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- Soweto mother Brenda Gonxela, 47, earns up to R1,600 a week collecting recyclables she picks from rubbish bins across Soweto.
- After her husband’s death, Gonxela opened a savings account she cannot withdraw from to pay for her daughters’ college fees.
Brenda Gonxela, 47, is up before sunrise every day. The Soweto mother of twins leaves home at 5am, pushing a sack trolley through the streets of Kliptown, Dlamini and Klipspruit. She collects broken plastic and glass items from people’s rubbish bins.
She has no formal education or job, but she has been doing this for nearly 10 years.
“I know on which days rubbish is collected in different areas around Soweto. I wake up early to collect plastics and glasses. Then I walk to the dumping site near Davland to sell them,” she said.
Depending on how much she collects, Gonxela earns between R1,000 and R1,600 a week. She opened a savings account she can deposit into but cannot withdraw from.
“My husband passed away when my girls were seven years old and their education was a priority for me,” she said.
The job comes with risks. Gonxela has been mugged twice and fallen sick from dump site fumes.
“What others call rubbish, I recycle,” she said.
Her daughters are set to attend a Further Education and Training (FET) College.
Pictured above: A recycling plant.
Image source: Pexels
