By Buziwe Nocuze
- Lukholo Nombila earns R6,400 monthly and cuts DStv, expensive clothes, and daily R100 taxi rank meals to make ends meet.
- His girlfriend bakes bread for his lunch, and he joined a R500 stokvel with other drivers to buy his daughter clothes and December groceries.
A taxi driver who earns R6,400 per month has stopped buying food at the taxi rank. Instead, he packs his lunch to save money.
Lukholo Nombila, who lives in Khayelitsha township, Cape Town, takes care of four family members and his daughter.
“For me to cover my bills, I had to cancel my DStv subscription, stop buying food at the taxi rank, stop wearing expensive clothes, and forget about buying expensive alcohol. I now buy Castle Lite or any other beer when they are on special,” said Nombila.
He was spending more than R100 per day on food.
“Other drivers were shocked to see me carrying lunch. They said they had never seen a taxi driver who carried lunch. I have a girlfriend who helps with that. I mostly carry bread which she bakes, plus a drink. I am saving a lot of money,” said Nombila.
He sends R2,000 for his family’s groceries, spends R1,000 on his own groceries, pays R1,000 in rent, R300 for electricity, R350 for funeral cover, and R500 for a stokvel he joined with other drivers.
“At home, they buy 25kg of rice and maize meal, two 12.5kg bags of samp mixed with beans, sugar, chicken, and vegetable combos. On my side, I buy combos at Shoprite and also buy tins,” said Nombila.
He buys clothes for his daughter with the money he makes from the stokvel.
“We contribute R500 each, and the stokvel is playing a huge role because the money I get helps with clothes and food for December at home. They don’t eat ultramel, beetroot, mayonnaise, or tomato sauce during the year, but I make sure that in December they eat those things, including red meat,” said Nombila.
Pictured above: A taxi driver from Khayelitsha township has stopped buying takeaways at the taxi rank so he can cover his bills. He carries lunch made by his girlfriend.
Image source: Supplied
