Mthombeni happy to be back selling food at taxi rank
AFTER almost nine weeks of a lull in business, Margret Mthombeni, who makes a living by selling fast food at Mabopane taxi rank, was happy to be back at work yesterday.
This was as the country moved into level 3 of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Mthombeni said life under level 5 and 4 of the lockdown had been unbearable as she was unable to make an income.
“I understand the government was trying to protect us from the virus, but I am now worried about the huge interest I accumulated because of the lockdown. I have been unable to pay monthly instalments to clothing and furniture shops,” she said.
She was still waiting to receive the
R350 grant, which was promised to the millions of unemployed people.
Mthombeni was, however, not totally despondent as she believed she could still work hard to get back on her feet.
She could still afford a smile as she prepared food at the busy taxi rank, where she was barred from selling under levels 5 and 4.
She said she was happy to be part of more than the 8 million workforce who had resumed work.
The lifting of the alcohol ban during the introduction of level 3 also brought excitement among many people.
In Soshanguve Block XX, people came out in droves to the local bottle store in the morning in a rush to purchase liquor.
They queued up outside the entrance, keeping at least one metre distance from each other as they waited for their turn to be allowed inside.
A security guard, who was armed with a sanitiser at the entrance, ensured that everyone entering the shop had their hands sanitised.
One of them, Joseph Chauke, who came to buy beer for his father, said: “I am not really into alcohol. I am just here to buy for my dad. My only gripe is the ban on cigarettes.”
Tebatso Mantsho, one of the locals, said the lifting of the ban on liquor was a relief to him because he had spent too much money buying alcohol on the black market.
“Things have been too bad under the previous lockdowns because alcohol prices were abnormally hiked.
“During the previous lockdown I used to buy a pack of 12 beers for R600,” he said.