Why I can’t find a job

A Krugersdorp beggar believes that since the News featured her in an article, she has been labelled as a sex worker and wants to set the record straight.

The News first met Eunice on a raid operation with police late in 2014 in a condemned house in Luipaard Street.

“Yes we live in a drug house,” said the exhausted street beggar as the News met up with her at McDonald’s in Krugersdorp for a milkshake.

She gave a sigh of relief as she took a sip of the ice-cold milkshake, and told how she has not had anything to drink for the day yet.

“It’s nice, unlike the hot water I keep in my bag when I stand at the traffic light.”

Eunice has reason to believe that the article in the News affected her ‘business’, as the community donates less and less every day.

“People can be so cruel; the traffic light is mean today. These days we are lucky if we make R40 a day,” she confessed.

Along with six others, Eunice and her husband share a room in a drug house located not far from the drug slums in Sivewright Street.

Interestingly enough she claimed each person pay R100 per week to live in this room.

And between the eight of them, they take turns to pay the prepaid water and electricity.

The News found it interesting as the owner of the house, believed to be a woman, receives R3 200 per month for the room alone.The house has four rooms and a back room, which is not bad for a house in the filth of Krugersdorp’s prostitution and drug hub. The other three rooms are occupied by Nigerian nationals.

After many years on the streets, Eunice admitted that she still felt ashamed when begging for money.

“Look at me, look at my face,” she responded when the News asked her what it felt like to beg every day of your life.

“No-one wants to give me money anymore, they curse at me and others want to sleep with me. I am not a sex worker.”

She claimed that many drivers passing her at the traffic lights have promised them work before, but then never return.

After many failed attempts to get employment, Eunice has given up; besides she doesn’t even have proper clothes to wear. She has three sets of clothes to her name.

A mistake she made over 25 years ago is still haunting her as it is one of the reasons she can not find work. She has a criminal record. Furthermore she refused to discuss the Nigerian nationals with whom they share the house.

“I do not want to know anything about their business.”

She did tell the News that some police members allegedly are on the payrolls of some of their ‘housemates’ and on the payrolls of the so-called ‘Lords of Drugtown’.

She told the News about a few of the Sivewright and Luipaard Street scandals, which will be revealed at a later stage.

She claimed her family had abandoned her, except her mother who drops off a bag of food every now and then.

She spoke about the abuse they suffer from the motorists who pass them daily; it varies from being shouted at, nearly being run over to even getting fake money.

The beggars also have agendas among themselves as they tend to fight over ‘working’ busy intersections, but as she said, “First come, first serve”.

Her greatest wish is to escape the claws of the slums, as it is holding them back.

“Every single person who stands at a traffic light and beg is dead already.” These words stuck as she looked at the news reporter with her sad eyes.