By Buziwe Nocuze
- The 55-year-old washed curtains and blankets to raise money to start her food business at a Cape Town taxi rank.
- She sells umphokoqo with amasi and soup to taxi drivers, making enough money to feed her family and pay insurance.
A 55-year-old woman from Cape Town is feeding her family of five by selling umphokoqo at a taxi rank.
Her husband died last year. The family depended on his old-age pension grant.
“After my husband died, we had no one taking care of us, and I had to think of something that I would do to provide for my kids,” she said.
She decided to sell umphokoqo with amasi and soup made from beans mixed with maize.
“I first went to the taxi rank and walked around for the whole day strategizing on how I was going to sell my stuff. Then, I went back home to think about where I would get the capital to buy my first stock,” she said.
She approached people in her area to see if she could wash their curtains and blankets.
“Luckily, I got customers because I explained to them why I needed to wash their curtains and blankets. I managed to get the money and bought the ingredients,” she said.
She wakes up at 5am to prepare the food.
“I woke up and started with soup. When it is about to get ready, I prepare umphokoqo. At around 10:30, I go to the taxi rank to start selling, and I am happy that the taxi drivers and owners are supporting me. I do get passengers who are my customers, but they are very few,” she said.
She sells a bowl of umphokoqo for R30 or R40 and soup for R25 or R30.
“I use a trolley to take my stuff to the taxi rank, and on bad days, I make R200. Most of the time, my customers buy everything, and I go home with nothing,” she said.
She can now buy food for her family.
“After my husband died, we didn’t have an insurance policy because he was the one who was paying for us. I use some of the money I get from selling at the taxi rank to pay our insurance company,” she said.
Pictured above: Umphokoqo.
Image source: Woolworths Taste
