Scores of rural women from Mthatha and its surrounds comb through rubbish dumps and the veld for hours each day in search of precious metal – although in their case it isn’t gold they’re looking for, it’s steel and copper.
These products are the reason why their homes have food on the table and their children are able to attend good schools.
Most of these women are unemployed and have never been to school. Their circumstances however have not held them back from getting into the business of collecting and selling scrap metal.
Given that these women of steel have no formal education one would think their modus operandi would be just to collect and sell their metal.
But this isn’t quite so – they look at the financial indicators before travelling to sell the scrap metal. Their travel plans are determined by the strength of the rand.
Daily they collect pieces of steel and copper, as well as other scrap metals which they gather to sell in Durban, when the price is right of course.
Travellers along the N2 on the Durban side of Mthatha will be familiar with the sight of multiple mounds of metal dotted alongside this route as the women sit for hours waiting for trucks to offer them lifts to Durban.
Sometimes it rains, accompanied by strong winds but these women defy nature’s elements and sit there waiting.
Bulelwa Repu of Slovo Park who has been collecting metal since 2011, says she only sells her scrap metal when the rand is stronger against the dollar.
“I was unemployed and wanted to do something to make ends’ meet. I started collecting metal, including copper to sell in Durban. The first time I went there they paid me under R600 for my stuff. With that money I had to cover my return fare of R430. With the remainder I bought fabric softer and dish washing soap to sell back home. That's how I made an income.
“It was stressful and painful to travel that far and come back with no money,” Repu said. She said that first disappointment gave her the drive and determination to push further.
“As years went by I would look at the value of the rand against the US dollar before travelling to Durban. When the rand is stronger I sell my stuff, if it is weak, I do not go. It is important to look at the exchange rate because that determines the amount of money you are going to get.”
The mother of six says at times she would spend up to a week camping on the side of the road with seven other women waiting for a truck to pick them up. Repu says if the metal is left unsupervised thieves would come at night and steal it.
“We would spend days camping there with our stacks of metal until we get a lift. We would sit there until we get transport,” she said.
Repu says she advises other women when not to go to Durban after checking the financial indicators.
Apart from her scrap metal collection, Repu makes bead bracelets, neck pieces and grows her own vegetables to supplement her income.
Another metal collector, 68-year-old pensioner Lungeka Molose walks for kilometres and even travels all the way to Maclear to collect used aluminium cans, scrap copper and steel to sell.
“I started in 2011, I did not have much other than my old age grant to support me and my children. The grant money goes towards their education while the money I get from selling cans and steel buys groceries. It is difficult; we work hard to make a living,” she said.
Molose said the scariest moment in her business was when thieves came during the night while she and other women waited for transport along the N2.
“They loaded her stuff into their van and stole their phones. There are lots of risks involved in this but we go through it to survive,” she said.
The thorn amongst the roses, Thembelani Rozani, has been collecting scrap metal since 2008.
“I started selling to a company in Mthatha, I would sell scrap metal worth about R1300 every day. At that time there weren’t a lot of people involved in recycling so we a lot of stuff.”
Rozani’s yard is full of old cars and beer cans. Next to one of the cars is a scale to weigh his scrap metal before he leaves for each trip. That way, when he goes to sell in Durban he already knows how much his load weighs.
When the Saturday Dispatch visited Rozani’s house two men were busy disassembling an engine. They joked and laughed as they took it apart bit by bit. The pair of them had been asked to assist for the day. The little money they get from Rozani drives hunger away for the moment. They are both unemployed.
“We are going to separate iron from aluminium because they are sold separately. “When we are done with that I will drive a truck over the cans to crush them because using our hands would require a lot of strength and energy,” Rozani said, as one of the workers looked on and smiled.
Rozani drives his own truck to Durban to deliver his scrap metal. Last week he made about R15000. He uses old cars, beer and soda cans and other scrap.
“On weekends I go to all the clubs in town to collect cans. I also recycle bottles but those are sold separately,” he said.
Rozani’s business has given him enough money to build his own house which he now wants to convert into a double-storey.
“I built this house using scrap metal money. I have spent more than R1-million already. I now want to make it a double storey with an elevator – all this from the money I have collected through selling scrap metal,” beamed Rozani.
Repu started her scrap metal collecting after seeing Rozani’s large house.
“He was unemployed yet he had managed to build a big house – I wanted to know his secret. I got motivated when I heard someone can make money and build such a house through selling scrap metal.”
Rozani also keeps a close eye on the exchange rate before travelling to Durban to sell his scrap metal.
“I check the strength of the rand against the dollar before travelling, the return is much more than when the rand is lower,” said Rozani.
As the Dispatch team bids him farewell, Rozani goes back to his hired help to assist them in cutting up some of the scrap metal. Not even the day’s scorching heat deters them from doing their job. Their bursts of laughter can be heard yards away as the Dispatch team drives away on the dusty streets of Slovo Park.
