- A 50-year-old grandmother in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, sells vetkoek, chips, polony, drinks and water outside the local clinic every day.
- She went back to selling after her daughter, who had been supporting the family, died three months after falling ill.
A 50-year-old woman in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, sells vetkoek, chips, polony, drinks and water outside a clinic to look after three grandchildren aged 18, 13 and 10.
She had stopped selling years ago when her daughter found a job and asked her to stop. But her daughter died after three months of illness, and the woman now cares for her grandchildren.
“I am still struggling to accept my daughter’s death because she got sick for only three months, suffering from a headache. I never thought that I would ever come back here, but since I have grandkids to look after, I had to come back and hustle for them,” she said.
Her prices are simple. Vetkoek sells for R3 to R5, a packet of chips from R1, a slice of polony for R1, and drinks and water from R10.
Business is not always steady. On good days she makes around R300, on bad days as little as R100. She spends the money on food, electricity, transport and an insurance policy.
“I am working hard so that my grandkids don’t go to bed on an empty stomach. I am also happy that they have accepted our situation, and they are grateful that I am doing everything in my power to make sure that they don’t go to bed hungry,” she said.
She has no trouble from clinic management or local authorities.
“I don’t have a shelter, I don’t leave anything behind. I take my stuff home and bring it back in the morning every day. Maybe that’s why they haven’t said anything about me selling outside the clinic,” she said.
Pictured above: The clinic in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape.
Image source: @GovernmentZA
