Cross border trading – our survival

They are Zimbabwean informal traders, women aged from 20 – 50, who have made the Park Station area their stronghold.

Their mission is simple. They ship their goods – ranging from hand-made baskets and pottery to brooms – into South Africa for sale. 

The proceeds are channelled into basic commodities such as food, toiletries, paraffin for both cooking and lighting purposes – unavailable in their crisis-ridden homeland.

“My husband is back home taking care of other ‘business’ as well as keeping watch of the children. Such a job I am doing better suits women. I make the baskets so I am the one who is supposed to sell them here,” says mother of three Elsie Mhano, panting under a load of an assortment of groceries intended for sale back home.

Whether informal trade suits women more than men might be open to debate but statistics favour her opinion. 

Studies in Zimbabwe have indicated that women make up more than 75 percent of the informal traders. Because of rising unemployment and a waning formal sector, a similar percentage of the population depends on this sector for survival.

Travelling between Zimbabwe and SA almost on a daily basis is not for the faint-hearted, as Gokwe-born Stella Ndhlovu (36), will testify. 

The women hardly sleep or rest. The NI highway, linking the two countries through a border post known as the busiest in Africa, is hugely accident-prone.

“The travelling routine is stressful and scary considering the number of accidents I have witnessed in this, my first year in the trade. Imagine travelling from Gokwe (in central Zimbabwe) to Johannesburg at least three times a week. 

“I hardly spend quality time with my children – but if I sit back, I will not be able to send them to school. We would also starve as the handicraft I sell here puts food on the table,” said the widowed mother-of-two, pointing to her miscellaneous of handmade pottery and reed baskets.

Among her fellow cross border traders, 18-year-old Bridgette Chadzingwa seems out of place and a bit perturbed by police on patrol at the station. 

While youngsters her age are in the twilight of their school years, she finds herself among elder women striving to feed their families. 

She joined the trade unwillingly after her parents could not send her to school for A levels, let alone afford to buy her clothes, toiletries and food.

Because of the dire need for accommodation while they are here, youngsters involved in cross border trade have been reported to be involved in prostitution.

“That is a lie. Most of us have relatives in Johannesburg. It is at their places where we put up while we are here,” she shoots back.

Besides reversing gender roles the crisis in Zimbabwe has boosted some businesses that have cashed in on the increased movement between the two countries.

The fact that cross border traders have upped their activities in recent months has enhanced the business of transporters plying the route, no wonder why the traders are called abelungu.

Marko Chivasa, who drives to thousands of kilometres to-and-from Jozi and Bulawayo almost daily, said the routine was killing, but money was rolling into the bus company’s coffers more than ever.

However, the fact that this has enhanced our business does not mean we are rejoicing over the situation back home. We pray that things improve soon,” said Chivasa, repeating what is a chorus among millions of Zimbabweans living in South Africa and others strewn all over the world.