27/05/2025
Publication: CWAO
Author: CWAO
Buwa Basebetsi producer Tebadi Mmotla interviewed Happiness Somhlahlo, who works at Zoomarati.
Buwa Basebetsi producer Tebadi Mmotla interviewed Happiness Somhlahlo, who works at Zoomarati
Happiness was born in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and came to Johannesburg in 2010. “I asked one of the truck drivers who does deliveries for Zoomarati to help me look for a job and he informed me when they were employing at Zoomarati. That is how I got a job”, said Happiness.
Happiness starts her day at 5am in the morning, waking up at her home in Katlehong. She is a mother of two children, a seven year old boy and an 11 year old girl. She helps the kids to get ready for school .She prepares water for them to bath, makes sure their uniforms are neatly ironed, and their books are packed in their school bags, ready for the day. Happiness then prepares corn flakes and warm milk for the kids’ breakfast.
She then gets ready and heads off to work. Happiness walks about 55 minutes to work each way and has been doing so for 15 years. She works nine hours a day at Zoomarati.
“I walk to work because I don’t have money for transport. I’m getting too little and I can’t afford a taxi because its R28 a day return”, she says.
“What makes me happy to wake in the morning is working for my children, making sure they have food and that my family can survive”, Happiness adds.
But she is not entirely happy because she earns very little money. “When I get paid, I don’t even know where to start”.
“One thing that can make a huge difference in my life is to build a home for my children. I will be happy even if I die knowing I have left them a place of their own so they don’t have to grow up in someone else’s house”, she tells The New Worker.
About her working life, Happiness explains: “Jobs are very scarce, that is why I ended up working for a juice company that pays low wages. However, I do love my job”.
Her work is to pack juice, and when the company is short staffed, she also pours the juice.
“I don’t have a dream job”, Happiness says. “If I can find a job that pays enough, I will be fine. It does not matter what kind of work it is,’’ she adds.
Happiness knocks off at 4pm after a long day. It is another 55 minute walk back home. When she arrives, her children are excited to see her after a long day.
Happiness tells The New Worker why life is so difficult. She earns only R5040 per month. She spends R2000 on food, R500 on electricity, R500 on funeral cover. Then she sends money back home for her mother and two younger siblings. With whatever is left, she still needs to buy bread every day for the children. Happiness is also part of a monthly stokvel where they contribute money and take turns to be paid.
“I am stuck in a circle that is difficult to escape,” she says.
She is very sad that she earns this little money.
“When you are a mother and have a job, you desire to have certain things in your home. You can’t afford to buy a microwave. It’s even hard to afford to buy shoes. You end up taking a portion from the grocery money to buy other things”, she says.
“I am grateful that I have a job, and my children won’t go to bed hungry. But it’s sad. At times I come back from work and my children say that they need money for tipex, a school stationery that is required at school. And I don’t have money for that because I did not budget for it. Now I have to go borrow from Mashonisa (loan sharks). It’s just a lot” says Happiness.
In conclusion, Happiness calls on the government to increase the minimum wage to at least R45 per hour, up from R28.79 now. Alternatively, Happiness can only hope for a better job that pays better.
