
Aquilogy
VampyreJourno
Me
John

1) What is an appropriate amount of money to tip a car guard? Does this amount change according to time of day, location, and weather?
Car guards - I'm happy to tip a car guard between R2 and R5, depending on service levels. If a car guard is nowhere to be seen when I park, and then emerges suddenly, insisting that my car is safe, he/she has been watching the whole time, I won't tip. A car guard who is polite but not overbearing gets R2, R3. A car guard in a shopping centre parking lot gets about R5, particularly if he holds a brolly over my head in the rain or offers to help unpack my trolley.
A minimum of R5 will be okay, they don't really guard your car you know, they just take your money.
I normally tip car guards about R2 unless its really miserable outside. As Aquilogy says, I suspect they do not actually guard my car. But hey.
I generally tip car guards depending on a combination of their ability and the circumstances. On a busy day, they get more, and if they are helpful or friendly (or at least attempt to be - I don't need someone to show me how to reverse out, but it shows enthusiasm), they get more too. Starting at R1 for crusty service, no other cars around, and me in a bad mood up to about R7 for the reverse.

2) What is an appropriate amount of money to tip a waitron? What is the smallest amount you can tip in good conscience, when your bill is very small? And what is the biggest tip you would give? What would motivate you to tip a waitron more or less?
Waitrons - a funny aside, Dearly Beloved and I recently ate at a restaurant where they call the waiters "service ambassadors". Ugh! I always tip 10% at least, unless service is shockingly bad. I'll tip up to 30% if service is excellent, which in my book is when a waiter/ress is polite, friendly, not overbearing, and is willing to make conversation (I'm notorious for chatting to anyone and everyone, and can't stand it when people are rude in response).
10% of the bill, right? i wouldn't I don't usually tip( I should be ashamed of myself)
I usually give 10% unless the bill is small - the minimum I usually give is R5 which I sometimes up to R10 if I am having one of those days when I worry about waitrons feeding their families.
I generally give 10%, rounded up to the nearest R10. Unless it's for something small (like a coke), where I'll give a flat R5 for a good establishment and R2 for a run-down place.

3) What is the appropriate amount of money to tip a petrol attendant? Is it different if they also check oil and water, clean your windscreen or pump your types?
Petrol attendant - funny that we don't tip petrol attendants 10% like we do with waiters. I guess that's the pereceived class economy at work, isn't it? Anyway, petrol attendants get between R5 and R20 from me, depends on how much is done, and also what the weather is like.
PEOPLE ACTUALLY TIP PETROL ATTENDANTS, I don't know any body who does, but then again I'm from Soweto.
I didn't know people were supposed to tip petrol attendants either, until I saw a friend do it and I was like "You are supposed to tip petrol attendants?!?" Now I normally tip R5 but up it to R10 or so if they are doing other stuff like oil and water. R20, wow VampyreJourno, thats impressive!!
I typically don't tip petrol attendants. As far as I understand it, they make "commission", so I just make sure that I fill a tank as much as possible. That being said, I'm open to correction on this - if I found out that they got less cash, I'd tip more.

4) Are you supposed to tip taxi drivers? And if so, what is an appropriate amount? Not a minibus taxi, a car taxi - the kind you might take to or from an airport.
Taxi drivers - I don't think you need to tip, but if you get great service, nothing less than an R10 note sounds right.
I haven't been in a car taxi but if they are as rude as minibus taxi drivers are, i wouldn't pay them a cent!
I really don't know if you are supposed to tip taxi drivers. I just kindof look embarassed when they drop me off, and take my bags. The last taxi I was in, the driver was Zimbabwean and we had a long chat about how hard things are for them. So I tipped him R10 and worried if I should have given more. (He was a pretty friendly guy, except he did make me a bit carsick careening through the Cape Town back roads).
Not a clue - never had to use a taxi.

5) And finally: porters. what is an appropriate amount to tip a porter? At an airport or a hotel.
Porters - between R5 and R10 I think, but I have never stayed in a hotel with a proper porter.
ummmm.....what's a porter?
Porters are those guys who help you with your bags. Again, I have no idea what to tip them. The only time I was in a hotel with an actual hotel porter I just lookd blankly at him till he went away, because it didn't occur to me that I should tip him till after.
The last airport porter that whisked my bags away before I could say no... well I had just got back from America and I asked him what his name was and it was Sizwe and that made me so bizzarely happy and he was probably the only black person I had spoken to in months... and I just wanted to hug him and say "I'M HOME!" (Yes, I know, I know, I'm weird). But instead I just gave him what was left of my dollars (about $20). I am such a sucker, I totally regretted it later.
Again, not a clue.