How did he earn income
For 17 years, Brian Chauke from Chiawelo in Soweto has been unemployed, but instead of falling into despair, the father of two came up with an innovative yet solicitous way of feeding his family.
He’s now earning
The Soweto dad who earns a living by waiting in bank queues
The Soweto dad who earns a living by waiting in bank queues
‘I was starving. I had nothing to feed myself or my family, and I asked myself how long I could sustain a life of begging mall patrons just for a few rands to buy some bread. The answer was simple: I had to quit [begging] immediately and instantly find a tenable alternative,” Chauke tells Daily Maverick.
Every weekday morning, Chauke has a bath and heads for either of the 3 Protea Gardens, Jabulani or Maponya malls where he found himself some work 17 years ago.
Chauke joins the queue at the ATMs, and when he gets to the front, he goes to the back of the queue to find a customer to sell his front position to, then he joins the queue at the back again until he reaches the front. He sells each spot for R20, but often accepts less as some people tell him they do not have loose change and end up giving him whatever they have.
In the 17 years that Chauke has been at his job, he said he has not stopped looking for work. On a very good day, Chauke takes home R300. On other days, he takes home R120 or less.
“In all three malls, my business is controlled by the number of cars in the parking bay. Many cars mean more people and more customers,” Chauke said.
