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IN this struggling economy, jobs are hard to come by. However, Upper Highway resident Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mhlamvu did not sit back and feel sorry for himself. Instead, he decided to use his talent for making brooms and baskets to earn a living.
Mhlamvu said he’s been selling his hand-made laundry baskets, brooms, and other baskets for over a decade and has loved every minute of it.
“I started selling my hand-made items in 2000 because it was hard to find a job and I had to provide for myself and my family,” he said.
However, he said that every day he faces a different challenge but, with determination, he is able to overcome all obstacles.
“Every day is a challenge because I don’t know if the people are going to buy my stuff or not. I also face competition in the market, yet I go out there daily with a positive attitude,” he said.
One of the most recent challenges that Mhlamvu faced was being robbed.
“The thugs took all the money I had made for the day and I couldn’t even go to open a case because it was the whoonga boys.
“It was very heart-breaking because I had sold so much that day and they took it all,” said Mhlamvu.
The street vendor said that, after they had robbed him, he was grateful to his customers who posted his story on Facebook because that brought more clientele.
“The residents that stay here have actually become my family and they support me immensely. After being robbed, they shared my story and more people came to support me — I’m really grateful for that,” he said.
He said he’s really thankful to the Gillitts community for opening up their hearts and letting him sell his items in their neighbourhood.
“The law enforcement tried to chase me away and the residents helped to get me a permit to sell at this spot.”
“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know how I would have survived,” said Mhlamvu.
In conclusion, Mhlamvu said that those who complain about not having work should stop because they have talents that they could use to make a decent living for themselves.
“Use what God has blessed you with and people will chip in to support you once they’ve seen how dedicated you are,” he said.
