Meet Norwood’s trolley pusher with a difference
Vagrant earns more money with his decorated cart than with the recycling material he sells.
A Norwood recycler believes his bright blue cart generates more attention and money than the recyclable material he sells in order to make a living.
The 36-year-old Mpendulo Mbolani, who lives in Norwood Park, collects paper and steel and then sells it to a recycling company on Louis Botha Avenue in Orange Grove. But most of his daily earnings now come from passersby who love the bright and creative displays on his ‘flashy’ cart.
Mbolani’s cart displays various objects in such a unique way that it attracts the attention of people who pass him in the street. The objects include dolls, mirrors, flags, vuvuzelas, flowers and any shiny jewellery that will catch the eye of people who cross his path.
“I don’t really plan the design. I pick things up and simply display them on my cart and people like it. They stop me in the street to catch a glimpse of my display. They give me money because they like how I’m doing it,” said Mbolani. He explained that some people would give him as much as R50 because they love the unique displays on his cart.
Mbolani, who moved to Joburg from the Eastern Cape explained that he mostly collects his material around the Norwood area because that is where most people know him. “But you will also find me along Louis Botha Avenue because that is where I go to sell my collected material.”
Even though his cart generates some money, Mbolani said a job would certainly come in handy and make his life much better.
Read: When I’m done and cleaned up, we all look the same – trolley pusher
