InterOuts

The Outsiders- Part 8(Who Are We?)

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Who are the Outsiders, the people who spend most and in many cases, all of their lives ‘living’ on the street? This ‘living’ includes sleeping, eating, washing especially clothing and blankets, partying and more, all the aspects of life most of us indulge in ‘indoors’, whatever that indoors comprises, a house, an apartment, a hovel, a caravan etc. In the series so far, we examined aspects of their daily lives, how they survive on charity, goodwill and handouts which they become adept at gathering. We followed the activities they indulged in to earn an income (often not quite ‘legal’) and the lengths they went to in order to ensure the daily crust. Their physical safety was a prime driving force behind many of their actions and associations with others (safety in numbers and fellow ‘outies’ who can be relied upon to understand) and how they had to compromise it most of the time because of the situations they were in. Their interaction with the forces of Law and Order were detailed since they were a highly visible class of people who did not fit into the mould of the ordinary citizens and so were easy to use, misuse and manipulate both for good so ensuring a peaceful and lawful society and bad, in order to make money and enact illegal operations. The constant need for verification by means of legal identity documentation and proof of residence which few possess which involved the authorities was accounted with all the good, bad and unsavoury aspects including lack of access to health services. On top of all this, the issue of racism and xenophobia was addressed as they are in the main foreign nationals who have come looking for a better life. The information contained in the series so far gives references to specific people but not their potted biographies, just their role and actions in whatever they were involved in. The why’s and wherefores of how they came to be living on the street were not related and if they were, then only obliquely.

To give a clearer and more coherent picture of the person living on the street, we will follow in a degree of detail, the lives of 10 people from different nations, races, backgrounds and education to provide a more comprehensive understanding of what led to them leaving home, their country and culture and placing themselves in a situation all of us would reject and move heaven and hell to avoid. The world is facing a critical problem in that the mass migration of people from economically unstable and poverty stricken nations, from war torn zones with no end in sight (some for decades), or those whose form of government borders on outright tyranny is now a veritable stream, no longer a trickle, and South Africa is a good example of how this affects the nation the migrants go to and how in return, they are affected by the response to their being there. The number of international migrants was ‘officially’ 281 million in 2020. Thus 3.6% of the world's population lived outside their country of birth according to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM). South Africa’s official migrant population is estimated at 2.9 million in 2020 but those on the ground contest this as the true figure is several times greater since it is the most industrialized economy in the region and the most attractive destination for people searching for better opportunities. Like most nations in Africa, it has the added benefit of porous borders whose immense length makes it veritably impossible to police without excessively large amounts of investment. The other unspoken reason for South Africa’s attractiveness for migrants is the unquestionable fact that the endemic corruption enables the illegal migrants to live openly as bribery will in almost all instances, remove the threat of arrest, imprisonment and finally deportation, something that hangs over every illegal migrants head in most parts of the world. All those depicted are people who face more than their fair share of trials and tribulations so in each case, I have used the name they give on the street to be known by though it must be said this is more for the ease of those employing them. Their true names are used with close friends, other nationals from the home country and the odd person who they trust. Street people hide their true identities most of the time though in many cases, their real identity is known by others and gossip being a vibrant and constant facet of the tactics needed to survive life on the street, when you are seen as one of them or at least not a threat but an ally, they drop some of their guard and recount their life stories (bits are always missing). The ‘bush’ telegraph, the exchange of information, the warnings of what lies ahead or is happening in a certain place, the advance notification of goods being moved or gaps in security at residences, offices, homes and commercial enterprises enables those who live on the street to semi-prepare and remain hopefully unscathed.

