WHEN Evelyn Tjamela's dream of finding a job in Johannesburg faded like those of thousands others, she had to find other ways to survive.
Tjamela, 38, already a mother of five, is expecting her sixth child.
As a foreigner from Lesotho, with no valid South African ID, she cannot benefit from the government's R43.4-billion child support grant allocation.
She came to Johannesburg seven years ago to look for a job as a domestic worker but has had no luck. So Tjamela ended up collecting rubbish on the streets of Johannesburg and selling it to recycling companies.
Her day starts as early as 4am and does not end until after 6pm. Working without any protective gear, she makes about R500 a month.
Asked if she is not worried about her unborn baby's health, Tjamela said: "I know it's dangerous, but if I don't work then I won't get paid and won't be able to feed my kids."
Life on the streets, she said, is not easy especially as she has to endure insults from motorists and her male competitors.
Tjamela said she once escaped serious injury when her loaded trolley fell on her after it was hit by a speeding car.
A woman who called herself Dineo, 37, came from Maseru in Lesotho with hopes of a better life but now finds herself scouring rubbish bins and pushing a trolley on Johannesburg streets.
The mother of three also makes about R500 a month. She squats in a flat in the city.
"In 2004 I worked as a domestic worker in Mpumalanga. I decided to move to Johannesburg thinking I would find a better job, but it never happened," she said.
She works Monday to Saturday, whether it's pelting down with rain or blazing hot.
Dineo cannot afford to visit her family in Lesotho with the money she makes.
So she only visits them during the December holidays.
Calvin Khoza, a 30-year-old from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, is a father of one and stays with his partner, Lungile, in an abandoned building in Johannesburg.
They both recycle rubbish to make ends meet.
Though Khoza sees women recyclers as competition, he expressed some sympathy for them.
"I sympathise with them because they don't make as much money as men," he said.
Khoza said he made about R1000 a month.
According to a report by Statistics South Africa, the percentage of women employed in the trade industry has shown the greatest decrease (-9,8%).
This is followed by manufacturing (-3,5%) and agriculture (-2,2%).
The report further revealed that fewer women than men were employed between 2001 and 2014.
This means that even fewer women have found employment opportunities.
ntsambab@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Recycling, their only way to make a living - Evelyn dreams of a better life
WHEN Evelyn Tjamela's dream of finding a job in Johannesburg faded like those of thousands others, she had to find other ways to survive.
Tjamela, 38, already a mother of five, is expecting her sixth child.
As a foreigner from Lesotho, with no valid South African ID, she cannot benefit from the government's R43.4-billion child support grant allocation.
She came to Johannesburg seven years ago to look for a job as a domestic worker but has had no luck. So Tjamela ended up collecting rubbish on the streets of Johannesburg and selling it to recycling companies.
Her day starts as early as 4am and does not end until after 6pm. Working without any protective gear, she makes about R500 a month.
Asked if she is not worried about her unborn baby's health, Tjamela said: "I know it's dangerous, but if I don't work then I won't get paid and won't be able to feed my kids."
Life on the streets, she said, is not easy especially as she has to endure insults from motorists and her male competitors.
Tjamela said she once escaped serious injury when her loaded trolley fell on her after it was hit by a speeding car.
A woman who called herself Dineo, 37, came from Maseru in Lesotho with hopes of a better life but now finds herself scouring rubbish bins and pushing a trolley on Johannesburg streets.
The mother of three also makes about R500 a month. She squats in a flat in the city.
"In 2004 I worked as a domestic worker in Mpumalanga. I decided to move to Johannesburg thinking I would find a better job, but it never happened," she said.
She works Monday to Saturday, whether it's pelting down with rain or blazing hot.
Dineo cannot afford to visit her family in Lesotho with the money she makes.
So she only visits them during the December holidays.
Calvin Khoza, a 30-year-old from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, is a father of one and stays with his partner, Lungile, in an abandoned building in Johannesburg.
They both recycle rubbish to make ends meet.
Though Khoza sees women recyclers as competition, he expressed some sympathy for them.
"I sympathise with them because they don't make as much money as men," he said.
Khoza said he made about R1000 a month.
According to a report by Statistics South Africa, the percentage of women employed in the trade industry has shown the greatest decrease (-9,8%).
This is followed by manufacturing (-3,5%) and agriculture (-2,2%).
The report further revealed that fewer women than men were employed between 2001 and 2014.
This means that even fewer women have found employment opportunities.
ntsambab@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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