Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa

1
Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
This is our selling spot, we use wheelbarrows to
carry our stock to the storage room of my
umlungu(boss).
2
These are some of my friends. They take time to
count their earning when there are not enough
customers. I sell eggs and airtime for cell
phones. I pay the money to my boss and he pays me
a wage every time and on time.
Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
3
This boy has to move around to sell his stock,
but I have a stall, he says he is 10 years old.
There so many children at Naas. Most have to work
for food and shelter like me.
Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
4
When they send me to buy stock I sometimes take
time at this shop to watch TV.
Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
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Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
This is the kind of police car that arrested us
when we came from Mozambique. After we were
arrested at Belfast we were taken into the police
cell before they deported us back to Mozambique.
6
This is what I eat during lunch, I enjoy bread
and soup and share the cost with my friends.
Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
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Carlos, 16, Naas, South Africa
Make (Mistress) Mahlalela with her child
sometimes lends us money to buy clothes and food
in difficult times. There are so many women here
like make Mahlalela.
8
Me outside the room that I rent. It is at the
back of a yard. This is my friend she sleeps
with the truck drivers
Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
9
I asked a friend to take a picture of me as I was
cleaning. My job is cleaning in this house. It is
a three-room house. I also do washing. I work
from morning till late.
Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
10
This is my sister, she is a friend but I call her
my sister because she helps me even when I need
something. She even helps me to pay the rent.
Sometimes she gives me food. We always help each
other as Zimbabweans.
Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
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Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
These are policemen that I took a photo of. Being
arrested is a big problem. Sometimes they arrest
you because you do not have any papers. They take
you to a camp where there are soldiers. We sleep
there, they give us dirty food and when we are
many they deport us back to Zimbabwe.
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Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
This is the wire we cross through at the border.
We cross in a group because it is safer.
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Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
Some girls cross the border by coming with truck
drivers. Some girls here in Musina sleep with
truck drivers for money.
14
This is a sack of rice. I bought it with my first
salary. It cost me R30. I sent it home to my
family
Kuda, 17 Musina, South Africa
15
I crossed the border with this friend. He is
sitting. He works for the man who sells muti
herbs to help when you are sick. I have three
friends where I am staying, we are working at the
same place and find time to play together. One is
selling maize and one is selling eggs and
steelwool, two are from Mozambique and one is
from here. We play pool table, and soccer and
anything we can. We get along grand, no problems
whatsoever.
Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
16
When we came from Mozambique, we used to sleep
here before we found jobs. We had to wake up
early in the morning for people not to see us. We
struggled to find a job so had to sleep here for
some time. Now we sleep at the house of my boss.
Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
17
This is my bosss house. We help with the
cleaning in the house and yard and only allowed
to play inside.
Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
18
My friend left for Mozambique after he had worked
here selling barbeque chicken, when I had money I
used to buy from him.
Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
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Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
When I was sick I used some herbs to help me get
better
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Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
This young girl is a cousin and lives with my
aunt she says she enjoys traveling during school
holidays. So she comes here from Mozambique. She
sells face cloths and sometimes I ask her to look
after my stock behind her when she is around, I
trust her.
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Themba 14, Naas, South Africa
I am okay, though I miss home and my family. I
spend a lot of time thinking too much about home.
These taxis can take me to Mozambique they are
very expensive, you have to work at least for a
year to save enough money to go back home with
supplies and give to your family.
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Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
These are my friends from Zimbabwe. One of them
is from my area. He is the one who said we must
come to South Africa because life in Zimbabwe is
hard and he thought it would be better if we
cross to South Africa and look for a better
living.
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It is very hard work. We are digging foundations
for a house.
Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
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Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
We are resting after work. We got some money to
buy bread and juice. It is sometimes very, very
hot in Musina so the work is hard.
25
My friend took this picture of me washing my
clothes. They are torn and old but I must keep
them clean. With some money I got paid I bought a
new tee shirt.
Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
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Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
This is the lady who helped me with somewhere to
stay. This is the inside of her shack. She is a
kind lady. She is also Zimbabwean.
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This is the place the lady said I could sleep.
Before I would look for a safe place under a dark
tree in the bush outside of town and cover
myself with some grass so that no one can see
me.
Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
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Emmanual, 15, Musina, South Africa
Life is difficult here but at least people are
kind and this day I got some food.
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These are some of the older boys who are selling
products like mine. They left school a long time
ago and they depend on selling and their business.
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
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This is the kind of stock we sell when we go to
different communities. This is the stock for
Sbu, he has been selling here for a long time.
He is the one who introduced us to the big city
suppliers.
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
31
This is the biggest taxi in our area we come
through here to get stock and to catch the taxis
to different communities. Here products are sold
at a less price because they dont have to travel
100km or more to reach their customers like us .
The stock is cheaper in the big city but the
suppliers are tricky and there are thugs in the
big city. The man in the picture is a taxi
marshal, he helps with directions and collects
money, he knows the taxi routs very well, he is
not like the others we meet here he is a good
man.
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
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Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
These women are cooking food to sell. We also use
firewood to cook food at my grandmothers house,
just like these women.
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Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
This is my room. It is not always clean because
we share it with the rest of the family.
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This is where we store water in our garden we
collect water from the tap in the community. We
keep water here to use for washing. Water is very
scarce here.
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
35
This is my dogs house, she died last year her
name was Tambo (bone).
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
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This is where I used to go to primary school, on
Fridays we carry water with basins to clean our
classrooms, we help with the packing of chairs
and desks.
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
37
Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
The picture shows houses in my area. You can see
the local High School on the far hill. It was
built by a big bus company and Nelson Mandela
came to open the school, I saw him.
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Musa, 15, Langloop, South Africa
My mother died, she was very sick. My grandmother
says it is taboo for children to visit the
cemetery, I would like to visit and remove weeds
there, only adults are allowed to go, in the
early hours of the morning.