PATRICE Shitlhangu has never made more than R500 a day since she started selling food and cigarettes at her Xikundu home.

But on Saturday, when thousands descended on the Limpopo village for the funeral of Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane, business boomed.

"Since I started selling more than five years ago I never got R500 on a single day, but today I made more than R2000," she told Sowetan on Saturday.

"I knew people would come and bury an important person but I never imagined that it would be so much," she said.

Widowed mother of seven Mamayila Mugabe said she sold between R100 and R200 of goods a day but Saturday was different.

"I got more than R3000 on the day and many came to buy food," she said.

More than 200 spaza shops in the Saselamani area were all over-patronised.

Hundreds of people eager to quench their thirst in the scorching Malamulele heat patronised the Van Rooy Bottle Store owned by the late minister's friend Van Rooy Baloyi.

Local civic association chairman Moses Maluleke said some of the hawkers volunteered their labour in preparation for the funeral, cleaning the streets.

Maluleke said those who were selling on Saturday made a killing. "They had big stocks because they knew that multitudes of people would be coming and they did not disappoint."