Edge of survival: I sell sex and chicken feet to feed my children, says mom of three
In Lenasia South a 32‑year‑old mother of three from Mozambique says she sells chicken feet on the street – and sex to men – because she has no schooling, receives no child grants and her husband stopped supporting the family in 2019.
In Lenasia South, a 32-year-old woman named Zinzi from Mozambique says she sells chicken feet and sex to men to provide food for her three children. Zinzi has never attended school and cannot read or write. She arrived in South Africa in 2014 and separated from her husband in 2019, leaving her financially dependent on him – but he no longer supports the family.
Zinzi earns between R150 and R300 per day from selling chicken feet and around R500 a month from sexual services. She says the money is not enough to buy groceries, so she buys small amounts of food like tomatoes, cabbage, or bread to feed the family. On hard days, her children may only have pap, a porridge dish made from maize flour.
Zinzi shares one plate between her and her daughter, while the boys eat together when they have enough mealie meal. When her chicken feet sales are good, she buys food her children enjoy, like bread and eggs. In March, Zinzi's toddler daughter fell severely ill with diarrhoea and vomiting. The hospital revealed she was malnourished, causing Zinzi to feel deeply ashamed of her inability to provide proper nourishment.
Despite having relatives in South Africa, no one can help her. Zinzi's mental and physical health are suffering due to the stress of providing for her children. She has contemplated suicide and refuses to seek medical care for her daughter, fearing social services might take her away. Zinzi urgently needs a stable income to stop selling sex and support her family.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
