• A mother works long hours every day and takes on extra jobs to avoid borrowing money from loan sharks.

• She plans months ahead for food and clothing, using stamps and lay-byes to survive December.

Nomathamsanqa Gogela, 40, wakes up early every morning to prepare her child for school before going to work.

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She works at a stand selling braaied mutton in Cape Town and earns R150 per day.

"My job is to braai the meat on the fire when I arrive in the morning," she said.

Gogela works from Monday to Sunday, starting at 08:00. Her knock-off time depends on how much meat is left to sell.

"Sometimes I finish at 19:30 or even 20:00," she said.

On her off days, she takes on extra work cleaning chickens for another seller. For that work, she earns R100, as well as chicken feet and heads to take home.

Gogela supports her child and six siblings.

"I am the eldest," she said. "It is my responsibility to take care of them."

She said her daily wage is not enough to cover all her expenses, which is why she works extra days.

"I didn't want to go to loan sharks," she said. "I had to find another way."

With the money she earns, Gogela buys food for her household and pays insurance for her family.

"I pay insurance so that when something happens, I don't have to ask for donations on social media," she said.

She also plans carefully for December.

During the year, she buys Shoprite stamps so she can afford food for the holidays.

"During the year we only eat basics," she said. "We don't buy things like sausages, red meat, beetroot or Ultramel because they are expensive."

For Christmas clothes, she uses lay-byes.

"I start laying by in September," she said. "In December I buy uniforms, and I use my stamps for groceries."

For Gogela, survival is about planning, long hours and making sure her family never goes to bed hungry.