By Buziwe Nocuze
- Nomyalelo Gxiniwe, 45, sells scarves and doeks ranging from R50 to R150 at the Mfuleni taxi rank in Cape Town after losing her job as a packer in 2023.
- On a good month Gxiniwe makes R700. The Cape Town household food basket costs R5,298 in June 2026, nearly eight times what she earns.
Nomyalelo Gxiniwe used to sell scarves and doeks on Sundays at the Mfuleni taxi rank, between shifts as a packer. In 2023 she lost the packing job. The Sunday stall became her only income.
She is 45 years old and supports two grandchildren, aged 9 and 13, from what she makes at that table.
“I didn’t know that one day I would do this full-time. While I was working, I would come to the taxi rank and sell on Sundays when I was off, but now I am doing it to survive,” Gxiniwe said.
She sells scarves, cloths and doeks ranging from R50 to R150. On a good month she makes more than R700. That money goes straight to groceries — a 10kg combo of flour, mealie meal and rice for R399 at Goal Supermarket, potatoes, cabbage, cooking oil, and 5kg of chicken at Shoprite.
The Cape Town household food basket costs R5,298.04 in June 2026, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group. Gxiniwe earns roughly 13% of that on a good month.
She has learned to read her customers. She started with socks and scarves, then added doeks when she noticed the demand.
“Everyone needs a doek,” she said.
Her customers know it too. Nwabisa Mesani, a regular, said Gxiniwe saves her money on transport by bringing the goods to the rank.
“She is saving us money on travelling to areas that sell the stuff she’s selling, especially now that transport costs have increased. What I also like about her is that she’s not charging a lot of money,” Mesani said.
Waldo Krugell, an economist at North-West University, said even modest food price increases hit hardest when incomes are not rising to match them. The average household food basket rose R59.29 year on year in June 2026.
Informal traders who need assistance or information about trading permits can contact Thozama Gwente of the United Khula Informal Traders Association on 083 680 7028.
Pictured above: Nomyalelo Gxiniwe at her stall at Mfuleni taxi rank, Cape Town.
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
