- Nobesuthu Mayenzeke started selling bags to pay for her 28-year-old son’s stoma bags because her retail salary is not enough.
- The Khayelitsha mother spends R3,000 a month on transport and has cut meat, bread and family outings to afford her son’s medical needs.
A Khayelitsha mother has stopped buying bread and meat and taking her children out so she can afford stoma bags for her 28-year-old son.
Nobesuthu Mayenzeke, 50, who lives in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, has even started selling handbags to make extra money.
Her son had an appendix operation in 2024 that changed his life and left the family struggling to make ends meet.
Before the operation, he worked as a taxi driver and helped his mother with household expenses.
Now Nobesuthu, who works in retail, has to stretch her salary to cover transport, groceries and her son’s stoma bags.
“I work in retail and the money I earn doesn’t cover my bills, so I started a side hustle selling bags so that I can buy stoma bags for my son,” she said.
Transport alone costs her R3,000 every month.
She spends R1,000 on transport for each of two children and another R1,000 getting herself to work.
“Most of my salary goes to transport and stoma bags, so we are left with very little to cover the basics,” she said.
The family has had to give up many of the foods they used to enjoy.
“We have stopped buying things like sausages, red meat, mayonnaise, cereals and bread because I had to prioritise important things that we cannot survive without,” she said.
Nobesuthu now buys basic food combos containing rice, mielie meal, cooking oil, cabbage, soup and sometimes chicken.
Even small family treats have become too expensive.
She used to take her children out once a month and on their birthdays. Those outings have stopped because there is no money left.
Nobesuthu is now asking for help from anyone who can donate stoma bags for her son.
“I am not asking for money. Anyone who is willing to help can buy the stoma bags for me, and we can arrange how to get them. All I need is assistance,” she said.
She said she has already cut many items from the family’s grocery list to pay for the bags.
Ward 93 councillor Thando Pimpi has urged Nobesuthu to contact him for help.
“Yes, we do assist residents who come forward and ask for assistance. Tell her to contact me so that we can see how we can assist her on our side,” said Pimpi.
