Thug Life – Life of a hustler and survivor (extracts from my Book SA Chapter)

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." - Psalm 23:4

Welcome Azania, my entry in rainbow nation was unplanned and a spontaneous decision I made out of frustrations of unemployment, and living on hand-outs from my cousins and brother. I felt like I was being punished for having left my job in government as I struggled to find a job in the private sector because of a lack of qualifications, though I had more than 5 years’ experience working for government.  Sadly during our time there was nothing such as career advice to help young people decide on their career paths, it was all a matter of who you knew(probably still the case)as most large private companies were largely in the hands and control of the white minority management who were at the time in control of Zimbabwe’s economy.

Though my dad was a very prominent individual in society and probably capable of asking the many progressive people in society to assist, I cannot blame him for my failure to secure any type of employment in Zimbabwe at the time, as the decision to leave government was mine and not his. Regardless he however was a very principled man who during his entire career perhaps because of his religious beliefs maintained a strict path in terms of staying within the confines of the Zimbabwean law. I know many may at this point want to question that argument but I would prefer to view any negative allegations that followed in his career as those based on his private and personal life rather than his actual service to the nation.

Anyway back to Mzansi, I had illegally borrowed by brother’s car, my cousins friends money, my other cousins Hi-Fi stereo and I was at the same time avoiding a police enquiry by Bulawayo police regarding an imported car from South Africa a friend of mine had asked me to help sell through the assistance of another cousin relative based in Bulawayo. So in other words unemployment and the desperate need to try and make a quick buck may have unconsciously linked me to a controversial car sale deal that had probably gone wrong. Anyway young as I was I could not imagine my young life coming to an end because of some controversial car deal especially knowing how the police in Zimbabwe treated such enquiries having been a policeman myself at some point.

My arrival in South Africa was a whole new experience as the symptoms of apartheid were still visible especially between the Beitbridge border and Petersburg, also considering I was driving a Zimbabwean registered vehicle as a young black male. I had been tipped off whilst in Zimbabwe by friends who had travelled to South Africa that one had to try keep some ten rand notes just in case they were stopped by South African Police. I think if you find yourself driving during daylight and not getting stopped then you are certainly blessed as that rarely happens with foreign registrations not sure what it’s like these days.

Johannesburg, Hillbrow and Berea were to become my first places of residence and induction into the crime infested and gangster world. To live in those areas at the time(early 90's) you had to learn how to live amongst criminals, in fact when I look back it would be unfair if I termed it a criminal society but rather a society using whatever means to survive and live an equally decent life in the face of the discrimination that existed within its institutions and economy that had very high unemployment due to remnants of the apartheid system laws. I made friends with different types of 'criminal professions', those who woke up in the morning to go and work on fraudulent schemes, robberies, carjacking specialist, drug dealers, Nigerian money makers ‘wash- wash’ experts, con artists commonly known as ‘botch’ dressed in business attire to the night stalker’s who used knives and guns to rob people in dark streets to professional prostitutes who all became part of my family of friends.

Don’t get me wrong, I did have some working friends too, of all races but in spite of all this negativity, the this sudden change of environment made me feel independent as no one actually knew my background, who I was and where I was coming from. For the first time in my life I felt free and independent, I felt a sense of belonging because behind all those criminal minds and deeds there was always a lot of love and caring for each other, it was rare that one could go to sleep without a meal as this circle of illegal professionals always provided. There were barbeque spot’s where the money maker’s would go celebrate their days earnings, somewhat it became normal for them to buy a lot of food as they knew there were always new comers to the trade, I guess it was also a platform where they could identify potential talent for their ranks, and one had to learn to be street wise in order to survive in such a complex criminal environment. Money made was shared in its own unique way, it was a form of independent governance with the tax being payment to the law enforcement agents in form of bribes and land lords rent.

Social life was a pretty dangerous experience especially if you were a new kid on the block, there were rules to be adhered to when in clubs or simple walking the streets, the most important one knowing who not to flirt with and not to stand next to anyone you don’t know, because that could be your last experience of life. There were gangs that went to the club just to start fights just to look for an excuse of beating someone up, then there were the untouchable’s, the ring leaders and night club owners who in most cases had peddled drugs to acquire most night spots. Those normally had a pool of girls working for them and sometimes their own personal favourites amongst those serving drinks, so again flirting with bar ladies or waiter’s was asking for a death sentence as it was a viewed as a sign of disrespect. You had to get permission and approval through the right channels. Then there was the false accusers who would tell you that you stepped on their toe and seek immediate compensation in the form of drinks for their crew, this was all a tactic to try and identify target victims for mugging outside the club, so one really needed to move around as part of a crew else you would end up a victim every time you went out for a night. Of course there were other forms of social entertainment like ‘bashes’ at Universities, Technikon’s and sometimes by the local parks where people came together for music concerts and barbecue’s.

Anyway my very first job (illegal work) was selling mathematics sets on commission for high school students; it was illegal because I did not have a work or resident permit but just a temporal 6 month entry visa. Having a car made it pretty easy for me to get jobs without too much worry, but most of the jobs were basic salary based on commission. When you are young you do not know how difficult it is to meet the sales targets to meet the requirements for a basic salary, and at the same time you take jobs without calculating the cost of fuel, by the time you realise what a rip of the sales job was you would have actually only worked for your fuel money as the basic in most cases is impossible to reach.

My migration to South Africa meant my family back home would not know where I was unless I communicated with them, I actually left without telling anyone and no one had an idea where I was and how I was where ever I was. Soon my temporal import visa for the car would expire and I would either seek an extension or have to return the car back home, in any case the car also required a tax disc so I had to start looking at making peace with those I had left without notice. As I was unsure about what would happen if I returned to Zimbabwe, I decided not to return and arranged for one of my cousins to travel to South Africa to come fetch the car. Life without a car meant opportunities for employment were drastically reduced as I also did not have legal paper’s to be employed by more reputable companies, and guess who came to the rescue? My criminally minded friends and a few others who were on low income jobs became my immediate family. This obviously also put pressure on me to be seen as making an effort to be also actively seeking a source of income, life became highly risky and daring as I was gradually being drawn more and more into a life supported by crime. I had to make some serious choices on where I wanted to be and that meant always having a plan B which in most cases was high risk activity.

“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take a calculated risk – and to act.” ~ Andre Malraux