The Sunday News
Nobuhle Virgie
JOHANNESBURG is said to be the “City of gold”. And I guess it’s true in some way because I believe with the right network, depending on who you know, you get so many opportunities and can indeed go far. Unfortunately it’s not the same case especially where migrant women like me are concerned.
Because of economic reasons most Zimbabwean women do not have passports, therefore their problems start on their journey to this country (South Africa). Not having valid papers forces them to cross the crocodile infested Limpopo river. It doesn’t end there. There are a lot of dangerous things that could happen as they try to cross the border on foot, the bushes are full of deadly animals and also notorious thugs (amagumaguma) who are known for raping women and sometimes even murdering them.
That is why it’s always a relief as a woman going through that journey and making it to the other side without any tragedy befalling you. When you finally make it to Jo’burg you find ways to make a living, try to find a job or look for other options to sustain yourself.
It’s not easy like someone once said “Rent in Jo’burg can make you consider evicting a monkey from arboretum and moving into their tree,” thus a lot of Zimbabwean women find themselves in desperate situations like moving in with their boyfriends because of financial reasons. Some are forced to be sex workers and some opt to work under very difficult conditions and are even subjected to ill-treatment and even worse, exploitation.
But I also can’t dismiss the fact that there are fortunate women who get to find good jobs and some even start running their own businesses and flourish in this country.
For some of us, daily we are reminded that we are not welcome in this country. The health system doesn’t seem to favour migrants and it’s even worse in maternity clinics/ wards where migrant women are ill-treated and sometimes even turned away simply because of where they come from.
Most of us work as domestic workers and it’s sad that people working in that sector especially migrant women are usually taken advantage of and mistreated, some are underpaid and some work awkward hours. Unfortunately most employers get away with it and continue to exploit vulnerable undocumented women knowing they can never be reported to labour authorities.
It would take me the whole day to explain the dark side of living in this country, but then again there is a good side. There are a lot of migrants from different countries, therefore we get to mingle and also get to learn about each other and the diversity of our cultures and religions.
Although inflation is now a bit high, food and other commodities can be very affordable and if you are lucky you can get the best health service ever as there are so many specialists and health facilities in most hospitals are up to standard.
But I believe I am not the only one who misses home. So many things that happen in these streets make me miss home even more, especially the high crime rate. Crime is so bad here that it has been estimated that in every 30 seconds a woman is raped.
Cash heists right in the middle of busy streets can make you long for the peaceful streets of our country. Surely there is no place like home!
