Lonehill’s jobseekers seek a little compassion
Despite repeated removals by the JMPD, a small group of jobseekers continue to return to Sunrise Boulevard in Lonehill. Without work permits and unable to access formal employment, they say they have no choice but to keep trying.
Just last week, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers once again descended on the familiar stretch of Sunrise Boulevard in Lonehill, removing a group of jobseekers who have become a regular sight at the intersection.
The move, though in line with municipal by-laws that prohibit informal jobseeking on roadsides, has stirred a deeper, more complex story. One rarely told, not of defiance, but of desperation to provide for their families.
A group of five men, most originally from Zimbabwe, gather at the road each day, not for trouble, but for hope, carrying toolboxes, placards that say ‘electrician available’ or ‘builder looking for work’, and the weight of their pasts and futures alike.
One of them, who agreed to speak on behalf of the group, is Godfrey Moyo. He’s been standing at this very intersection since 2006. For nearly two decades, this road has been his link to survival.
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“We came to South Africa for greener pastures,” Moyo said, “to support our families because it’s very hard in Zimbabwe. If things were better back home, we wouldn’t leave.”
All five men requested to remain anonymous, except Moyo, who gave permission to be named as a representative.
Their fear is not just of police, but of being seen, judged, or misunderstood in the name of survival.
Moyo and his peers said they hold valid passports but no work permits, an omission that has kept them on the fringes of formal employment.
He said, it’s not that they don’t want the papers, they said they simply cannot afford them. “It’s my wish that I can get the work permit, but I don’t have the money. For me to even get the passport, I had to make means, I had to work extra hard. It is also expensive. A passport is about R3 500 in Zimbabwe, compared to South Africa where it is just around R500.”
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Their presence at the intersection has long sparked complaints from nearby residents and businesses, but, for the men, it’s not about being defiant; it’s about surviving.
“When the Metro Police come, they take our tools. That’s what hurts us. We don’t even get a receipt or a way to get them back. To buy a drill or a hammer takes money. Now, we sit here with nothing.”
He admits that some days they sit in fear. The recent JMPD operation was chaotic Moyo said. “Everyone ran in different directions, trying to escape arrest, or having what little they have taken from them. We were just trying to make an honest living.”
When asked why they don’t try applying for jobs online, or by submitting CVs, Moyo said it’s not that simple. “Where do I even send a CV? Who’s going to hire someone without papers? That’s why we stand here. This is our only way.”
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Moyo, and the others, say they are not asking for handouts, only compassion. “We are human beings too. We’re not here to cause trouble. We’re just trying to feed our families.”
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