BOIPATONG – Year after year, steel scavengers in the Cape Gate, Boipatong, embark on what they term their ‘hustle,’ an unfaithful job that has claimed the lives of many.
These brave individuals, driven to the edge by the scourge of unemployment and poverty, take huge risks as they chase elusive livelihoods amidst the leftovers of the steel industry.
Last week, tragedy struck once again as a man lost his life while pursuing this dangerous path.
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This is after the deceased fell from a truck carrying leftover steel, a risk that has become all too familiar for those who engage in this dangerous occupation.
Sedibeng Ster had the opportunity to visit these resilient individuals, popularly known as steel scavengers, and engage in an exclusive interview with them to shed light on the harsh realities they face.
The steel scavengers, both young and old, spoke of their motivation to enter this risky line of work.
For them, it’s not a choice made lightly; it’s a desperate response to the overwhelming challenges posed by unemployment and poverty in their township.
As they climb onto trucks to offload waste steel, they are well aware of the risks that await them, but they see no alternative in a job market that has offered them nothing but closed doors.
“I have no matric and skill set, but a family to feed, bills to pay, and no job,” laments a 35-year-old man who refused to be named.
“This ‘hustle’ is our only way to survive. I make about R500 on a bad day and R1500 on a good day from climbing these trucks. This is the only job I know better and excel in,” he added.
The man’s sentiment is echoed by many of his peers who find themselves in similar dire straits.
Some of the men Ster Team spoke to, recounted tales of narrowly escaping injury, and sometimes death, as they strived to make ends meet.
“On many occasions I have cheated death while packing my sack with pieces of steel the big machines can’t gather. We wait for the trucks to go out of the scrap yard, then run after them for what we can take, which is left during the offloading of these trucks,” said another man who asked not to be named.
“We have seen a number of our brothers die in these streets. I won’t lie, we all live in fear each day that we may not return to our homes and feed our families. The thought of sleeping with an empty stomach leave us no option but to return to the streets and work for our bread. Our chosen profession leads us to the grave,” he said.
