The 1992 film Sarafina framed this land in a specific way.
Whoopi Goldeberg’s character said South Africa was just a place for a Pepsi and a bit of sun for settlers on the way to the known world – it was little more than a pit stop.
Perhaps post-1994 South Africa was partially built on this premise.
This becomes evident especially when listening to the stories of the community living at Malatjilie, on the edges of Lanseria International Airport.
The informal settlement was built 15 years ago to provide a home for workers at the airport, and it has thrived due to employment opportunities at nearby farms, estates and businesses that need temporary day workers.
A community leader, who did not want to be named, said this was one of the reasons so many immigrants also made their home at Malatjilie. He estimated that up to 50 percent of residents were illegal immigrants.
One young man, who also did not want to be named, divulged that he was living in the settlement for free, biding his time to get a South African passport to join family and friends in England.
Living for free meant that he had the opportunity to save money for the trek to another continent, yet he admitted that he was unemployed. He stays with a group in a shack. A friend of the man also admitted to being in South Africa illegally.
He, however, aimed to stay here, saying work was more bountiful in South Africa, especially in Gauteng.
He admitted that foreigners face lynching from locals, due to them being employed over South Africans at times, but said poverty here comes with the possibility of earning some money on the side.
The settlement at Malatjilie could be seen as a pit-stop, because it is built on private land.
There can be no disputes over land ownership between different nationalities, as all who live here do so in contravention to the law. Add to that the difficulty of receiving South African citizenship it’s no wonder the small settlement houses so many foreigners.
The Department of Home Affairs has admitted that there are problems in the system, especially in areas like Malatjilie.
On 1 November Home Affairs Minister Naldedi Pandor said, “We are working hard to improve the calibre of our staff so that we manage the immigration functions competently; it is a complex area of work but we are convinced that it has immense strategic opportunities for South African development.”
