Street charcoal trade continues to support families in Mozambique even as gas use grows

In the bustle of Benfica, Maputo, since 1991 Rute Manhiça has been turning sacks of charcoal into bread, schooling and a future for her four children, an effort that has allowed her to see some of them graduate, although the business is now under threat from gas. Amid the black dust covering the ground of the narrow street where four stalls sell charcoal in plastic sacks, in front of a busy road and surrounded by shacks and small businesses, Rute, 60, tells Lusa she began selling there after being invited by friends already working in the trade. Selling charcoal on the street, which remains a domestic energy source for the majority of the population, is just one of many activities feeding Mozambique’s informal economy, which, according to official estimates, employs more than 13 million people, from trade to agriculture, and accounts for more than a quarter of Mozambique’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

These figures mean little to Rute, who saw the street business 35 years ago as a way of feeding her family, symbolising Mozambican resilience in the face of hardship. My husband worked, but he earned little,” she says, recalling the difficulties she faced in starting the trade due to a lack of money. Every day, Rute opens her stall at 07:30 and only packs away the sacks of charcoal at 19:00, when the day already weighs heavily on her hands and body, in a routine repeated daily since 1991, always marked by early starts, long hours in the street’s bustle, and the quiet endurance of someone who has turned the passing of time into a daily commitment to family survival.

After her husband’s death, Rute became responsible for supporting the family, and the small business became the sole foundation for her children’s survival, ensuring daily food and, over time, enabling investment in education and improved living conditions. “When my husband passed away in 2001, I was able to send my children to school. They studied, some even earned doctorates,” she says.

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Despite low earnings and the many times she has considered giving up, she recalls the past with a nostalgic expression, when the product was linked to her greatest achievements. “What I did here with charcoal that was most important was building part of my house, because it used to be a thatched house, but now it is a block house, although it is not big, and I also built a bathroom,” she says proudly. Speaking of these achievements, Rute acknowledges that the present no longer matches the past, at a time when daily effort does not always translate into sales or income.

“Now people don’t buy anymore. People have become modern; they have gas, they have electric stoves. Even here where I am, I haven’t even sold 300 meticais [about four euros] since I arrived this morning,” she laments, recalling that in the past she could make up to 2,000 meticais (26.8 euros) a day, while today she is grateful when she returns home with around 500 meticais (six euros).

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