CHECHECHE- Batsirai Maphosa, an informal trader at Checheche Growth point has visibly lost weight since April 2020 as a lot goes through her mind every day.
By Munengwa Desdemona
From thinking about the tragic loss of her husband in a South African mine, fending for her three children including Deliverance Zengwa (15), who is disabled.
Her late husband used to send money every month from South Africa and she reckons her life was stable but now she has to feed her family on her own.
Currently she is selling mackerel fish popularly known as mazitye for a living but she is worried that soon the business will not help her situation as sales keep going down with each passing month.
At first, she though someone had bewitched or cursed her business but she later realised that many other informal traders in the area were facing the same predicament.
Informal discussions with other vendors opened her world to the realities of COVID-19, a global pandemic that ravaged the world economy since 2019 when it was first reported in China.
Maphosa told 263Chat that COVID-19 has affected her business as only a few or no people now buy her fish.
“On a good day, I used to sell up to US$15 but since April 2020 but now daily sales average US$3,” she says.
Maphosa explained that Deliverance cannot eat on her own, walk nor seat alone, meaning he needs 100 percent attention throughout the day.
Deliverance was also diagnosed with epilepsy, meaning she needs epilepsy pills everyday.
“A packet of 30 tablets costs US$2 and Deliverance needs four everyday so I have to fork out $2 every 7 days,” she added.
Thulani Chatikobo who is also living with disability from Checheche is also having a difficult time as the piece jobs he used to survive on are now hard to get.
“Lockdowns taught people new skills, so some of the jobs we used to do for a small fee, the same people who used to hire us are now doing it on their own,” said Chatikobo.
He told 263Chat that he is now trying other projects and has since dug a pit he dug at his house for a fish project.
Chatikobo said the pit is ready for fish farming but due to lack of funding, he has not been able to operationalize the project and has since made an appeal to well-wishers to assist with fish and other consumables.
“I have widely read about fish farming and i believe this could be a project to take my life to the next level, all i need right now is capital so that i can put what i read about into practice,” added Chatikobo.
