Prosper had just turned 16-years-old when his father decided that the time had come for them to leave their home country and journey to South Africa. At first, he was upset at his dad’s decision as he was still in school, but a couple of days later the idea grew on him. He had heard that things were easy to get if you were a foreigner in South Africa. The prospect of an easier and better life in SA was all he was looking forward to.

“Get ready, be quick otherwise I’m leaving you behind,” Proper’s dad said to Prosper as they got ready to leave their Zimbabwean lifestyle behind and enter South Africa through the illegal forest route. They had packed in a hurry as if they were running away from something. Prosper never questioned his father, he knew his reputation; John was a strong and aggressive man. In their community, he was known as Bla Jonz.

The day for their departure came; they had packed their bags and made their way to the local taxi rank of their hometown, Midland Province (Gweru). The plan was that they would make the 12-hour journey by taxi to Bulawayo and then board a train from there to Beit Bridge. However, when they arrived in Bulawayo, no trains were running on that day.

While John was trying to figure out what to do next, Prosper was stressing. He knew that they had made it this far and he knew they didn’t have enough money for the bus to their next destination. He had been looking forward to maybe meeting the famous Casta Semenya and Simphiwe Tshabalala as those two athletes were the only reason he watched TV.

While sitting at the train station thinking of another plan, John and Prosper were approached by two men. One of the men introduced himself as Cliff. After talking to John for a while, Cliff said that he and his partner were also trying to get to Beit Bridge and suggested that they try and catch a lift from one of the trucks that were going that way. After some thought, John gave in, he thought of the money that he would be saving by not taking a taxi or bus.

As they waited for a truck to pass, there was a Malaysian man in a bakkie shouting, “25 dollars to Beit Bridge! If you’re headed that way, now is the time to climb aboard.”

It was just their luck. Prosper, his father, Cliff and his partner approached the Malaysian man and took him up on his offer. After an hour’s journey, the man pulled up at a Caltex garage in Beit Bridge to fill up with petrol. John seemed happy being back on track, he and the two other men were immersed in conversation the entire journey, all Prosper could think about was what possibilities awaited him in South Africa.

“Siyahamba manje yooo!” said the Malaysian. the four guys quickly hopped in and away they went.

Halfway through their journey, John noticed that the man transporting them was headed to the border and asked him to stop to let them off. They thanked the man and paid him the promised fair then they made their way towards the forest that separated the Bulawayo from Beit Bridge.

It was late afternoon when the four of them started trekking through the forest, to make things worse it started to rain. Prosper at this point, reminded his dad of the Limpopo River. “The river banks will be overflowing by the time we get there,” he said urgently.

His dad didn’t pay him any mind, instead, he said to their two companions, “Let’s move because it’s getting dark. It would be smart of us to avoid the police officials and soldiers patrolling the streets.”

The two men agreed with John and followed him into the forest. Although cold and shivering, Prosper had no choice but to follow the others. He straightened his heavy sports bag on his shoulders and walked directly after his father.

***

Tell us: Do you think it was safe for them to travel via the forest?