Fezile Ntshebe first joined The Big Issue in February this year, after losing his job as a security guard. His cousin, previous Vendor of the Month Elliot Bloom, had told him about The Big Issue and when he lost his job he decided to take Elliot’s advice and become a vendor.

“I enjoy being a Big Issue entrepreneur as I get to meet new people everyday. I sell The Big Issue in Wynberg opposite Wynberg Park. My customers are mostly elderly and are always eager to buy the magazine.”

Eric Kina is fairly new to The Big Issue – he’s been working with us for just over a year – but he has already become a favourite with both his customers and his fellow vendors. We sat down with our latest Vendor of the Month to find out about his journey to The Big Issue… and beyond.

Elliot Bloom is no stranger to hard work. He joined The Big Issue in 2005, but has always been on the lookout for new opportunities. After working as a vendor for three years, he found a job at a catering company and worked there for four years.

Elaine de Jager is a friendly woman who came, like so many others, to Cape Town looking for an opportunity to earn a living. She found a position but after a few years was forced by a change in circumstances to leave her old job.

David Njove describes himself as a family man. He’s happily married with five children  and three grandchildren.  He works hard to support his family, because he believes that one day they will support him.

Chwayita first joined The Big Issue in 2008 and had no previous working experience before arriving at the magazine.She had been living with her mother and sister, who had been supporting her.

Charles Hare is no stranger to The Big Issue. He first joined the organisation 14 years ago. He has been a jack-of-all-trades, working as a handyman at a hotel and then a fisherman as well as doing odd jobs here and there.

Our vendor on the pitch, Bulelwa Vivian Nohentshana (41), sells The Big Issue on Dorp Street, Cape Town. She talks to us about her dedication to being an entrepreneur and a mother.