Gogo recycles for a living
Gogo Sbongo Nkabinde (74) has been picking up waste from dumping sites for the past ten years.
Tsakane –
The elderly woman from Extension One picks up recyclables such as glass, cardboard and plastic, which she then sells.
After her husband died, Nkabinde had to find a way to support her and her family.
While she receives a monthly grant, Nkabinde explains it is simply not enough and she cannot feed her family.
She has two sons and three grandchildren to support.
Her two sons are unemployed and occasionally find the odd job, but the money they make isn’t sufficient.
It’s not easy for Nkabinde to sit at home while she knows there won't be a meal for the day.
A large portion of her grant is used to pay for water and lights, and payments to her burial societies.
This doesn’t leave her with much money for other necessities.
“The grant is not enough to sustain all of us, that’s why I resorted to finding another way of earning an income”, says Nkabinde.
When her three grandchildren are not at school, they help her find recyclables.
Nkabinde walks around Tsakane every day and picks up whatever she can sell, except on Saturdays when she goes to church.
She explains she will only stop if her health deteriorates.
