- Sputsu Mfixane and Nomthandazo Mvunyiswa have supported their family for 15 years by collecting scrap metal in Khayelitsha.
- They hope to get a container and scale to protect and better manage their scrap collection.
For 15 years, a Khayelitsha couple has supported their family by collecting and selling scrap metal from around their township.
Sputsu Mfixane, 68, told Scrolla.Africa that this work has helped raise their four children.
“Most people don’t believe that waste can assist them in taking care of their families without bothering people by asking for handouts,” said Sputsu.
Even after getting his pension, he kept collecting.
“I told myself that I would not stop collecting scrap because the pension money alone was never going to be enough, and I am used to collecting scrap.”
His partner Nomthandazo Mvunyiswa, 50, continued working even after getting TB.
“I had TB because of this work. My partner wanted me to stop, but I couldn’t sit at home and allow him to do this job alone; we have a family that we need to take care of,” said Nomthandazo.
The couple works near the Somerset taxi rank in Makhaza. The money helps them avoid loan sharks and to pay insurance.
“I always feel pity for people who complain about struggling to pay their insurance policies because they don’t have money. Making money out of collecting scrap is a good thing; we are paying ours using the money we have received from collecting scrap,” said Nomthandazo.
They want a container to store their scrap safely.
“We wake up at 4am and go around the township. We then come to the spot that we have been using for the past 12 years. The challenge is that while we go around collecting scrap, some people come and take it,” she said.
They also hope to get their own scale instead of relying on others to weigh their scrap.
Pictured above: Sputsu Mfixane with his partner Nomthandazo Mvunyiswa has been taking care of their family with the money they make from collecting and selling scrap.
Source: Buziwe Nocuze
