Republic of South Africa: Pseudo Heaven

At age 14, I opened my eyes and all I wanted to see was South Africa a country portrayed as a small heaven in my area of Origin.

I was a good example of other 2 million teenagers and youths who wanted to see and be in this small paradise called South Africa.

When people who have been there before explained and described the country to us, we would visualize it. I for one that can be multiplied by 2 million thought that in South Africa they was no dust, no noise, no violence, no poverty and definitely no corruption. I thought everyone had automatic riches as the bible states that everyone in heaven is rich.

Not only did I take the words of those that have been there, I listened and watched music videos and sopies believe me you they confirmed everything we had heard from people. Seeing those musicians and actors with big tummies, driving expensive cars, staying in mansions and with a lot of beautiful ladies around them only triggered the longing of stepping into the Heaven Nation.

As time progressed in my nation heavily engulfed with poverty, crime, unemployment and HIV/AIDs youths were flocking in to South Africa. Unfortunately I was doing too good at school to drop out and go to be rich in the mini heaven. The dynamic divisive dynamite amongst many of us was the thought which led to a precision that why should we go to school so that we get education and then get a lucrative job when we can go to South Africa were every is rich irregardless of academic achievement.

The economic and political situation gigantically grew negatively skewed in my country. The life expectancy of those who had freedom of thought and expression like myself became very acute, something like 3 days was the maximum life time from the time of expressing one's counter anti-productive government views.

At this time everybody in my country was a millionaire but what was amazing is that $ 10 million was not enough to buy bread.

All this led to my relocation to the mini heaven. I was expecting to be rich the moment I arrive there. I told my friends I would send them gifts every month when I get to South Africa.

I was welcomed by nice fuel stations, cars and shopping malls soon after the border. My heard was buzzing with beez of Joy. Having traveled approximately 500 kilometers after crossing the border I was very tired all I wanted was to sleep of which I did. The next morning I woke up in the 17th floor of a flat in Hilbrow. It was like a dream come true because in my country the tallest building is 17 floors tall and very few have access to it.

I felt very safe there because I knew that I can now express my views boldly like a bull of Minors, say anything about my country's government and after that stay home, drink tea, have supper and peacefully sleep like a puppy until the next morning without fear of being accused of treason. Funny enough I was only 15 but I fully knew the consequences of bad mouthing the government. The mere mention of the president's name was reason enough for the police to investigate a person in my home land.

Although I felt safe I didn't understand why they were 3 beds in one sitting room until it was time to sleep. I noticed that about 6 different families were occupying a 3 roomed house. One guy came in with his girlfriend and they went straight to the balcony, at first I thought they were just chilling only to find out in the morning that they have a single bed were they slept. This flabbergasted me, non the less I maintained the positive spirit because my mother had told me that in a week we were relocating to Ivory Park.

I just loved sound of the words 'Ivory Park'. It sounded like an 'A' class low density suburb. This was because where I come from most of low density suburbs have english names and high density suburbs have african names.

Unfortunately things don't work that way in South Africa. When I arrived in Ivory Park I was received by multitudes of houses made out of metal worst. The stench from malfunctioning sewages, and dumps was just unjustifiable. Fortunate enough I was going to stay in a proper house but unfortunately it was surrounded by houses made of rusty zinc and metal refuse.

The next day I took a walk in the area, I was amused by the use of the Shona language there. Approximately 75% of the people I came across were Shona speaking. I got into a saloon to get my hair trimmed, the barbour was Zimbabwean, the Saloon owner was Nigerian, and the her stylist sounded like an Ethiopian "What a weird combination!" I said to myself.

Nigerians were owning almost all public phones and internet cafes around, while Ethiopians and Somalians owned most of the supermarkets in the area. Indians and Pakistanis owned gadgets repair shops. Very sadly on the parallel hand South Africans and Zimbabweans were employed by the above stated business community.

This saddened me a lot. That small paradise I thought of when I was in my home country (Zimbabwe) was actual a small hell. Native South Africans in Ivory Park were being dominated by foreigners.

Till today I view South Africa as the most unequal country in the world because all those I saw on TV when I was in Zimbabwe do exist and are living luxurious lives just not in Ivory Park.

That's how life is in the Social Democratic Republic of South Africa. The rich are extremely rich while the poor are extremely poor.

Besides being a writing fanatic Shephard Dube is the Director and Secretary General of Zimbabwe Students Alliance, currently studying LLB with University of South Africa.
You can contact him by email 49572571@mylife.unisa.ac.za