PITCH: Cape Town
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Elliot needs assistance to kickstart his business from home, securing a permanent job and getting his driver’s licence.
If you would like to assist her, contact The Big Issue office on 021 461 6690 or email info@ bigissue.org.za.
Elliot Blom
A parents love
Words: Alicia English
When Big Issue vendor Elliot Blom first started selling the magazine in 2005, he only had one child, Masakhe, who was then six. Today, Elliot is the father of three children. Masakhe is 21, his second child is 12 and his youngest is five. Originally from Cofimvaba near Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, Elliot now lives in Forest Village, Eerste River.
The 43-year-old vendor has been selling the magazine from his pitch at the Willowbridge traffic lights in Tyger Valley for the past five years. He is just as determined to provide for his family now as he was when he joined The Big Issue 15 years ago.
While he has completed a petrol attendant course and would love to find permanent employment at a petrol station, Elliot has great ambition as an entrepreneur. When he is not at his pitch, he supplements his earnings by selling meat from home. “I would like to open my own business one day,” he says.
