- A 43-year-old community radio presenter in Cape Town sends most of her small salary home to raise four children in the Eastern Cape.
- She built her own shack to save on rent and only sees her children once a year because she can't afford the transport costs.
A 43-year-old community radio presenter in Cape Town is raising four children from a distance.
Three of her children, aged 20, 15 and 12, live in her house in the Eastern Cape. Their 28-year-old cousin looks after them while she works in Cape Town.
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She said she couldn't bring them to stay with her because community radio jobs are not stable. "Working for community radio means your job can end anytime," she said.
Every month, she sends R1,500 for groceries and R450 for transport. She also pays R600 for funeral cover and school fees for her youngest child.
"With that R1,500 they buy rice, maize meal, samp, flour, cooking oil, chicken, pilchards and toiletries," she said.
To save money, she spends R1,000 on her own groceries and R800 on bus fare. She used to rent a flat for R1,000, but she built her own shack after buying land for R2,000.
"That was the best decision because I could send more money home," she said.
She buys food in bulk and sticks to the basics. "I stopped buying peanut butter and red meat. I eat instant porridge because it's cheaper and needs only warm water," she said.
The biggest pain for her is being far from her children. "I can't afford to visit them every month. I only go home in December because transport costs more than R2,000," she said.
She also saves throughout the year to buy them clothes for Christmas.
