Nozuko Mabohlo

Vendor Nozuko Mabohlo is known for her bright smile, which attracts Big Issue customers from afar. The 56-year-old grandmother relishes being at her pitch in Protea Road – it is her daily source of fun and amusement. “When I’m at my pitch, I enjoy myself because my customers are loving, caring and bring the best out of me. Their love is my daily motivation. Even when they don’t buy the magazine, they assist me where they can,” she says.

Nozuko’s day starts as early as 5am so she can prepare for her grandchildren to go to school. “Their mother is unemployed and I’m the sole breadwinner. On average, I go home with R200 a day – it’s not that bad because many people don’t even earn that amount.

“My customers are friendly, caring and easy to speak to. They understand my situation here and back at home in the Eastern Cape, where I left my mom who relies on a social grant,” she says.Nozuko, who joined The Big Issue in 2010, lives in a backyard dwelling in Delft with her daughter, sister and two grandchildren. Her earnings from magazine sales enable her to provide much-needed necessities for her family, including paraffin and candles, because she has been without electricity for a few years. “The landlord cut my electricity three years ago and I have been living in the dark since then. Load shedding does not apply to me because I have always lived in the dark,” she explains.

A POSITIVE MINDSET

While her living conditions leave much to be desired, Nozuko prefers to look on the brighter side of life. “I’ve been to the Department of Human Settlements to plea with them to assist me with my living conditions, and was told that I am on the waiting list. I am still waiting to be called in for a house, but I have faith that it will happen one day. “I don’t dwell much on my living conditions because I have turned my not-so-pleasant environment into a warm and loving home. It’s no use crying over a situation that will not change overnight. If a Good Samaritan can buy me a house, that would change my life for the better and would really make me happy,” she says