The first street person is Wendy whose real name is not that but a Kenyan name, which we will not publish for her protection. She grew up in rural Kenya and then fled in the early 2000’s when the tribe to which she belongs (the Kikuyu) was systematically eradicated from the areas where they were not the majority due to the politically motivated blind eye of the authorities. This happened after the government and President changed. The genocide did not stop in Kenya but was extended to other nations bordering Kenya where people fled to find refuge with the Kenyan ‘killer’ following and deliberately hunting them down (the ‘host’ nations of the refugees took this very badly but did little to prevent it). So she finally came via a very torturous route, to South Africa where a semblance of solace existed and the threat of imminent death was much less. She has worked illegally for many years and though keen to return to her homeland, is unable to do so because unless she goes to the cities and succeeds in being integrated enough to be overlooked and ignored, her rural home will be her death knell. She has 3 children, only one of which she sees, the other 2 being brought up by other people who do not permit contact as they adopted them and became the ‘legitimate parent’. All the children were a result of the need to survive, one born of a love that soured, one born of the necessity to ‘live’ with the father and so be ‘legal’ in the eyes of the people (not the law) and one because prostitution has downsides but enables a form of survival. Work has always been short term and low paid, and the emotional toll is very high, especially for a woman whose upbringing was traditional and who should have settled with her family (husband and children) long ago. Her use of alcohol and hard drugs other than marijuana (referred to as zol, weed or ganga in South Africa) is dependent on whether she is stable, as much as one can be living on the street, or struggling badly to just not starve. Though prostitution is still just possible (life has aged her fast), it most often means food and alcohol, not money, so work is the only way to earn. Domestic help, casual labour, short timed physical jobs or begging and standing and waiting is her average daily routine. She is in her mid-30’s and left school while still in Primary Education so her literacy rate is very low. She is however kind, caring and not immoral, she does not steal unless there really is no other choice once all other avenues have been exhausted over a long time period.

Kobus (a pseudonym) who at 48 years old was an Afrikaner, well-educated to Matric level and had worked as a Mechanic for a top German Car manufacturer and even went to Germany to become one of its very experienced and qualified operatives in its flagship centre. Always employed he soon married and had 3 children ( 2 grown up and one still in high school), a bond (mortgage), a car, reular holidays or what most people regard as a life. He discovered that none of the children were his, and he really adored them all and had ensured a good upbringing and education. Her lack of fidelity had been ‘overlooked’ several times in the marriage but being totally devastated this time, he gave his wife the House and everything else and hit the street and simultaneously, the bottle. Having tried all the drugs as he does everything very thoroughly and found that they were not for him (he still retains a semblance of self-control which he exercises by not fighting which given he’s big physically and quite capable is very telling), he found solace in Zorba, a nasty over sweet liquorish tasting white alcohol which has a definite kick (to talk to people you must be able to provide and partake in some cases, thankfully not all) and answered the call. He makes no bones about where he is at psychologically and emotionally preferring to state openly that he is an alcoholic and spending his day filling the need. This he does by begging on the traffic lights quite successfully and supplementing this by sheer casual physical labour (never reliable) and the odd bit of ‘planned’ washing ‘liberation’ (second hand clothes sell at any time of the month and bring instant cash). He’s had brushes with the Law but always gets a conditionally reduced sentence since he provides no danger to the public, apart from freeing them of their property. He moves from city to city, coastal areas to the mountains or inland and has seen more of the South African country than most of its inhabitants having gone everywhere he could. He stays for a while until the urge to move takes hold and then works his way by hitching a lift, walking, jumping on trains (dangerous and illegal) and sometimes persuading someone to pay a ticket by coach or bus for him by telling them a plausible ‘sob’ story. Will he continue this life as long as he can? Yes, is his answer, he is as he puts it, free of doubt and responsibility. Each day presents a fresh page for him to write on.

