Young man and wheelchair-bound uncle risk their lives every day just to survive
While authorities try to tell them to stop, Lawrence Bvudzijena, and his wheelchair-bound uncle, choose to take the risks by begging at the busy intersection to provide for themselves and their family.
Motorists travelling along Uranium Road in Fourways have grown used to seeing Lawrence Bvudzijena and his wheelchair-bound uncle Joseph Chimdaye at the intersection, begging from passing drivers.
Their presence has sparked concern, not rooted in hostility, but in safety.
Ward 94 councillor David Foley has, on several occasions, stopped to speak to Bvudzijena, urging him to move away from the busy road. Foley says his concern is twofold. On the one hand, he feels deep sympathy for the pair, particularly the uncle, who is confined to a wheelchair and exposed to fast-moving traffic.
On the other hand, he is bound by his responsibility to uphold municipal by-laws, which prohibit begging at intersections due to the risks involved. “It’s about safety. That road is extremely busy, and it only takes one distracted driver for something tragic to happen.”
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Despite repeated warnings and removals by authorities, Bvudzijena keeps returning.
On March 4, Fourways Review spoke to him to understand why, especially since Foley constantly tells him to stop because it is very risky. “I know it’s dangerous,” he said.
“Metro police tell us all the time to leave, but I don’t have any other way to make money.”
Bvudzijena, who is originally from Zimbabwe, said he lost his job a while ago. He supports children back home, while his uncle also has a child studying at a tertiary institution in Zimbabwe. “We wake up early and come here around 05:00. We stay the whole day. If people help us, we eat. If they don’t, we go hungry, but we must try.”
He confirmed that officers from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and the South African Police Service have removed them from the intersection several times. “I understand the law. I understand it is illegal, but when you have children who need to be provided for, what do you do?”
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and SAPS were approached for comment. We will publish it as soon as it is received.
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