I would like to clarify something with News24 readers about the so called foreign invasion they believe is taking place from across the Southern borders.
I often read hostile comments and jokes aimed against foreigners and it’s about time someone clarified the fact that we, like the average South Africans, are not cockroaches but desperate people just trying to survive.
We do not steal jobs, we work hard and are dedicated in whatever we do and that is why we get jobs. We are not passive people running away from our problems in order to become a burden on other nations.
I lived through a war, I had relatives terrorised during the land grabs and my life was threatened. Maybe I am a coward for running away and wanting to live, but that was a choice I made for the sake of my family. Would you rather I had died and not lived? Many white farmers migrated to South Africa from Zimbabwe in order to survive; no one regards that as a negative action, yet when a black woman flees her home by night in order to save her life its negative. They flew in by plane, had rescuers and businesses waiting to offer them a better life, I swam through crocodile infested waters, the thought of my hungry fatherless children was the only thing that got me through it.
I am not living a dream out here. I live in a shack, as opposed to my three bedroom brick house which I left at home; if I had a choice I would be there. I am a graduate with experience working in HR; out here I clean your homes without complaint. I pick up your condoms every morning, wash your stained underwear, and pick up your used tissues. I never complain.
A few years back, my home was burnt down due to xenophobic attacks, yet I am still here. Do you honestly think it’s because I love the scent of your stuffed bedroom in the morning? I’m just that desperate to survive. If I go back home, I die, if I stay here I die, but you all should have compassion and realise that we are not here on holiday and migration is not a new thing in Africa. You may never need us or our help in the future but please consider that like every single one of you, we are just men and women who just want to be. We are not here to harm anyone. We are just desperate enough to be here in spite of your hostility towards us.
If you knew how harsh the rapids across the borders are and how hungry those crocodiles are then maybe you would question why we take such risks. I left my home by night with nothing but the clothes on my back.
The majority of Zimbabweans are decent people. It’s sad that people cannot get beyond themselves and realise it’s not just about you. When I was growing up Zimbabwean farms and industry were filled with Malawian, Zambian and Mozambican workers. They were treated with great hospitality, offered government homes, given free education etc. We do not want the same hospitality from you, but just an extra inch of humanity.
I miss my babies; I hurt for them, growing up without their mother. I’m here for their sake. I’m just a respectable mother doing what a woman does to keep her kids alive. Mock me if you will, but don’t call me cockroach because you have no idea what it took for me to get here.
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Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.