Every Thursday morning for the past six years, Stella Nokuvela Manqwala wakes up early and prepares herself to go walk the streets of Amalinda, collecting food, scrap materials and two-litre plastic bottles.
This she gathers from garbage bags placed out for collection by residents, to ensure her and her family’s survival.
Manqwala’s day usually starts as early as 6.30am because she is not the only one who will be out scavenging through the garbage, she has plenty of competition, and it all has to be done before the municipal refuse removal trucks arrive.
As Manqwala goes about her business, many people driving by hoot and wave, those on foot stop to talk, and it is evident that she is a common sight in the streets of Amalinda.
The 43-year-old explains to the Daily Dispatch how she started ukuqhabhuza (a name used to describe going through rubbish).
As an unemployed mother of two, and a grandmother, she says she was introduced to “ukugqabhuza” by her eldest son.
“I used to see my eldest son return home with many items that were in a condition that we could use. Sometimes he would even bring home food, however, I was always embarrassed by it and I never thought I would do it until I had no choice but to do it to put food on the table,” she says.
One of those in the queue is Phakama “Pinky ” Mbulawa, who collected 500 bottles, the highest number for the day.
Mbulawa focuses her search for two-litre bottles on Quigney and Southernwood.
“The reason I have so many bottles is because I wake up early, and I only collect bottles,” she said.
At 1pm, Manqwala then walks back to Amalinda to position herself behind an Eastern Cape liquor store, where she joins others selling the clothing they picked from the garbage bags.
“Now this is my office,” she says jokingly, as she introduces the Dispatch to those gathered there.
At the close of business she gathers up what is left over, (some recovered food, the cosmetics and some unsold clothing), and the money she made from the bottles, and makes her way home to Scenery Park.
Waste management company Aurecon’s technical director Nick Mannie said: “The people you see going through your garbage bags may very well be a part of the solution to depleting natural resources, to the environmental impact of waste and the diminishing capacity of landfills which have prompted the need for reduced waste generation.”
“Now, more than ever, recycling is an essential part of our lives, however the conditions that these people on the streets work under do pose serious dangers,” says Mannie.