As a young boy, just like any other normal young boy, I had my dreams; dreams of ruling the world, my own hopes, my own wishes, a map to my destiny. A Fantasy land is all that it has all proved to be.
Could it be a bed of my own making? Could it be the will of the Almighty? Or is it just an unfortunate scenario resulting from the unpleasant nature of humankind?
Life got so unbearable: starvation, disease, unemployment, human rights abuses and repression. The list is endless. All the investment that I made in my education proved to be useless.
I was left with only one choice – finding an exit point. With exit points so limited I was compelled to adhere to the look south policy. The welcome was not as pleasant as I anticipated. Life was not as easy as I assumed, but determination proved to be the only way to survive.
Getting a job proved to be a Herculean task. With so many people flocking into the southern nation and an increase in the South African population, job opportunities were shrinking rapidly.
It was a recurrence of the bad old days. Sleepless nights and it was even more severe this time. The thought of my poverty- stricken parents and my siblings who were all looking to me for survival made life unbearable. Only optimism kept my body and soul intact. By the grace of God I managed to secure a job that at least enabled me to offer a life support system to my ailing family.
The struggle, however, continues. Xenophobic attacks, mockery and the insecurity and uncertainty of not knowing what the South African Home Affairs has in store for us.
The road is so bumpy, thorny and painful. This makes me wonder why our leaders cannot be civilised and democratic. We truly value the effort that they put into liberating our nation and deeply appreciate the agony they endured, but be that as it may, they also have a moral obligation to ensure that we have a future. – BONIFACE MANJEYA, Cape Town
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