• A 50 year old widower in Lusikisiki sells peanuts and popcorn for R5 each and sometimes makes as little as R50 in a full day.
• He walks to town because taxi fare costs R50 a day, which would swallow all the money he makes from selling his goods.
A father of five in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, wakes up each day knowing his children depend only on him.
The 50 year old lost his wife and now carries the full weight of raising their five children alone.
To survive, he sells peanuts and popcorn in town. He charges R5 for each packet. Some days are better than others, but most are a struggle.
“When my wife was still alive she was doing people’s washing and I had piece jobs, the money we both made helped a lot because we were combining it and got a decent amount,” he said.
Back then, he did not feel as much pressure. If he could not find general work, his wife would still bring something home.
Now he has no backup.
“Selling peanuts and popcorn doesn’t bring a lot of money but it is better than staying at home and waiting to ask for handouts from other people. At least I can buy electricity during the month but it is not easy.”
On some mornings, before heading to town, he looks for small jobs in his village, like cleaning yards. Every rand counts.
“On a bad day I make R50, on a good day I make more than R100. That’s why I also try to get other jobs because I need to buy food for my children. I cannot depend on the money I make by selling peanuts and popcorn.”
There are days when business is very slow. When that happens, he worries about how they will cope.
“I am still thinking about what else I can sell that people will buy. I am still thinking about it because if I put my trust in the products I am selling now, one day we will go to bed hungry and I wouldn’t even have money to pay for our insurance policy.”
He walks from his home to town and back every day. Taxi fare costs R50 a day. That is money he simply does not have.
“The transport money is R50 a day. I can’t afford it, hence I walk to and from town. If I used the money I am making for transport, then it would mean that I am selling these products just to get transport money only. It won’t make sense because I am doing it so that we don’t go to bed hungry.”
Pictured above: Lusikisiki town
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
