Locusts infestation offers income opportunities

The recent storms have undoubtedly brought great destruction in some rural parts of the region, but the rain seems to have also brought something positive with it - as if to compensate for all the losses. Swarms of locusts that came with the rain now present a (temporary) income opportunity for unemployed locals to catch and sell them to protein lovers.

A group of men and women trek off to nearby bushes every day in search of grasshoppers, with the hope of selling them and earning a little cash, in order for them to buy household needs and put food on the table.

Rendani Madadzhe (32) of Sibasa is an unemployed mother of two.  She told Limpopo Mirror that, for the time being, she can provide her family with a proper meal, bought with the money she makes from selling locusts. “Of course, we know that the recent heavy rains brought misery to many families whose homes have been damaged,” she said. And yet, to unemployed people like herself, she firmly believes that the rains came to be a blessing from heaven.

“To put it right, God is good, and we are no longer broke. Now we can do some of the things ourselves, as we also sell these locusts,” she said. The little money they get from the children's grants only provide for their basic necessities. Without this extra income, she said, they cannot afford luxuries such as meat.

Ms Ntshengedzeni Makhesa (55) of Vhufuli village near Thohoyandou is a single mother of four. She harvests about two kilograms of fresh locusts on a good day to take home. “This is enough for my family and neighbours,” she said. According to her, locusts are very tasty and healthy, as they do not have a lot of fat.

The nutritional value of locusts is well known to dieticians and health experts. The protein content in grasshoppers is close to that of a similar-sized serving of chicken breast, but with a bit more fat.

Date:21 March 2021

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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