By Mpheni Tshivhase
- Sbonelo Mlaba, 29, walks from Booysens to push trolleys at Joburg City Deep Market, supporting his wife and two children.
- Mlaba says he used to earn R400 to R500 a day, but now sometimes takes home just R150 or R200.
At 3am, while much of Johannesburg is still asleep, Sbonelo Mlaba is already preparing for another day of work.
The 29-year-old makes the journey from Booysens to the Joburg City Deep Market, sometimes on foot, to push trolleys for customers.
Mlaba is a husband and father of two. His wife is unemployed, and the family’s other income comes from the children’s grants.
Four years ago, Mlaba was retrenched from his job at a printing company in Benmore, north of Johannesburg. Since then, pushing trolleys at the market has been his lifeline.
“I had to get a job to support my family. This is an opportunity I got here at the market,” he says.
The Joburg Market is one of the country’s largest fresh-produce markets, selling fruit and vegetables, as well as meat, fish and other groceries, largely at wholesale prices.
For years, Mlaba says, the market was busy enough for him to earn between R400 and R500 a day. But that has changed dramatically.
Mlaba believes the market has been quieter since last month because many of the people who used to shop and trade there left the country amid the tensions surrounding the 30 June anti-immigration protests.
The protests, organised amid growing calls for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, led to fear and disruption in parts of Johannesburg. Many foreign nationals stayed away from businesses and workplaces, while some left the country.
For Mlaba, the impact has been felt in his daily earnings.
“The queue to deposit money here at the market used to be very long, especially in the early hours of the morning. Now, there are just a few people around,” he says.
“Since the 30th of June, I sometimes go home with R150 or R200 a day. We have rent and food to cover, and life has not been the same.”
Mlaba charges between R10 and R30 to push a trolley, depending on the distance. Some customers also give him tips.
“I save every rand I get,” he says.
His work may seem simple, but for Mlaba, the trolley is more than just a means of earning an income. It is what allows him to put food on the table, pay the rent and support his family.
And so, before dawn breaks over Johannesburg, he keeps walking.
Pictured above: Sbonelo Mlaba pushes trolleys at Joburg City Deep Market. He says his daily earnings have dropped sharply since the 30 June protests emptied the market.
Image source: Mpheni Tshivhase
