By Buziwe Nocuze
· Zanele Mntambo earns R500 a week selling chickens but spends R1,000 monthly just on basics like groceries, electricity and funeral cover.
· She sells chicken feet and heads for extra cash but says even meat is now a luxury and neighbours are also struggling to cope.
Zanele Mntambo moved from Durban to Cape Town looking for a better life — but the soaring cost of living is crushing her hopes.
The 23-year-old lives in Khayelitsha and works at a chicken stall in Site C taxi rank. She wakes up at 5am to prepare her child for school, then gets ready for her job.
“I start working at 8am. When I get there, the first thing I do is clean the tables where we’ll place the chickens,” she said.
Her shift ends at 7pm, but she earns just R500 a week — and it’s not nearly enough.
“I use about R1,000 a month for groceries, electricity and a funeral policy. It doesn’t stretch far. I’ve had to stop buying many things I used to,” said Mntambo.
She’s even had to cut meat out of her diet.
“Red meat is too expensive. We don’t eat meat every day anymore. Even chicken is a treat now — I just buy the basics.”
To help her earn more, her boss lets her sell chicken heads and feet on the side. “We call it a chicken combo — eight feet and four heads for R20. That helps a little, but it’s still not enough,” she said.
Mntambo fears for the future.
“Everything is going up in price. If this continues, we’ll only be able to eat pap and cabbage. We can’t even ask our neighbours for help — they’re struggling too.”
Pictured above: Zanele Mntambo has a job selling chickens
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