James is a Zimbabwean in his mid-20’s with no great education (he left school at 15) and little in the way of concrete skills though he learns fast and can do small pieces of handyman type work. If work comes up, he takes it but needing a more reliable income, he turned to collecting rubbish and recycling it and joined the ranks of the ‘malala pipes’, a term for those doing his type of work. He collects the rubbish from bins put out by householders, apartment blocks and businesses as well as on the street and then sells it on to the companies who derive their income from turning it over to be recycled in accordance with the legal requirements to reduce waste and protect the environment. The income is daily but he has to be up before 3 AM every day in order to find the waste before the competition does. He faces intense dislike from South Africans doing the same job who see him as a viable economic threat and has been attacked several times, receiving physical harm and losing his hard won haul of recyclable garbage. A heavy drinker, he indulges in Cough mixtures containing Ephedrine to give himself the energy and remain calm, supplementing this with many ‘energy drinks’ containing Guarana and Caffeine daily. Booze is for after work and though he eats, food is always secondary and more about providing filling rather than health. Food is mostly bought and produced in conditions that do not lend hygiene a helping hand so outbreaks of the ‘runs’ are common due to ideal conditions being present for bacteria. His physical state is poor but his youth carries him through though time will wreak havoc and he most probably has TB (Tuberculosis) but will not get himself checked (for fear of being arrested as he is illegally resident in South Africa not even trying to obtain permission to remain via a legitimate Asylum). He does not see any realistic alternative though he dreams of many and plays sports betting and the lottery every day, waiting for the golden goose to lay the egg. He will recount stories (urban myths) of Zimbabweans who won and went home with pockets full of money. Hope is there but based on castles in the air, renewed with new stories of success. He has been back home to Zimbabwe only once and though it is sporadic, sends money back to his family from time to time. He knows that his future in Zimbabwe is one of grinding poverty so South Africa is definitely the ‘promised land’. Unlike some Zimbabweans, he did not leave due to political, tribal enmities as he is from the majority Mashona tribe.

Sue is a mixed race South African of Indian and Coloured parents, very battered by life and an upbringing featuring, physical, emotional and sexual abuse from an early age and a constant background of violence fuelled by alcohol and drugs. Brought up by parents whose main concern was their own needs first and always living in temporary accommodation with periods on the street, she was well prepared for life on the street when she left home at 14 years of age. With little in the way of formal education though she can read and write, employment was an issue from day one so she has never relied on work in the normal sense to provide a living. Instead prostitution, theft, drug dealing (when she did not instantly consume the product herself) and all manner of illegal activities including providing information to the Police and Intelligence Service in return for money, goods and the good chance she would not be prosecuted or sent to prison when she is arrested ( it all depends on how ‘useful’ she is perceived to be by them). She has spent two terms in prison and regards it as a part of life, to be avoided when possible but a ‘holiday’ from her life when it is implemented by the Law and beyond her control. Because she has caught sexually transmitted diseases several times and her diet is extremely poor with the added factor of drugs and alcohol, her health is a constant worry and she is ageing fast which is instantly noticeable as she is only in her late 20’s? Seldom alone preferring to have a male partner to provide some protection, she goes from one abusive relationship to the next; never sure of how long the ‘stability’ will last. Her hope is to find a good man to settle down with and raise a family, but her means of attaining this are not based on any semblance of reality and there is little chance of this happening. The euphoria or calm induced by substance abuse has eradicated the ability to plan logically and implement this to fruition with time running out as it is very much an existential life with immediacy being the driving factor. She has no contact with her family including her siblings who all live in the Cape Province while she lives in Pretoria and is not dismayed by this at all on the surface, though she breaks down from time to time and admits she misses them. Presenting herself as hard as nails to the world, she will rescue a stray dog and provide for it or help someone else in real need at a cost to herself but this is sporadic and purely on the whim of the moment. Otherwise, her level of personal violence is beyond the normal scope and if not addressed, will most probably lead her into committing a very serious offence with the result being a lengthy prison term.

