Of Zimbabweans in South Africa and Drugs

South Africa is arguably the continent’s land of opportunities just as the United States of America is to the western world. The “American Dream” is the constant lure for millions who trek across the great Atlantic; South Africa has since the days of the gold rush otherwise known as “wenela” been the answered dream for many a Zimbabwean.

Not many people really wanted to go to South Africa but the sight of that boy who flunked his O’Levels and went eGoli / kuJoni coming back after a year driving a white BMW with tinted windows playing traditional Zulu music or Di gong (now known as Kwaito music), produced a compelling itch among local boys and it drove them to cross over into South Africa.

On getting to Joburg some were fortunate enough to get jobs while others were not so fortunate but what they both have in common is the knowledge that life here is not a bed of roses.

It dawned and is now obvious to many here that that boy who had flunked his O’ Levels but came driving a top of the range car was a criminal whose life is weaved by guns and ammunition, illicit deals, drug peddling and extortion. He is the same fellow who is selling them drugs and behind him is a thicket of Nigerians who are the source of these drugs

In their pursuit for a better life they both began indulging in drugs with those who are without a constant source of income using drugs as a form of escapism while those with jobs turned to drugs firstly on experimental basis before using them to jump start their over worked bodies.

Because jobs do not pay much, people are either on two jobs or they work double or long shifts so as to maximize earnings. To keep the body alert and functioning one naturally takes performance enhancing soft drinks like Red Bull and Energade but for many the body got used to these orthodox ways of boosting alertness and they now needed substances of a higher grade; and that’s how the story of their drug addiction begins.

Like all vices, drugs are an expensive addiction that gobbles one’s savings, wipes clean even your next salary before you even receive it; gets you into serious debts and in the process your friends become few because no one still wants to borrow you money as you do not pay them back.

The pathetic sorry sight of a drug addict shows how ruthless drug peddlers are and how vulnerable desperate Zimbabweans are. For me the drug issue comes as a personal testimony as a child hood friend is now living like a vagabond right here in Joburg.
My friend, Mugowe Hamadziripi (not his real name) came to South Africa in 2006 and the Heavens smiled on him as he quickly got a job at a restaurant in Rosebank Mall - an affluent and up market mall that has one of Joburg’s most expensive pubs and night clubs.

Because Zimbabweans are witty and hard working, Mugowe, who had no professional qualification when he left home, quickly rose through the ranks to become a manager with just eight months of employment. It goes without saying that his salary was hefty.

Below is a copy the email he sent me one day on his way to work. Please note that at this time in Zimbabwe we were not yet able to surf the internet on our mobile phones, so I saw his email later in the week when I had gone to the internet cafe.

“I got a baby daughter Anesu...i got the $ thebe talk
2Thoks & givim ma numbers ilsend the $ on 1 condition
jus kip it 2yoself pple there r al xpectin $ from me? U
can cum 2me eJozi wena lo Nduna.Im mailin u on ma way 2work using
ma-4ne.”

But from the day he got hooked to drugs, his world crumbled like a deck of cards. He had built a little heaven for himself, his girlfriend and their daughter but His girlfriend moved out with their daughter and went to stay with her mother. She could not stomach his base actions anymore: he was no longer paying rent and bills; the table no longer had adequate food; he was no longer sleeping at home; he was no violent; he was no longer sending money and groceries back home in Bulawayo.

He hit a new nadir when he was fired from his job because his cocaine addiction was now affecting his performances at work.

Drugs have become a serious cause of concern here with the Devil clearly being out witted by men. There are many forms of drugs now with the latest craze being a drug called Whoonga, a backyard drug popular in the slums.

The main ingredient of Whoonga is ARVs or AIDS medication. Other substances in the drug concoction include rat poison and soap powder. The drug is distributed as a fine white powder which is added to marijuana or tobacco. This mixture is smoked and the result is said to be one of the most lethal drugs in the world.
The drug is now being referred to as the cruellest drug of south Africa slums; it’s highly addictive, even after only one hit, and leads to violent side-effects such as anxiety, aggression, stomach cramps, slowing down of the heart rate and lungs. If taken in overdose, heart and lung function reduction becomes fatal.