DRIVEN by unemployment, poverty and a need to support their families, young and old stand on the street corners of Komani, waiting to be picked up by people who need labourers.
This comes against the backdrop of rising unemployment figures, due to hard economic times and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on companies.
Komani-Karoo Express took to the streets in anticipation of the release of the second quarter jobless rate by Statistics SA.
Mzwanele Nomina, 33, has to support his live-in girlfriend and their two children from the little money he makes on the streets.
“I wake up at 05:00 from Monday to Saturday and by 06:30 I must be on the streets. You need to get here early before the other guys. We are in competition,” he said.
Nomina said it pains him when he leaves his house knowing there is no food for his family. He makes as little as R70 a day to R150 on a good day.
“The money I make goes to our daily food stuff supply. We don’t get to have weekly or monthly groceries; we live from hand to mouth.
“If I make little money then there is no food for the next day while I’m here looking for work.
“That means I don’t eat before I leave and have no food during the day, unless I get a job and the person is kind enough to provide food,” he said.
Nomina, from Unifound, is but one of the many South African people who struggle to make ends meet.
Currently, the country stands at a 34.4% unemployment rate for the second quarter, one of the highest the country has ever seen. Media reports have revealed that South Africa is one of the most vulnerable countries for civil unrest,. as young people are sitting at home with no prospects of finding jobs.
At 53, Whitey Biki is nowhere near enjoying his old age as he wakes up every day to look for hard labour work to supplement his older brother’s old-age pension.
They also have to support their six grandchildren whose mothers left for Cape Town and never looked back. He is from Sada in Whittlesea, some 51km from Komani.
“I moved from my family home in Sada to Komani after my parents died eight years ago. I had hoped for a better life closer to town, as remaining in the villages would have been some form of suicide.
“But I realise that it is all the same. In fact seeing people prosper in front of you is more painful. Competing with young people for work doesn’t bring me any joy,” he said.
Zamuxolo Lali said he has tried all he could not to get involved in the life of crime. His situation, however, is testing his integrity tremendously. The 40-year-old is living with his ageing and sickly unemployed aunt in Khayelitsha.
“Imagine leaving the house at 06:00 and coming back after 17:00 but you have nothing to show. You have not worked the whole day and you are leaving a sick old woman at home. Listening to an aged woman wailing from pain and hunger pangs can almost drive anyone over the edge,” he said.
All have but one wish, to have permanent incomes that will translate to food security.
This, they say, would restore dignity for their families.
