Director: Zahra Moloo

Camera:?

Producer: IRIN Films

Duration: 8min 40sec

Date: February 2012

Blurb:

Out of Sight, explores the lives of blind undocumented migrants from Zimbabwe as they try and eke out a living begging on the streets of Johannesburg.

"Life was tough [in Zimbabwe] because of sanctions. There was no food, everything was complicated, no food, no cash," explains Elizabeth, a blind former school teacher. "A friend just told me they are going to South Africa. It's better when we beg there."

But it is a precarious existence for Elizabeth and her companions who share a room in one of the city's many dilapidated and abandoned buildings. After the danger and difficulty of crossing the border, they are confronted by xenophobia in South Africa, which often blames migrants for the country's stubbornly high rates of poverty and unemployment.

 In the aftermath of xenophobic violence, the South African government put in place a moratorium on deportations to Zimbabwe in 2009, enabling undocumented migrants to regularize their status. But none of the women in this film were able to take advantage of that dispensation. Deportations resumed in October 2011, and by February 2012, more than 10,000 undocumented migrants have been expelled to Zimbabwe, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Slates

An estimated 1.5 million Zimbabweans live in South Africa. Many fled there after economic hardship and political violence in their own country./

Millions of migrants in South Africa remain undocumented. Those living with disabilities are amongst the most vulnerable.

Rachel

Migrant from Zimbabwe

I came here in 2005./ There was hunger and there was no food, no clothes./ I came here to find some small money to support my children./ I don’t have a passport./ I’ve jumped the border./ There are many robbers in the bush./ The policeman and the soldiers, we meet them./ Others say “pass”, others say “go back”./ But we try by all means to come here./

Here to live, I beg to support myself./ I don’t have any work./ We don’t get a lot of money./ Sometimes we get 50 rand, 30 rand, 70 rand, 80 rand (US$ 3-10)./ Per week we might get 150, 180 (US$ 20)/ Thing’s are not good because we are going to stand at the robot (traffic light), sun, rain and winter./

Things were tough in Zimbabwe./ Here we are better because if I get this little money, I send it home.

Elizabeth

Rachel’s co-tenant

We are many in this building./ They sometimes call us to go to court let us know that it’s still supposed to be evicted./ I started living in this building since 2008 after the xenophobia violence./ I don’t really know what was happening, but what I know is when we came back/we just found people at the door of the building where we lived,/ attacking other people, taking our goods, even money, others was beaten./ We just heard that they were against foreigners./ At the time we came here, we used to pay rent and everything was paid,/electricity was paid for and the water was paid for./ But now, electricity is illegal./ I became blind when I was 5./ That was caused by the disease called measles./ Most of my duties, I need assistance/ especially here in South Africa/ I need to much assistance because the place is complicated./ Most of the people do not understand us./ It seems as if we are degraded people./ I can be stranded and when I want to get out,/ I can meet a  person there by the corridor./ I can ask which way to take, because I will not know him or her/ and he can just ignore.

Rachel

I did my primary and secondary education./ I did a secretarial course./ I also once taught  at a school./ Life was tough because of sanctions./ There was no food. Everything was complicated, no food no cash./ It was very difficult for me to take care of my family./ So a friend just told me they are going to South Africa./ It’s better when we beg there./ then I decided to join them./ That’s when I came here.

Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh

Lawyers for Human Rights

For migrants whose permit have expired and who are blind they would find themselves in an extremely vulnerable position. If there is a raid on that building the entire population of that building can be arrested and deported. Blind people in South Africa may access disability grants. There are special considerations given to them, in order to access those grants you need to be a citizen.

Rachel

I had an asylum permit, but it expired./ One and a half years ago, it expired./ They just talk, “we want to sent you back, we want to sent you back”/ It’s their country, we can’t do anything./ They know everything, they know things are tough in our home./ They know we are suffering in our country,/ but they said “just go back to your country”.

Slates

In may 2009, the South African government put in place a moratorium on deportations to Zimbabwe and a regularization process to legalize migrants./

The moratorium was lifted at the end of July 2011. Deportations resumed in October 2011./

And estimated 9,700 Zimbabweans were deported between October 2011 and February 2012.

THE END