The Soweto dad who earns a living by waiting in bank queues

7 Apr 2025

For 17 years, Brian Chauke from Chiawelo in Soweto has been unemployed, but instead of falling into despair, the father of two came up with an innovative yet solicitous way of feeding his family.

‘I was starving. I had nothing to feed myself or my family, and I asked myself how long I could sustain a life of begging mall patrons just for a few rands to buy some bread. The answer was simple: I had to quit [begging] immediately and instantly find a tenable alternative,” Chauke tells Daily Maverick.

Every weekday morning, Chauke has a bath and heads for either of the 3 Protea Gardens, Jabulani or Maponya malls where he found himself some work 17 years ago.

Chauke joins the queue at the ATMs, and when he gets to the front, he goes to the back of the queue to find a customer to sell his front position to, then he joins the queue at the back again until he reaches the front. He sells each spot for R20, but often accepts less as some people tell him they do not have loose change and end up giving him whatever they have.

In the 17 years that Chauke has been at his job, he said he has not stopped looking for work. On a very good day, Chauke takes home R300. On other days, he takes home R120 or less.

“In all three malls, my business is controlled by the number of cars in the parking bay. Many cars mean more people and more customers,” Chauke said.

Pensioners

Pensioners who are Capitec Bank customers at any of the three malls do not have to suffer in the queue at ATMs when Chauke is on shift. When he identifies frail pensioners and those who are struggling to walk, he offers them his spot at the front of the queue.

“I have seen many of them faint in the queue, and it’s always a sorry sight because of their age. Since then, I took it upon myself to offer them my spot... Some pensioners will then give me R5, which is okay,” said Chauke.

Most pensioners appreciate his services and even send him on errands at the malls, to which he politely obliges.

Chauke’s soft side and generosity quickly become evident during a conversation with him.

“Remember these gogos and mkhulus are our parents here in Soweto,” he says.

Capitec

On why he chose Capitec ATMs, Chauke said he noticed that Capitec catered for all classes and always had long queues at its ATMs.

“I guess my decision on Capitec was also influenced by the fact that I consider Capitec Bank as our traditional bank. As I said, I really like the fact that the bank caters for all social classes,” said Chauke.

When asked what influenced his decision on which mall to head for, Chauke said that over the years, he had mastered customer engagements at Capitec ATMs in all three malls.

“I am closer to the Protea Gardens mall, but I know when to be at Maponya, Jabulani and when I am in Protea Gardens,” he said.

Over the years, Chauke has cultivated good relationships with his clients, especially pensioners.

Unemployment

Chauke said he had been looking for work since his 20s and never had any luck. Unemployment was taking a toll on him and his family. They often went hungry.

Chauke is among millions of unemployed people who are actively searching for work. He says he does not get tired and continues to look for work.

“But since my Capitec initiative 17 years ago, most days I am now able to put food on the table,” said Chauke.

“When I did not find work, I had to find something really quickly, but I must add that doing what I do has not killed my passion for work. I am still searching for work, and until I find work, I will not leave what I am doing,” Chauke said.

Asked if he knew anyone else who did what he does, Chauke said not where he was based.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, South Africa’s unemployment rate stood at 31.9%, a minor decrease from the previous quarter’s 32.1%, according to Statistics South Africa.

Chauke has two children, aged 24 and 28. The rest of his family is scattered around Soweto, and none have been in a position to help him, despite his big heart. In fact, as a result of widespread unemployment, some of his cousins are in a similar situation.

“If I did not quit and find myself this little opportunity at Capitec, I risked being called a nyaope addict. All beggars are categorised as such, whether they smoke nyaope or not. I could not take that risk.”

Asked about their queues, the head of brand and communications at Capitec, Asha Patel, said, “We are aware of the long queues that can occur at our ATMs, particularly around paydays. As the bank with the largest ATM network in South Africa, with over 8,382 ATMs and [deposit and withdrawal non-cash terminals] nationwide, we are continually expanding to meet growing demand.

“In addition, we have standardised our ATM pricing across all banks, allowing Capitec clients to access over 30,000 ATMs nationwide for a flat fee of R10 per R1,000.” DM

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South Africa

Pensioners

Capitec

Unemployment