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An apple a day…
The impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the
livelihoods of street vendors – a case of
Bloemfontein
by Sinoyolo Godongwana
An apple a day or two with a bit of tomatoes and potatoes being sold a day meant that there would be
food to eat for Tumelo
1
and his family. It’s day 6 of the 21-day lockdown and the struggle of securing
the next meal couldn’t been more real. “…even on a bad working day, I at least took home R100 to
ensure that my family eats. Now, with me not being able to sell, has put so much strain on us”, said
Tumelo when asked on how he’s coming with having to pause his business during this time. To add to
his grievance, is the fact they had to start eating the stock he had purchased which was intended to
bring in an income. He asks himself where he will source funds to restock. While the President of South
Africa instructed that only essential services remain operational, Tumelo believes that his line of work is
essential – essential for his survival.
1
For the purpose of anonymity, the respondent opted to be referred to as Tumelo. He further stated that should
there be any officials wanting to verify any information with the aim of providing aid, he will avail himself.
2
The Free State government had introduced the Free State Small Development of SMME relief fund which
was aimed as a means to curb the burden of the national shutdown on SMMEs. In order for SMMEs to
be considered for this fund, they needed to have applied by the 26th of March 2020. When ask about
this fund, Tumelo stated that he was unaware of such an initiative by the government and further
continues to state that limited or lack of awareness stood in the way of him putting through his
submission. Having had looked through the funding criteria myself, Tumelo confirmed that his business
not being registered with the CIPC could have also been a setback for funding. Tumelo stands as the
voice of many small-scale entrepreneurs like him who have been adversely impacted by this pandemic
because they either do not meet the criteria for funding or awareness is limited on how to go about
getting assistance.
What remains clear though, as I observe as Tumelo’s wife pour their last scoop of mealie-meal in a pot
to eat with fried onions for lunch, is how the next meal is still a wonder. While Chatting with the family,
they also pointed out to me that before the Covid-19 outbreak, there was a free system of ‘borrowing’
food items from community member but that system couldn’t have been more intensified. My concern
with that very few, if any, community members have either masks or sanitizers to help control the spread
of the virus amid this system of ‘borrowing’. If you ask me, the Covid-19 has the potential to spread like
a wild fire in this area. With this paper, I call on all relevant stakeholders to relook the aiding model –
particularly for the most vulnerable. If we, as a country, are to combat this virus the very first place to
start is in marginalized communities. Action is needed and action is needed rapidly.