South Africa: When Food Runs Short, Gogo Toti Goes Hungry So Grandchildren Can Eat
[Health-e] On a chilly weekday morning, gogo Thozama Toti sits next to a stove, watching her granddaughter prepare a meal of noodles.
In South Africa's Emaxelegwini informal settlement near Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape, 68-year-old grandmother Gogo Thozama Toti shares a life of struggle with her five adult children and six grandchildren. Living in a dilapidated three-roomed mud house, the family of twelve survives on a monthly income of R4080. Gogo Toti, who found employment as a domestic worker, now earns an old-age grant of R2,400 each month.
The family is largely dependent on these grants, with Gogo Toti borrowing money from family or friends to buy food, spending R2,000 on groceries and the rest on credit. Meat is a luxury they rarely afford, opting for cheaper soup packs instead. Gogo Toti, who has arthritis, skips meals herself to ensure her grandchildren get enough to eat.
Her adult children and three oldest grandchildren are unemployed, relying on occasional piece jobs that pay below minimum wage. Despite the hardships, Gogo Toti remains hopeful for a better future, criticizing the government's failure to lower food prices.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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