Frank is a big man physically, a gentle giant with very little in the way of grey matter who lives on the street but suffers little in the way of physical harassment or violence. However, being very ‘slow’ in comprehension, he is subject to continuous defrauding being underpaid for the physical work he does on a temporary basis, when and if it arises. He spends most of his day waiting patiently at a Traffic Light for work, being smart enough to choose a busy intersection to ensure a high volume of traffic and so increase his chance of getting work. Originally from Tanzania, he had a formal education but left at 14 years of age as it was already difficult for him to understand the lessons and concentration was not his forte. His upbringing was a normal family life in a rural area with little in the way of crime or the modern world to distract and influence him so he is very traditional in his attitudes, not easy to retain when you have to contend with life on the street. However, the family was big with 8 children and the land could not easily support them all, so leaving home and all he knew behind him was the only option. He sporadically will indulge in a few beers but not being a regular, seasoned drinker, gets drunk easily and sleeps it off. He has fathered a child which he supports as and when he is able and looks forward to the day when he can return home as an elder to be helped by his kin. Until then, like most of those surviving day to day with the promise of a fleeting respite somewhere ahead, he gambles daily on the football, spending modestly (for a gambler) and having won small amounts, which were large for him, on a few occasions, he has even sent money back home to the family in Tanzania. Without any form of documentation, it is unlikely he will obtain secure permanent work of any kind even though he is a very reliable person especially given where he lives. He does not move from his area much so the Authorities being aware of him, do not pay him any attention as he is neither criminally minded nor violent and he passes life as one of the ‘unseen’ people, visible but unaccounted for in any measure.

Eduardo is from Mozambique, not a man to engage in an argument with as his propensity for extreme violence is a result of living through the hell of the war in his home country and surviving on the street since. Mozambique suffered a protracted and very violent Civil War from 1977 to 1992. Having been forced to flee for his life and seeing his village decimated along with some members of his family just for refusing to follow one side or the other in the conflict, he then had to contend with discrimination from his fellow countrymen when he sought refuge in what he saw as safety in the city of Beira, on the coast. Leaving Beira, he went to Maputo the capital, but soon realised that subsistence was the only option due to the intense competition because of the sheer volume of people in the same situation economically. South Africa called and he answered. In his apparent late 40’s ( he is very cagy about his age, identity or any background details), he consumes alcohol in copious quantities and supplements this with hard drugs from amphetamines to heroin (called Thai in South Africa ) and Nyope, a nasty mix of heroin and other drugs and chemicals ranging from battery acid to cleaning detergents. He has indulged in many criminal acts and though seldom having much money, is most often still in possession of some hard cash (a feat in itself, something few street people can do). He openly boasts about thefts, housebreaking, shoplifting and the daylight robbery on the street he has committed and at one point in his career, he was even a temporary illegal gold mine worker or Zama Zama as they are known (he only lasted a few months until the savage regime spat him out). The illegal miners are exceptionally vicious and murder each other continuously as the lust for gold takes over which is ‘understandable’ given the fact that difficult, dangerous and unhealthy as the work is, the payoffs are huge and the workers can earn ZAR 10 thousand + per month when striking a seam or pocket in the disused and collapsing mines they work in (the controlling people clear upwards of 150 thousand ZAR a month = approximately 8,500 US Dollars, an immense amount in African nations for the average person). They also earn more from the gold they steal and can triple a month’s income very quickly. Reports of their activities abound in the news media as they even subject neighbourhoods to reigns of terror if the residents complain or try to hinder their activities by inflicting acts of vandalism, sabotage and physical assaults on the complainants and are known to willingly shoot the authorities if they can when a crackdown takes place. He wants to return home when he has enough to set himself up but due to his substance abuse, love of his version of the high life which consumes his money very fast, he never has the required amount and does not have the patience to build it slowly but surely, never saving for very long but giving in to the urge to spend right now.

There are many, many people living on the street, they all have a story to tell and often upon hearing it, the hard edges that surround them are softened with the understanding and compassion that ensues. These edges are put into place for self-protection or because of what they have suffered and often continue to endure. They survive as we all do but with the addition of other factors over and above their existence at street level. These though most often hidden and forced down so they can productively cope with life, are there in the background and provide some of the relevant reasons for their being in this position in the first place and why they remain there. It is far from easy for them to leave the street behind and complete the transition to what is accepted as a normal, average life because of all the obstacles in their paths, there because of the system they cannot access, and those they have placed themselves either as a coping or survival mechanism. Their plight is a burden we all carry, in one way or another even if we do not consciously address it as throughout our daily lives, it affects many aspects we are not always aware of. The problem of homelessness is one that will not go away and will need to resolve if society is to continue to grow, evolve and prosper as the sheer weight of this is now affecting all of these intertwined processes and will ultimately cause severe dysfunctionality if left to fester.