• A Cape Town mother of three says selling food outside a primary school for five years has helped her stop relying on handouts and feed her children.
• She sells Russians for R10, vetkoek for R5 and chips for R1, and even survived threats from extortionists who backed off after seeing her situation.
A 40 year old woman from Cape Town is putting food on the table by selling snacks outside a primary school gate.
For the past five years, she has been selling chips, vetkoek, Russians and sweets to learners before and after school.
She says the small business has changed her life.
“Thanks to parents who still gives money to their kids when they are going to school because they are my customers and we don’t sleep with empty stomach because of them they support me,” she said.
Before starting the business, she depended on handouts to survive.
“People were getting tired of me, for me and my three kids to eat we were depending on handouts but I realise that people are tired but they didn’t want to say anything but I coul tell that they are fed up,” she said.
She decided to start selling outside the school so she could earn her own income and support her three children.
With the money she makes, she buys groceries and saves for transport to visit her family in the Eastern Cape during the December holidays.
“Some parents don’t see a need to give their kids money because there is feeding scheme at the school, but those who give them money are the reason we visit home everytime during December,” she said.
She has built strong relationships with some learners and even allows a few to buy on credit.
“I have loyal customers just like in other businesses, sometimes they take vetkoek on credit and I give them because I know that they will pay the money. They know that I am depending on that money,” she said.
She sells Russians for R10, vetkoek for R5, chips for R1 and sweets from 50 cents.
She also faced trouble from extortionists who demanded money from her.
“The extortionists tried to demand money from me but I told them that I don’t have money and I am depending on the money to eat. They wanted to go with me to my house and when they get there they checked the cupboards to see if we have food they saw my situation and that I am not lying when I said I don’t have money, they decided not to ask money again,” she said.
Today, she says her children no longer go to bed hungry and she is proud that she can stand on her own.
Pictured above: Food market
Image source: Supplied
