Yesturday I ventured out of my "safe-haven" aka Bryanston to the depths of Hillbrow to Home Affairs for the collection of my common-law visa...talk about a reality check in the worst way.
Venturing down the N1 with two of my boyfriends labourers in the back of the bucky we made our way down towards central Hillbrow, also known and the Central Business District. We first stopped at the Refugee center to drop off one of the labourers, a Zimbawean looking for refugee status here in South Africa. There wasn't a single white person in sight...all you could see for kilometers was a line up of hopeful foreigners waiting not so patiently to get their stamp. Disappointed and frustrated our young friend knew he would have to come back in the morning and camp for a few days with everyone else. It was disturbing and sad to think of what these people are going through...no home from the Xenophobic attacks, no place to go except a line-up where hopefully they would be lucky to get the correct paperwork that allows them to stay.
Hopping back into the bucky we went to the other Home Affiars office where the more priviledged and wealthy get to go and stand in a smaller, less frustrating line under a roof. After an hour we discovered that the lawyer we payed a very ridiculous price to was not only overcharging us to stand in this line up, but the whole trip was pointless...the lawyer had to be there in order for me to collect my stamp. I left empty handed and very angry. I had to remind myself that I was lucky because: a) I had the money to pay someone to take care of my troubles and b) I didn't have to camp out in a line up because I had no home and no money and no country that wanted me.
Needless to say Hillbrow was an experience. Let's hope that the SA government decides to help these foreign individuals out that have no home because of the closure of refugee camps and the hate crimes they will find against them if they go back to their previous townships.
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