"When l first came to South Africa, my life was a complete mess. I would go for days without food or bathing and having a bed to sleep on was a luxury." I know most people have heard such stories about foreigners in South Africa. I met one such gentleman on my way to work yesterday. It was sad. He talked about hunger and of the terrible life he lived when he first came to South Africa.
He didn't know anyone to begin with. he had just hoped that this country would be a safe haven for him and hopefully his family would join him. He didn't have a home to sleep in, or to stay at. He had no money therefore food was a matter of whatever he could find. He would get piece jobs which sometimes he wouldn't be paid for and for some time he didn't have a stable income. I am talking about a qualified accountant here.
Life can be a challenge in a foreign land. And to be honest most South Africans are not so hospitable or charitable. This is understandable as there are too many robbers and burglars who disguise themselves. Today this man works as a security guard because he needs to support his family and be able to afford just the basics of living.
Yes, most people that come to South Africa run away from their countries because of various reasons and in Zimbabwe for some time it had been economical unrest. I say for a time because that time has passed. Gone is the economic hardship that saw millions of Zimbabweans flocking into South Africa both legally and illegally. The South African government already has a problem of unemployment without having to have foreigners making it even more difficult.
Should we therefore send them back to their countries? Do we blame foreigners for the lack of job opportunities in South Africa? Or maybe its our education system that keeps failing the people?
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