PHOLA– Khosi Vilakazi (20) moves with her trolley full of fresh fruits and vegetables, the soft jingle of a bell announcing her presence to neighbours.
What looks like a simple business is, for Vilakazi, a bridge to her dreams— a way to raise money for her studies next year, as she hopes to pursue a degree in Psychology.
With her future pressing heavily on her shoulders, she refused to sit back and wait for opportunities to come. Instead, she chose action.
“With the little I get, I am able to support my mom and younger sister. With the high rate of unemployment, it is time to look around and ask yourself: what can I do to survive?”
Her words carry the weight of experience and the spark of inspiration for young women like her. Vilakazi is not waiting for handouts. Every rand she earns from the trolley goes back into her future, buying data for her phone, paying her application fees to various institutions, and covering basic household needs.
“Sometimes, when I sit down and look at the small things I’ve managed to buy – whether it’s bread, stationery, or even my mother’s groceries, I feel proud that I did not just sit back. I stood up for us,” she says with pride.
The path that led her to the trolley was not one she had planned. After arriving in Phola, Vilakazi was introduced to the vegetable trolley business by a foreign national, and this was a beginning that, at first, made her feel uneasy.
“At first, they felt intimidated and I was also not sure if I would be accepted. But as time went by, they became comfortable with me, and so did I,” she says. “The community also started trusting me. Now I walk with confidence, knowing that I am building a name for myself.”
Today, the trolley is more than just Vilakazi’s lifeline, her customers are witnessing a young woman’s courage.
One of the proud customers is 73-year-old Ellie Mathibela, who lives alone and depends on Vilakazi visits. “I stay alone, and I don’t have anyone to send to the shops,” she said, smiling warmly. “With Khosi, I have a shop right at my gate. I don’t have to worry about carrying heavy groceries or traveling far. She makes life so much easier, and I am grateful.”
Vilakazi’s trolley may be packed to capacity with vegetables, but what she truly carries through the streets of Phola is a message of resilience and the aptitude to defy any challenges standing on her path to success.
