Leila

34

Phone operator at a call centre.

The area called Bo-Kaap, formerly known as the Malay Quarter, in Cape Town's inner city. This is one of the older residential areas of Cape Town, dating back to the 1700s, and home to a large Muslim community.



Coordinates:

33o55.257'S

18o24.903'E

Her mother was left the house, and she and her mother cannot afford to live anywhere else. It is also convenient for getting to work in the city centre.

A 3-bedroom single-storey house in a row.

Leila lives with her mother, who runs a childrens' daycare business from home. Leila's father died some years ago. Leila is single, but has a 15-year old daughter who sleeps in Leila's room. Also staying in the house are her sister, who has just finished highschool and is unemployed; and her brother, who is not married but has a young child who lives with its mother.

Leila's work is in the Cape Town CBD, a 20-minute walk away. On rainy days she sometimes takes a minibus taxi or gets a lift to work with a neighbour. She prefers not to spend the money on taxi fares. She doesn't have a drivers' licence, but can't afford a car anyway.

She walks almost everywhere, generally staying within the Bo-Kaap.

The community is close - sometimes it feels too close, with all the gossipping - and people are always out on the streets or hanging out by the corner stores, where they meet friends or just sit in the sun, leaning against a warm wall. Friday Mosque and Sunday lunch are the big events of the week. Leila has always lived in this community, and feels at home here, but because she had a child out of wedlock, she tries to avoid people who she feels will judge her.

People at work come from a more diverse range of backgrounds and seem more tolerant and accepting of Leila's situation than many of the people she knows in her community. Occasionally she goes out with work colleagues in the evening. Otherwise she spends most time with her family at home.

She can't afford to travel, and has the care of her child to consider.

Nowhere.

Leila has only left Western Cape Province once - when her employer sent her to Johannesburg for a training course. She left her child with her mother for the week she was away.

She would like to go to Mecca at least once.

She eats Halaal only. Sometimes gets take-away food from places like KFC and Nandos; with the large Muslim community in Cape Town, many restaurants and fast-food places sell Halaal food.

Her favourite meal is Briyani, a traditional stew. She would like, one day, to try sushi.

High School.

R5,000 per month. (As a comparison, the minimum wage in South Africa is around R2,500 per month. Leila's salary is still very low.)

A flatscreen TV, which is in the lounge for the family to use.

She would really like to be able to buy better things. If she has a good month, she might buy something special for herself, or just clothes; but she also needs to provide for a brand-conscious teenage daughter. Big items like the TV she might buy on a hire-purchase contract, which is much more expensive but the only way she can manage.

With very little travelling, and most work trips made on foot, and with no budget for extravangances, Leila's carbon footprint is very modest. The family is very careful with electricity use, simply because of the cost. Food would be one of the biggest contributors to her environmental impact. Cooking is on an electric stove and in a microwave oven. While some houses in Cape Town have wood-burning fireplaces, most in the Bo-Kaap (including Leila's) do not.

Watching TV after work, and reading travel magazines. Now that her daughter is a teenager, Leila has a bit more free time than when her daughter was younger, but not much more. Anything that costs money is not an option anyway.

Blue.

Beyonce.

One on financial self-help by Suze Orman.

Apart from the TV, microwave oven, fridge and stove, there is not much technology at home. The "big" item is her cell phone, which she uses a lot. While most people her age do not use Mxit*, she has found - through her daughter, who also has a cell phone - that it's a useful way to keep in touch with work colleagues after hours.



*Mxit is a cell phone-based application that provides internet access and an extremely inexpensive way to send text messages to friends. It is far cheaper than normal cell phone text messaging.

The cell phone and the tv.

She is seeped in the religious values she grew up with, and feels a strong affinity for family life. She longs for a husband, and wants to have two more children.

Although she was brought up in a very religious environment, having a child out of wedlock has increased her sense of independence. She doesn't like to be dependent on others, but struggles to provide for both herself and her daughter. Nevertheless she has not separated herself from the religious background, and still feels uncomfortable with single parenthood.

Experience has given her a sense of confidence in her ability to manage with life's challenges, but she worries about her community's perceptions of her.

She is anticipating her daughter's final-year highschool dance and graduation. It will be a big change for Leila, and exciting for her daughter, and the dance is a big expense to plan for.

Her daughter and family.

Confident, independent, caring, self-sacrificing, tired (needs a break).

Allah, family and the belief that we reap what we sow.