An informal settlement in the centre of Boom Street in Marabastad in Pretoria has become commonly known as \u201cLittle Zimbabwe\u201d on account of the number of Zimbabwean nationals living there, GroundUp reported.<\/p>\n
Most of the people living there are undocumented and because of this, they are unable to find work.<\/p>\n
Some live in shacks made from board and plastic which well-wishers have donated, while others live in shelters made of old plastic sheets and cloth.<\/p>\n
The conditions at the settlement are unhealthy because there are no toilets or taps for water.<\/p>\n
Clusters of rubbish are strewn across the settlement. There are puddles of stagnant water. Despite these conditions, residents here say they would rather live here than pay high rent elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Residents say metro police officers have regularly demolished their shacks but they rebuild soon after. Some of their homes were also destroyed in September during a wave of xenophobic attacks.<\/p>\n
The more than 10 Zimbabwean families who live in the informal settlement survive through waste picking, asking for money, or donations.<\/p>\n
They come from poor families in Zimbabwe and say they are better off in the informal settlement than at home.<\/p>\n
Augustine Armando, originally from Epworth in Harare, is blind. He came to South Africa in 2013 and lives off the change he is given. His wife, who still lives in Zimbabwe, is also blind. When he can, he sends money to her as well.<\/p>\n
He lives with his 10-year-old grandson Nesbert who helps him get around. Armando brought his grandson to South Africa a year ago in the hope of raising enough money to one day send him to school.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf only I can raise money for my grandson to go to school, but it seems impossible,\u201d says Armando.<\/p>\n
Manners Mdumeni, 40, is a waste picker who also relies on piecemeal jobs. He came to South Africa in 2010 from Kwekwe. He spends most of his time pushing trolleys around town looking for recycling material. He lives alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life is difficult because l live from hand to mouth. Coming to this informal settlement made life easier because l could not pay rent where I used to live,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Thomas Sithole, 29, from Mkoba in Gweru says he was orphaned at a young age. He came to South Africa in 2008 when the economic situation in Zimbabwe collapsed to even worse levels.<\/p>\n
To survive, Sithole says he learnt to hustle on the streets to survive, moving from sleeping on the street outside the Methodist Church in Johannesburg, to an old building in Pretoria from where he and others were later evicted. In 2011 he moved to Little Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live here because of suffering. We want to rent apartments like other people but we cannot afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sithole says he survives by buying and selling second-hand electrical goods and gadgets. He has a small stall opposite the settlement where he sells cables, cigarettes and sweets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to South Africa thinking that l would find greener pastures but things haven\u2019t been easy. Now l do what l can to survive. Going back to Zimbabwe is pointless as l come from a poor family and the unstable economic and political situation worsens things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Edward Magoche is also a waste picker. He was born at Renco Mine in Masvingo and came to South Africa seven years ago. He lives with his wife and two children. His wife helps by going around town asking for money and food. He says his family often goes to bed without having had anything to eat.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur government in Zimbabwe seems not to notice our suffering. If things were better we would go back home. People back home do not know how poor we are here in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An informal settlement in the centre of Boom Street in Marabastad in Pretoria has become commonly known as \u201cLittle Zimbabwe\u201d on account of the number of Zimbabwean nationals living there, GroundUp reported. Most of the people living there are undocumented and because of this, they are unable to find work. Some live in shacks made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":17005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[800,605,332],"class_list":{"0":"post-17003","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-government-of-zimbabwe","10":"tag-kwekwe","11":"tag-south-africa"},"yoast_head":"\n