Statement Participant
Expect love and care (nurturing) All URMs from the Community Centre except for those in the church building Expect guidance and nurturing(nurturing) All URMs in the Community Centre Love, Peace and comfort of God
(spiritual attachment)
All Female URMs including Bhobho and Musoja
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Grace of God (divine support) All URMs from the community centre except for Rambo, Blossom, Dombo and Rye
Security and secure future (security) All URMs in a community centre
Counselling (healing) All URMs in the Community Centre except for Dombo, Musoja, Bhobho and Rambo To be treated like a child (recognition,
identification)
All URMs in the Community Centre except for Dombo, Musoja, Flower, Blossom, Bhobho and Rambo
Shelter(shelter) All URMs including those residing in the church building
URMs‟ expectations from the church are parallel to their reasons for seeking refuge there.
Table 7.13: URMs‟ views about the effects of HIV and AIDS to their wellbeing Statement Participants
Leaves them naked Risk, Missy, Kinky, and Razor
Dims their future Nhasi, Dombo, Rambo, Rye, Shasha, Smile, Blossom and Gloss
Affect their wellbeing
Shark, Rambo, Bull, Bhobho, Dimples, Missy, Musoja and Stix Affects children‟s
health
Sunshine, Flower, Kinky, Smile, Risk, Dombo and Gloss Cultivates fear and
hatred
Dombo, Nhasi, Razor, Rye, Shark, Rambo, Risk, Missy
As they were reluctant to talk about HIV and AIDS I posed a question of how they thought the epidemic affected children‟s wellbeing, which they answered dynamically, some saying it left children „naked‟. When asked what they meant by „naked‟, Missy said it was a lack of protection from abuse and pain, as “This disease kills our parents and leaves us in the jungle with all sort of dangerous beasts to feast on us.” She did not wish to mention the word AIDS. On the other hand, Risk defined „naked‟ as confused about the future, whilst for Razor it meant being miserable in life. All these responses are connected and
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URMs understood HIV as a disease that took away parents and left them with no one to care for them.
The epidemic gave rise to fear for all children, that it might infect them or take away their parents as it has done to other children. Hatred was directed to those who spread it, particularly rapists and prostitutes, I did not wish to dwell on this theme as I saw that it was sensitive and did not wish them to breakdown. Although I had support from the caregivers and a child line next door, I made sure that my study did not bring up bad memories, such as loss of loved ones. I did however note that the theme of fear and hatred was gendered, with the majority of male URMs bringing it up but not as many of the girls.
Table 7.14: What are URMs angry with and why?
Statement Participant
ZANU PF for destroying the economy Dombo, Missy, Rye, Kinky, Bull, Shark, Risk, Rambo, Razor and Shasha,
Angry with their fathers for abandoning the family Sunshine, Gloss, Risk, and Smile Angry at the disease (AIDS) for killing their parents Rye and Shark
Angry at magumaguma for abusing and killing people along the way
All URMs including those in a church building
Angry at xenophobia All URMs including those in a
church building Angry at the South African police for abusing and
deporting them their list they indicated that they hated it for killing their parents, some being angry with the Zimbabwean government, particularly ZANU PF, for destroying the economy. Half of the interviewed URMs stated that the Zimbabwean economy had been destroyed by the party and they mentioned different factors that had led to the destruction of the economy, such as political violence, disrespect for human rights, election rigging, and farm
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invasions. Previous literature identifies political violence initiated by ZANU PF as a reason for migration by most Zimbabweans (Khumalo 2010:67, cf. E News Channel, 9 August 2010). They were up-to-date with the political situation in Zimbabwe and knew who did what.
Some URMs were angry with their parents for abandoning them, a response that was also gendered, though on this issue more girls than boys were angry with their fathers for abandoning their families. Perhaps the boys did not express anger towards their parents because in most African societies boys are socialised in a way that discourages them from expressing feelings. Most of the girls who expressed anger against their fathers believed they had promoted it by leaving their mothers suffering with children. Sunshine said, “I don‟t think I will ever forgive my father for leaving my mother suffering with us, my mother came to South Africa to look for work in order to support us, but my father was busy with his new wife.” She had apparently taken her mother‟s anger and made it hers, which might be a problem in her future.
All URMs were angry with magumaguma for the abuse of illegal migrants, for having increased the plights of URMs who had internalized the experiences. South African security agents and magumaguma were the most hated group listed by URMs, all 20 professing to be angry with them. All URMs also hated xenophobia and the South African government for not protecting them against xenophobia and abuse. This makes South Africa‟s implementation of children‟s rights questionable.