VENDOR OF THE MONTH: Sidney Magida

VENDOR NUMBER: 686

LOCATED AT: Canal Walk Entrance 1

Sidney is very much old school. He is always impeccably dressed and carries himself with grace and equanimity. He is also glowing with excitement; he's going to be a married man soon. Sidney grew up In Graaf Reinet but came to Cape Town looking for work and worked his way through a number of different trades. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with arthritis at an early age and advised to stop working and go onto a pension, which he did. This worked out for a while but it soon became clear to him that he would need to supplement his income in order to survive. His luck improved when he went to ask about employment at a church in Harfield and he was introduced to The Big Issue. Sidney started off in Rondebosch in 2001 but moved on to Canal Walk soon thereafter and has been happy there since. Sidney has learned a lot from being at Canal Walk as the sales etiquette there is slightly different to that of other pitches and he advises his fellow vendors to always be patient when selling and spend their earnings wisely. Sidney's life is guided primarily by his faith, even his romance with his fiancée is determined by these parameters. Sidney explains that he met his sweetheart at church and that they do not live together as he believes it is wrong to co-habit before marriage. Sidney's face lights up when he talks of his plans to marry sometime later this year. He is hoping for a traditional white wedding and wants to invite many of his friends from The Big Issue. We wish Sidney the best of luck with his wedding. Next time you're shopping at Canal Walk, pop in at Entrance 1 to say hi to Sidney and see how the wedding plans are coming along.