By Buziwe Nocuze
- The mother walks to town daily to save a R44 taxi fare, earning commission by bringing customers to salons.
- She uses the money to buy bulk food and has cut bread, meat and branded items to survive slow weeks.
Nokuzola Ndinisa, 40, walks to town every day so she can save money to buy food for her two children.
Ndinisa lives in Malizole village near Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape. A return trip to town costs R44, money she says she cannot afford to spend.
She earns a living by finding customers for hair salons.
“I don’t work for one salon,” she said. “I work with many salon owners, so when I find a customer, I can take them anywhere.”
Her day starts early.
“I wake up at 05:30 to cook porridge for my children,” she said. “Then I get ready and walk to town.”
She usually arrives in town by around 09:30 and spends the day walking around looking for customers.
“I have a chair for when I’m tired, but walking around is the fastest way to get people,” she said.
For every customer who pays R300 for their hair, Ndinisa earns R70. If the customer pays R200, she earns R50.
“I try to get six customers a day so I can make about R360,” she said.
She works from Monday to Saturday.
With the money she earns, Ndinisa buys groceries for her children.
She shops at Boxer, where she buys a 25kg bag of rice, maize meal, 12.5kg of samp mixed with beans, and a 5-litre bottle of cooking oil. She also buys chicken livers, chicken and tinned food.
“On a good week, I can make about R2,000,” she said. “When that happens, I buy food so that when work is slow, my children can still eat.”
She said there are weeks when she struggles to find customers.
To cope, she has cut back on many items.
“I stopped buying bread because I can’t afford it,” she said. “I buy flour and bake at home. I buy non-branded margarine. I no longer buy pork or sausages.”
She also pays insurance and electricity from her earnings.
“Walking around town the whole day for six days is not easy,” Ndinisa said. “But I have to work for my children.”
Pictured above: Nokuzola Ndinisa earns a living by bringing customers to hair salons.
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
