- A Cape Town mother found a construction job in 2024 to stop stressing about buying food for her young child.
- She buys cheaper cereal to pay for electricity and a funeral policy but always pays to celebrate her child’s birthday.
Zintle Mnisi works in construction to provide for her only child. The mother lives in Mfuleni township in Cape Town and survives by working at Eminan Construction and Project.
The former assistant teacher started her new job in 2024. She works from 08:00 until 16:00.
Having this job means she no longer stresses about money to buy groceries and toiletries.
She spends between R1,300 and R1,500 on groceries, pays R200 for electricity and pays R168 for a funeral policy.
She does not buy expensive cereal brands like Future Life or Corn Flakes for her child. She buys instant porridge and Nutrific instead.
“When buying groceries I buy what I can afford, I don’t buy expensive goods,” she said.
Even though things are expensive, she makes sure she has enough money to celebrate her child’s birthday.
“Things might be expensive but I make sure that I take my child out when it is her birthday,” she said.
Mnisi knows that the experience she is getting means she can apply for future jobs.
“What I like about this project is that I am getting experience with some of the things I didn’t know, like painting,” she said.
Pictured above: Zintle Mnisi, a mother of one, has stopped buying expensive cereals for her daughter and is saving money.
Image source: Zintle Mnisi
