Judas Sekwela
Lockdown is at level 1 and Jan Mashaba and his donkeys are back in business.
Jan from Blood River outside Polokwane in Limpopo uses his donkey carts to collect river- and building-sand and sells it to residents. He also collects refuse from people’s homes and dumps it at dumping sites.
“I charge R150 per load of sand and this money helps me support my family,” he said.
“I love using donkeys because they don’t require fuel and repairs. I let them graze and drink water while I work with the sand,” he said.
Jan’s father died when Jan was 11 and he took over the donkeys.
“He used them for business and he was a breadwinner at home. There was no one to use them after he died so I continued with his business,” he said.
He supports his mom and little brother. Jan also cultivates village farms and charges about R500 depending on the size.
“I saw an opportunity to make good money and I grabbed it with both hands. I am not embarrassed using donkey carts. I know my purpose in life,” he said.
“The good thing about the donkeys is they know me and they listen when I talk to them. They obey my commands,” said Jan.
He has employed three youths to help him.
One of them, Ally Ntini, said he enjoys making money.
“I enjoy working even though some people would mock us as we drive around when a customer has called us. The good thing is that I don’t have to think about stealing and robbing people of their money because Jan pays me,” he said.
