By Buziwe Nocuze
- James Soganga from Nyanga was shot in 1997 and now uses a wheelchair, supporting three cousins, his mother and son on a disability grant.
- He delivers groceries in his automatic car, charging R80 to R90 per delivery, and uses the money for clothes and extra electricity.
James Soganga from Nyanga township in Cape Town was shot in 1997 and ended up in a wheelchair.
He receives a disability grant, which he uses to take care of five family members – three cousins, his mother, and his son.
“The disability grant money is too little. That’s why I started a side job to add to it,” said Soganga.
For his family’s groceries, he spends R1,500.
“We buy combos at supermarkets running specials. Our groceries include maize meal and flour because we stopped buying cereals. We only eat maize meal porridge now. We stopped buying bread and bake it at home,” said Soganga.
They used to buy a six-pack of milk but have also stopped because of the price.
“The maize meal porridge needs sugar and salt. It is not compulsory to eat it with milk. We also buy chicken only. I cannot afford red meat. Even tins – I have stopped buying a variety. We only buy pilchards so that on days we don’t eat meat, we eat pilchards,” said Soganga.
He has cut out chicken liver and chicken feet.
“We used to snack on chicken feet and chicken gizzards, but I stopped buying them. We are only focusing on buying basics that will last us almost a month,” he said.
The side job of delivering groceries using his automatic car helps him buy clothes for himself and his son.
“The money I make from the business depends on the dates. Sometimes we get more customers during paydays and social grant payments. I cannot mention the exact amount for safety reasons, but we charge customers according to where they live,” said Soganga.
Some customers pay R80 while others pay R90.
“We are not charging them more than R90 because at the end of the day, we don’t want to chase them away. We are grateful for their support because with the money I make, I also buy electricity. The R300 from my grant money doesn’t cover us for the entire month,” said Soganga.
Pictured above: James Soganga, a wheelchair-bound man from Nyanga, uses his automatic car to deliver groceries. The money he earns adds to his disability grant to cover his bills.
Image source: James Soganga
