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Cow head

There is a bang on the door. It is 7:30am. I hop to the door, pulling on my trousers. It is Zanele. She accosted me in my first week here and offered her cleaning services for R80 a week. She cleans for several of the doctors here.

"Hi Zanele, come in!"

"Hello, doctor."

"How are you?"

"Ah – I am well. You are back!"

"Yes – I visited my family. Are you well?"

"Yes doctor." She pauses. "Doctor, may I have two weeks money this time?"

"Sure."

"I have to buy meat to sell."

She goes on to explain that each week she buys a cows head from the butcher and cooks it. She then chops it up and picks a spot near the petrol station in Hlabisa village centre to sell cuts of the meat to passers-by on Friday and Saturday – the days she does not clean. Zanele has six children. Three are her own and three belong to her late sister who died last year of an illness almost certainly related to HIV. Zanele must now earn enough money to pay for the education,
clothing and food for all six.

I tell her no problem, she can have two weeks money. She is very grateful – it will enable her to buy extra meat.

"And thank you doctor for the extra money," – whilst I was away I left her R100 a week rather than R80 as I did not have change – "I was able to buy extra bread for the children."

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