By Rorisang Modiba
- Tonique McKenzie, 26, from Pretoria quit her real estate job because she had no car and could not afford transport to property viewings and client meetings.
- After rent, school fees and a R800 food contribution from her father, McKenzie is left with R300 a month, against a Pretoria food basket that costs R5,502 in June 2026.
Tonique McKenzie walked to work. Not because she wanted to, but because she had no car and could not afford a taxi to get to property viewings and client meetings as a real estate agent. Eventually she stopped going altogether.
“I had to walk to the places I could reach because I did not have transport. It takes money to make money, and I did not have it,” she said.
McKenzie, a 26-year-old mother from Pretoria, is now unemployed. She has a five-year-old son and R300 left at the end of every month. Her mother covers the rent. Her son’s father pays school fees. Her father gives her R800 a month for food. After all of that, the R300 is what remains for everything else.
“After all that, I am left with just R300 to survive the rest of the month,” she said.
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group found in its June 2026 Household Affordability Index that the average household food basket costs R5,502.42 a month. Sibusiso Mboto, Programme Coordinator at PMBEJD, said the child support grant of R580 already falls short of what a child needs to eat properly.
“In June 2026, the average monthly cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet was R977.52, but the child support grant is R580 a month, which already falls short. Against this background, the idea of a child being looked after on a R300 budget amounts to some form of condemnation, because it means access to nutritious food at a very crucial stage of development is denied,” Mboto said.
He said the problem extends beyond the unemployed.
“Having a job, even as a cashier or in another entry level position, is no longer a guarantee that a family can meet its basic needs. Rising living costs mean many working households are still struggling to put food on the table,” Mboto said.
McKenzie has not given up. She wants to study cosmetology and open her own skincare brand. She is thinking about a food business too, inspired by her love of cooking.
“I need capital, a place or a food trailer, cooking equipment and people who believe in my dream. I know I can make it work if I get the opportunity,” she said.
Unemployed mothers with young children may qualify for the SASSA Child Support Grant. Applications can be made at SASSA House, 501 Prodinsa Building, corner of Steve Biko and Pretorius Street, Arcadia, Pretoria. Contact SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 or 012 400 2000.
Families in need of immediate food assistance can contact the Tshwane Food Bank at 278 Brander Street, Jan Niemand Park, Pretoria, on 012 800 2775.
Pictured above: Tonique McKenzie and her son in Pretoria.
Image credit: Rorisang Modiba
