By Buziwe Nocuze
- Nomsa Sekana, 49, from Philippi, Cape Town, sells sheep’s intestines for R15 after her husband died in a car accident.
- Sekana earns more than R400 on good days and less than R300 on bad days, working from 09:30 to 18:00.
Nomsa Sekana, 49, from Philippi in Cape Town, is raising four children alone after her husband died in a car accident.
She sells sheep’s intestines for R15. She works from 09:30 to 18:00.
“Sometimes being a housewife is a challenge because you know that your husband covers everything but when he’s gone things get very bad,” Sekana said.
She used her two children’s grants to buy her first stock. The money she now makes covers groceries, R500 in transport for one child and school costs.
“I started this business so that I can support my kids. I am all they have now,” she said.
She makes more than R400 on a good day and less than R300 on a bad day. She earns more on weekends and at the end of the month. She plans to add pork to what she sells.
Before her husband died, the family’s life was different.
“We were all used to a soft life but now things have changed. They are no longer going out to have lunch, watch movies or even choosing the cereal they prefer to have in the morning because with the money I make, I am only affording basics,” she said.
They no longer get a new item of clothing every month. She sat them down and told them the situation. They understood, and stopped asking for things she cannot afford.
The weather is her biggest challenge. She goes to work even when it is hot or windy. Only heavy rain keeps her home.
“People like meat especially when it is raining,” she said.
Pictured above: Sheep intestines.
Image source: Supplied
