• A disabled father of three in Lusikisiki started selling ice cream because his disability grant does not cover food, electricity, transport and insurance costs.
• He charges R15 and R20 per ice cream but says rain and too many sellers in one town can leave him with unsold stock.
46 year old disabled man from Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape has turned to selling ice cream to make ends meet.
He says his disability grant is not enough to cover his family’s needs.
The father of three supports his children and their mother, who is unemployed. As grant day approaches each month, he feels anxious.
“I have three children who are depending on me including their mother. Every time the grant date gets closer, I get stressed because I know the money will not cover all my expenses and that causes sleepless nights,” he said.
To ease the pressure, he decided to start a small business. He now sells ice cream in his area, charging R15 and R20.
Before starting, he looked at the market in his town.
“Before selling ice cream I had to do a research about the number of people who are selling it. I realized that they are few, hence I decided to sell it,” he said.
He believes too many people selling the same product in a small town is risky.
“People in our towns don’t have money, so if we are more than ten people who are selling ice cream, some of us will end up going back home with their stock.”
His wife has been trying to find work without success. She also applied for the R370 social relief grant, but her application still shows as pending.
“My wife is not working. She has been trying to find a job but without luck, and she tried getting the R370. It keeps saying pending. I wish she could get it because I know it will make a huge difference,” he said.
His monthly costs include groceries, electricity and insurance. He also uses some of the money he makes to pay for transport.
“My kids know that they get clothes in June, and they know that I don’t buy them branded clothes. They understand that the disability grant is not enough, hence I decided to sell the ice cream. I am doing this for them because I don’t want them to go to bed hungry.”
He said the weather is one of his biggest challenges.
“I am also paying for transport. The challenges in this business include weather. No one can buy ice cream when it is raining, and we cannot walk around selling.”
Pictured above: Ice-cream
Image source: Supplied
