Long walk to the detention centreSOME African migrants forge across the Mediterranean in flimsy boats. Others take a somewhat less risky (and cheaper) journey, heading for the bright lights of South Africa. Unemployment may be a shocking 34% south of the Limpopo river, but there are still plenty of opportunities for those who are prepared to work hard.
Many migrants follow in the footsteps of their compatriots. Malawians and Mozambicans are often found tending lush suburban gardens. Somalis run tiny convenience stores, known as spaza shops, in black townships. Johannesburg’s “Little Addis” bustles with Ethiopian traders and the sound of Amharic. Congolese and Cameroonian vendors hawk cassava and plantains in Yeoville, another Johannesburg neighbourhood. Zimbabweans, who are typically better educated than their South African peers, can be found totting up company accounts, working as mining engineers or, failing that, waiting on tables. For many Africans, South Africa seems a stable, functional, prosperous place. It is also a potential stepping stone to the rest of the world.
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Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/219IbeH
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