Iron will pays off big-time
These products are the reason why their homes have food on the table and their children are able to attend good schools.
Most of these women are unemployed and have never been to school. Their circumstances however have not held them back from getting into the business of collecting and selling scrap metal.
Given that these women of steel have no formal education one would think their modus operandi would be just to collect and sell their metal.
But this isn’t quite so – they look at the financial indicators before travelling to sell the scrap metal. Their travel plans are determined by the strength of the rand.
Daily they collect pieces of steel and copper, as well as other scrap metals which they gather to sell in Durban, when the price is right of course.
Travellers along the N2 on the Durban side of Mthatha will be familiar with the sight of multiple mounds of metal dotted alongside this route as the women sit for hours waiting for trucks to offer them lifts to Durban.
Sometimes it rains, accompanied by strong winds but these women defy nature’s elements and sit there waiting.
Bulelwa Repu of Slovo Park who has been collecting metal since 2011, says she only sells her scrap metal when the rand is stronger against the dollar.
“I was unemployed and wanted to do something to make ends’ meet. I started collecting metal, including copper to sell in Durban. The first time I went there they paid me under R600 for my stuff. With that money I had to cover my return fare of R430. With the remainder I bought fabric softer and dish washing soap to sell back home. That's how I made an income.
“It was stressful and painful to travel that far and come back with no money,” Repu said. She said that first disappointment gave her the drive and determination to push further.
“As years went by I would look at the value of the rand against the US dollar before travelling to Durban. When the rand is stronger I sell my stuff, if it is weak, I do not go. It is important to look at the exchange rate because that determines the amount of money you are going to get.”
The mother of six says at times she would spend up to a week camping on the side of the road with seven other women waiting for a truck to pick them up. Repu says if the metal is left unsupervised thieves would come at night and steal it.
“We would spend days camping there with our stacks of metal until we get a lift. We would sit there until we get transport,” she said.
Repu says she advises other women when not to go to Durban after checking the financial indicators.
Apart from her scrap metal collection, Repu makes bead bracelets, neck pieces and grows her own vegetables to supplement her income.
Another metal collector, 68-year-old pensioner Lungeka Molose walks for kilometres and even travels all the way to Maclear to collect used aluminium cans, scrap copper and steel to sell.
“I started in 2011, I did not have much other than my old age grant to support me and my children. The grant money goes towards their education while the money I get from selling cans and steel buys groceries. It is difficult; we work hard to make a living,” she said.
Molose said the scariest moment in her business was when thieves came during the night while she and other women waited for transport along the N2.
“They loaded her stuff into their van and stole their phones. There are lots of risks involved in this but we go through it to survive,” she said.
The thorn amongst the roses, Thembelani Rozani, has been collecting scrap metal since 2008.
“I started selling to a company in Mthatha, I would sell scrap metal worth about R1300 every day. At that time there weren’t a lot of people involved in recycling so we a lot of stuff.”
Rozani’s yard is full of old cars and beer cans. Next to one of the cars is a scale to weigh his scrap metal before he leaves for each trip. That way, when he goes to sell in Durban he already knows how much his load weighs.
When the Saturday Dispatch visited Rozani’s house two men were busy disassembling an engine. They joked and laughed as they took it apart bit by bit. The pair of them had been asked to assist for the day. The little money they get from Rozani drives hunger away for the moment. They are both unemployed.
“We are going to separate iron from aluminium because they are sold separately. “When we are done with that I will drive a truck over the cans to crush them because using our hands would require a lot of strength and energy,” Rozani said, as one of the workers looked on and smiled.
Rozani drives his own truck to Durban to deliver his scrap metal. Last week he made about R15000. He uses old cars, beer and soda cans and other scrap.
“On weekends I go to all the clubs in town to collect cans. I also recycle bottles but those are sold separately,” he said.
Rozani’s business has given him enough money to build his own house which he now wants to convert into a double-storey.
“I built this house using scrap metal money. I have spent more than R1-million already. I now want to make it a double storey with an elevator – all this from the money I have collected through selling scrap metal,” beamed Rozani.
Repu started her scrap metal collecting after seeing Rozani’s large house.
“He was unemployed yet he had managed to build a big house – I wanted to know his secret. I got motivated when I heard someone can make money and build such a house through selling scrap metal.”
Rozani also keeps a close eye on the exchange rate before travelling to Durban to sell his scrap metal.
“I check the strength of the rand against the dollar before travelling, the return is much more than when the rand is lower,” said Rozani.
As the Dispatch team bids him farewell, Rozani goes back to his hired help to assist them in cutting up some of the scrap metal. Not even the day’s scorching heat deters them from doing their job. Their bursts of laughter can be heard yards away as the Dispatch team drives away on the dusty streets of Slovo Park.
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