Quick answer: Mukheristas are Mozambican informal cross-border traders, many of them women, who travel to South Africa (often Johannesburg or Durban) to buy goods such as clothes, food, cosmetics and electronics, then bring them back to sell in Maputo and other markets. The trade, known as mukhero, supplies affordable goods to Mozambique's informal economy and supports thousands of families.
How does mukhero work?
- Raise capital, usually from personal savings or a savings group like xitique.
- Travel to South Africa, by bus or shared transport, often crossing at the Ressano Garcia–Lebombo border on the way to Johannesburg.
- Buy goods that are cheaper or easier to find there.
- Bring them home and sell them directly, or supply market vendors in Maputo.
What do mukheristas buy?
A 2023 FinMark Trust study of traders in the South Africa–Mozambique corridor found women traders sell a wide range of goods, including bundles of second-hand clothing, cosmetics, electronics bought in Durban or ordered online, and food and agricultural products from cooperatives, farms and retailers (FinMark Trust, 2023). Women traders often sort, clean, repair and repackage goods before selling.
Why are so many traders women?
Cross-border trade needs little formal education and can fit around family duties. Across southern Africa, women make up a large share of informal cross-border traders, according to FinMark Trust. But women also face extra barriers: less capital, less access to bank accounts and greater safety risks on the road.
$25 plants a farmer's season in Zambézia.
Paid straight to the local seed shop. You get the receipt, a field photo and a harvest update.
A gift, not an investment. Not tax-deductible.
The challenges on the route
| Challenge | What it means |
|---|---|
| Safety and theft | Women often travel in pairs or pay for security |
| Bribes and confiscation | Traders who can't pay risk losing goods at the border |
| No credit | Most start with savings; banks rarely lend to them |
| Cash risk | Carrying cash is dangerous; digital payments may be monitored by the household head |
| Competition | Many traders and supermarkets sell similar goods |
Sources: FinMark Trust, 2023; Chikanda and Raimundo, 2017, a survey of 403 informal traders in seven Maputo markets.
Why mukheristas matter to Mozambique's economy
They supply affordable goods to markets, create jobs for vendors, porters and transporters, and spend money on both sides of the border. Researchers found that many began as street vendors and moved into cross-border trade as their businesses grew (Chikanda and Raimundo, 2017). Mukheristas have also organized into associations to represent their interests.
What would help
- Safer, simpler border procedures for small traders
- Access to credit and accounts that work for women
- Savings groups and mobile money to reduce cash risk
- Local supply: when Mozambican farmers produce more, traders can buy locally instead of crossing the border
Local food, local income
Every bag of produce grown in Mozambique is one less that has to be bought abroad. MBC helps smallholder farmers plant with good seed and fertilizer, paid to their local shop with the receipt sent to the sponsor. Sponsor a farmer from $25, or read Street Vendors in Africa.
Sponsorships are gifts, not investments, and are not tax-deductible.
Sources: FinMark Trust, Summary Report on Women Cross-Border Traders between South Africa and Mozambique (2023) · Chikanda and Raimundo, African Human Mobility Review (2017)