When hard lockdown shut down informal traders, tens of thousands of people were left without an income. Recovery has been hard as food prices have risen and many of their clients are also now without an income. This is one woman’s story.
Dr Marc Wegerif is a lecturer in Development Studies, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Pretoria. His research focuses on agrarian transformation and food systems. The research that informed this article is part of an African food systems and Covid-19 project supported by the International Development Research Centre.
“Gloria” is standing under a rough shelter made from poles with an old tarpaulin over them. This gives her and the fruit and vegetables set out on a rough wooden table in front of her some protection from the sun and rain. The stall is on the corner of the street where Gloria lives with her four children in Ivory Park, a township outside Johannesburg. The area includes small government-provided RDP houses, many with extensions and other structures added by their owners, and informal settlements with shacks of old corrugated iron and other materials.
Gloria sells mostly fresh produce such as tomatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, green peppers, potatoes, butternut,…