A day in the life of a street seller in Botswana

I wake up in the morning, my usual time is 3am I start off with making a mixture of flour, baking powder, warm water and a bit of salt. This is my daily schedule during the week, i put them in a single bowl and mix until it has formed into a single mix. I leave it to raise. I go back to sleep until its 530am then i start the cooking.

AFTER COOKING

The cooking is painful, i have to ensure i have cooking oil, my kids start preparing as well at this hour. I have 7 kids all with their different fathers who have all gone int0 thin air. I am facing the trouble of looking after them all alone but i am enduring on the course, it is what mothers are for. Once i have all the cooked fat cakes in one big bowl I go to the Marang Junior school gate for selling before i can go to my Ipeleleng work at 8am.

THE PAIN

What pains me most, is the days after i have done all the cooking and the kids at the school just wont buy. I must then go home with all the fat cakes. that day i have no money, the kids will not have enough food for the day. They are going to be fighting and when they fight my heart bleeds. It is all my fault, i failed them.

IPELEGENG

Just after my selling at the school I go grass cutting with the rest of the Ipelegeng workers in my area,i work there for the next 6 hours before i can come back and cook another batch of magwinya after school, I am praying hard to make sales otherwise my kids will not even have a candle for lighting.

OTHER CHORES

The kids have gone unruly the small ones go playing at the nearby bridge while the big ones are always on their phones after school, they even refuse to help me do other chores, anyway I just endure, I just keep on keeping on they are my kids.

AT NIGHT

It is time for me to sleep, but i just won’t go to sleep, by body is refusing me, I know I am fatigued and I must rest but the anxiety is pain in my bones, I cant stand the pressure all alone, the kids need transport fee to school, I must give them proper shelter and clothing and I fail at it all, I go to sleep because I must be fresh for the next day.