The National Arts Festival is a great opportunity for Grahamstown youngsters to make extra cash for themselves during school holidays.

The National Arts Festival is a great opportunity for Grahamstown youngsters to make extra cash for themselves during school holidays.

Although the Festival period is rather short, just 11 days, it makes some difference to some of the city's young residents.

Eighteen-year-old Senazo Busani works as a car-guard. She's a Grade 11 pupil at Nombulelo High School and she says the Festival makes a big difference to her family. “The money I make helps me meet my mother half way, she said. She makes around makes R65 a day.

While many had benefited from the festival, said another local resident, Melikhaya Kilimi, in order for everyone to fully benefit there should be different people working the day shifts and the night shifts. In that way, it would be more fair because Festival jobs were limited.

Brotherwood Wewe, who has been working as a security guard during past Festivals, said car guards were a great help in reducing car theft. “They play an important role, Wewe said. At this point there has not been any car theft reported.

•The writers are part of the Future Journalist Programme (2012), a project of Highway Africa at the Rhodes University School of Journalism Media Studies.

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