The man who makes R10,000 per month selling naartjies to motorists stuck in traffic in Johannesburg

Gift, an informal street vendor, earns between R300 and R350 per day by selling fresh naartjies directly from a box to motorists stuck in traffic in Johannesburg.

Daily Investor interviewed Gift as part of a series of articles on South Africa’s informal economy, worth around R1 trillion.

Informal economy expert GG Alcock said the informal economy is an underestimated source of revenue and employment for millions of South Africans.

“We have hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs in the townships and informal economy in South Africa,” Alcock said.

The most iconic businesses in the informal economy are street vendors and tabletop hawkers, selling a range of items to commuters.

They are part of a sophisticated and adaptable group of micro-entrepreneurs driving a large and mostly invisible economic engine.

One of these entrepreneurs is Gift, who owns and operates Gift’s Naartjie Stand in Johannesburg’s central business district.

He is a street vendor selling naartjies from a box to motorists, daily commuters, taxi drivers, and motorists stuck in the heavy inner-city traffic in Johannesburg.

He charges R5 per naartjie and only accepts cash, generating daily sales of between R300 and R350. Gift told Daily Investor that he operates what is essentially a high-speed, mobile drive-thru for fresh fruit.

He said that he has memorised the timing of the local traffic lights, allowing him to weave safely between lanes and time his transactions strategically.

He pitches his product, completes the cash transaction, and hands back change within the 60-second window before the light turns green.

Gift sees his current business as a stepping stone to a bigger business operation, which can generate more revenue.

He is saving to upgrade from carrying a heavy cardboard box to owning a customised vendor trolley with wheels. This would allow him to carry a wider variety of items, such as apples, bananas, and cold bottled water.

This, he said, will help him double his daily revenue without the physical strain of carrying the stock all day.

Photos of Gift selling naartjies in Johannesburg