By Buziwe Nocuze
- A 39 year old Somali woman in Claremont wakes at 04:30 every morning to cook rice, beans and fish that she sells for R50.
- The woman came to South Africa with her brother five years ago hoping for a better life but says survival has been much harder than expected.
A 39 year old Somali woman is fighting to survive by selling homemade food on the streets of Claremont.
She moved to South Africa five years ago with her brother. They hoped they would find better opportunities and a chance to build a stable life.
But things did not turn out the way they expected.
“I came to South Africa thinking that things are easy this side, I came to hustle with my brother but things haven’t been what we had thought they would be,” she said.
With no stable job and no one else to rely on, she decided to start a small food business so that she could support herself and her family.
She now sells plates of rice, beans and fish to people in Claremont. Each meal costs R50.
The food is cooked at home and then packed into large containers which she carries using a trolley.
The work starts long before sunrise.
“I woke up at 04:30 am to start cooking beans because they need to be soft. I then cooked rice and fish before storing them in big containers,” she said.
The woman said she realised that many people in South Africa survive by selling goods on the street.
“I realised that most people are surviving by selling something in South Africa hence I decided to do it,” she said.
Most of her customers are people from her own community, but she also sells to South Africans who enjoy the food.
“I am catering for my countrymen but if there are South Africans who don’t have a problem eating our food then I also sell to them,” she said.
She said the support from customers helps her cover rent, groceries, transport and school costs.
“I am grateful to the support I am receiving because I wouldn’t be able to cover basic needs if it weren’t for the people who are supporting me.”
Despite the challenges, she says she is not thinking about returning home.
“I was doing nothing back home so I will keep pushing, the aim is to get a bigger place where I will sell more things.”
She said her family is now here with her and she is determined to keep working so that they never go hungry.
“My family is my brother and my baby. They are both here so I am working hard so that they don’t ever go to bed hungry,” she said.
Pictured above: Street food seller preparing meals in Claremont pictured above.
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
