Qacha’sNek, Nov. 18—Every evening in Qacha’sNek town, long after most stalls have closed and the streets begin to empty, two women remain behind.
Their tables are lit not by streetlights or lamps, but by the faint glow of their phone torches, the only light they have to keep their businesses alive.
Ms. Mokebe Thoola of Leropong and Mrs. ’Mamolise Mapola of Thifa, Sehlekehlekeng have become familiar silhouettes in the darkness. Their workday stretches far past the usual closing time, sometimes until 7:30 p.m., as that is when their customers come. Their survival does not allow them the luxury of leaving early.
There are neither streetlights nor public lighting of any kind. Just two women under the open sky, selling vegetables, roasted corn, socks, towels, and anything else that might bring a little income.
For Ms. Thoola, selling vegetables and basic essentials is more than a job, it is the pillar that has raised her two children, now aged 23 and 12.
She begins her day around 9 a.m. after finishing her housework, but she says in an interview with the Agency that mornings are slow, and customers rarely come before midday. The real business happens later when workers return home…
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