Women targeted en-route to City of Gold

From the frying pan into the fire – that best describes the predicament faced by a number of Zimbabwean girl children and women who think South Africa offers a better life. On the road to the City of Gold they face physical and sexual abuse.

This is particularly common at the Beitbridge border crossing. Informal cross border transport operators, also known as Malayishas and Amagumaguma, are the chief culprits behind the violations.

Amagumaguma are a network of men that help border jumpers, who would have been dropped by Malayishas before the Beitbridge border post, cross the border illegally into South Africa. This is because the average Zimbabwean cannot afford to fork out US$140 for a passport.

Children a target

Border jumpers are reconnected with their cars once they are outside the heavily patrolled area, some 20 kilometres from the border. During this four hour journey, the aggressive and gun totting Amagumaguma abuse them.

Prominent human rights activist, Ann Skelton, raised concern that children were increasingly becoming victims of sexual and physical abuse in the area. She was, in January, appointed as curator to a childrens centre connected to Johannesburg Central Methodist Church and is compiling a report on problems that unaccompanied children faced on their entry into South Africa.

There are significant threats to children caused by criminal gangs that operate in Musina, she said. These people offer immigrants assistance to enter into South Africa, but in the process they rob and sexually assault the foreigners. They target girls and young women in particular, Skelton told The Zimbabwean.

Rape victim, Irene Mhano (not her real name), 17, sobbed as she recounted her ordeal. There were seven of us attempting to cross to South Africa. Three men helped us and on our way, one of the men, whose sexual advances I had turned down, pulled me away from the rest of the group and accused me of disrespecting him. After some hassling and shoving, he overpowered me and threw me to the ground and raped me. He threatened to stab me if I screamed, she said.

Irene, who is struggling to settle in Johannesburg four months after the incident, has every reason to feel hopeless. South Africa has the worlds highest HIV/AIDS rates. Musina, where she was raped, is one of the towns hardest hit by the scourge.

Men suffer too

These abuses are not limited to females. Men are also targeted. Usually they are robbed of their belongings such as money and clothes. Another victim who requested anonymity recounted his ordeal. They do not care whether you are a man or a woman; the treatment is the same. All they are interested in is your money. A Malayisha told this newspaper that sexual abuse was widespread in the area.

Many customers have reported abuse at the hands of Amagumaguma. However, it is difficult to report this because they would be revealing themselves as illegal immigrants, he said. The Southern African Women Institute for Migratory Affairs (SAWIMA), a Johannesburg-based womens rights group, offers counselling services to victims of sexual abuse at border points.

It is disturbing. It is shameful and astonishing that men are taking advantage of women and children who are desperate to leave Zimbabwe, said an official. In some cases, these Malayishas are part of a well-connected system which involves rogue police officers.

Dont fear arrest

Nonetheless, police spokesperson Captain Lungelo Dlamini said such crimes were only part of a bigger problem, which is human trafficking. The malayishas and so-called amagumaguma are behind such illegal activities. We urge members of the public to come forward and assist us bring these culprits to book, he appealed. Victims should not fear arrest or being charged as according to new regulations, police cannot arrest undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa. They can only take them to a refugee centre.

A year after the formation of unity government in their country, Zimbabweans are still pouring into the neighbouring country, mostly illegally in search of greener pastures. Although border jumping has been a trend particularly linked to men, in the last decade during Zimbabwes political and economic woes, youngsters and women have joined in the trek.