Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 2 February 2015 | Page 54

BIG BIG
ISSUE ISSUE
!
!
54

The big issue magazine
Coming from England, I thought I
knew everything there was to know
about The Big Issue magazine, so,
when I was given my editorial brief
for this feature, I am now somewhat
embarrassed to admit that I was
not that thrilled! Having seen a great
number of sellers dotted around the
Cape Town CBD on my commute
to and from work, I appreciated
that the publication was doing a
sterling job in employing homeless
South Africans, but failed to see the
iconic element. How wrong I was.
For a start, the magazine does
not employ their sellers, corrects
Janna Joseph, editor of The Big
Issue South Africa. Instead, by

encouraging vendors to oversee
their own stock and manage clientfacing interactions independently,
this amateur entrepreneurship
opportunity equips vendors with
the knowledge and understanding
of the business of selling.
“The vendors are not employed
by The Big Issue and our goal
has never been to retain them,”
explains Janna. “Instead, we help
them become self-sufficient.”
Each vendor has an account set
up for them so that they can use
SnapScan, and the magazine even
subsidises créche facilities to help
mothers go to work. “Vendors
selling The Big Issue gain valuable

hands-on experience and a wideranging, transferable skillset that’s
beneficial in today’s workplace,”
says Janna. “Our aim is to help as
many vendors as possible realise
their true potential, beyond that of
just street selling. It’s about giving
them a hand up as opposed to a
handout.”
Unknown to the majority of drivers,
like me, a lot of behind-the-scenes
assistance is also offered in a bid
to prepare vendors to move on. An
in-house social worker organises
regular workshops, for example,
focussing on parenting and
other life skills, as well as providing
counselling sessions. Structured