By Buziwe Nocuze
- The 48 year old pays R500, R300 and R200 in school fund contributions for her three children aged 17, 13 and 10.
- She also charges R5 to keep hand lotions and other items for people who cannot take them inside the court.
A 48-year-old single mother in Khayelitsha township wakes up each day to sell chips and sweets outside the local court.
The money she makes helps her raise her three children, aged 17, 13 and 10.
“I can pay for my kids with the money that their schools ask for. I pay R500 for my oldest, R300 for my second born and R200 for my last born. Their schools said the money is for the caretaker, they call it school fund,” she said.
She also earns extra cash by keeping items for people who cannot take them inside the court.
“Besides getting money for selling, I also charge those who ask me to keep their hand lotions and other things when they are going inside the court. Remember that when they get inside they get searched and turned away if they have unwanted stuff. I keep them and give them to them when they come out of the court,” she said.
She charges R5 for each item she keeps.
She said she gets more customers during rape, murder and gender based violence cases.
“During those cases, a lot of community members come to court to support the victims and while they are here they support us and we are grateful for that. For the thing that I look after while they are in court I charge R5 and it makes a lot of difference,” she said.
She said the biggest case she remembers involved a girl allegedly murdered by a boyfriend and girlfriend.
With the money from busy days, she buys groceries.
“The money I make during big court cases I buy 25kg of rice, 5 litres of cooking oil so that when there are no customers I only work for veg money. I keep pushing even if it is cold because my kids are depending on me and I cannot let them go to bed hungry,” she said.
Pictured above: The Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court.
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
