People of Alexandra are very polite and friendly on weekends. They were very welcoming on Saturday. “You people think we are bad people. Of course, there are bad elements amongst us. But it’s very wrong to paint us with the same brush,” said Bethuel Makhubela with a smile.
Makhubela was busy reconstructing a dilapidated shack, located on the bank of Jukskei river. When I requested to take a picture of him while hard at work, the ever-smiling Makhubela said, “go ahead my brother, make my day.”
Bethuel and his assistant were imbibing Umqombothi (home-brewed African beer) in the process. He said they had made peace with their conditions because the government “has forsaken us”.
“You have decided to forget about those corrupt politicians. It’s been seven years since they promised to move us from this place. Have you seen the cars they drive? I wouldn’t have voted if foresaw this betrayal,” he said.
Bethuel derives a livelihood from “fixing” people’s shacks in Setswetla Section. He has been living in the area for eleven years. He lives with his concubine and their 3 year old son. He has got a wife and four kids in Giyani, Limpopo province, where he is originally from.
I spoke to Thabo who is a construction worker for Group Five. He works from Monday to Friday in Sandton. “I build townhouses every day at work. But look at my own house, old and dirty. It’s very sad,” he said. He said he was saving money so that he would move out of Setswetla. He came to Johannesburg from North West province for employment opportunities.
"I lived under very good conditions at home. This place should not even be called Johannesburg because there is nothing resembling gold in Setswetla. It should just be called a rural village," he said.
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