DIFFICULT JOURNEY SKU I had a difficult journey to Johannesburg, South Africa. I came through the bush because we had been robbed of all the money we had. I was with my two friends. We were robbed at gunpoint and left in the middle of the bush. We got a lift and made arrangements to pay when we got to our destination. When we arrived in Johannesburg the person who promised to pay for me did not show and she also switched off her cell phone. The guys who gave us a lift threatened us by telling us they will keep us as their wives till we paid up; fortunately I ran into someone I knew from back home, and he took us to a Hotel. At the hotel we met some ladies from Zimbabwe who offered to pay for our traveling expenses and accommodation. We stayed with them and worked there. One of my friends I came with was drowned in the bathtub in the hotel room. My other friend was drugged and raped in the same Hotel and suffered a memory loss for 3 months. I view Hillbrow as a rough place but it is also a business place. One thing that I like about Hillbrow is that people do not wait for employment. They do anything they put their heads to so as to feed their families back home.
CAPTIONS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT -Street dwellers have been living here in Hillbrow for years; they cook and live on the street. They also smoke weed, sniff glue and drink in public. -This is my hand, I am a beauty therapist. I see nails as art. I took this photograph at the garden in the R.H.R.U. building. It shows my other side. -This shows people who are lazing around and jobless. Some have been here for more than 10 years that don't have a place to stay, no job and most of them have never been home since they come into South Africa. Their families don't even know if they are still alive. I know this guy he is known as Zuma and he is from Zimbabwe and he has been here for years and he is always drunk. I wonder where he gets the money from. -Vandalism on the streets makes life difficult for pedestrians; it is also dangerous for children who play on the streets. -This shows the business side of Hillbrow, there is so much you can do in for a living. We are all gifted life is about choices. You can use whatever you are talented in to make a living. -The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God along Claim Street is open 7 days a week, which makes it easy for people with busy schedules. They even preach on the streets. This church provides the homeless and the needy with clothing and food. -This is along Quartz Street in Hillbrow; the most feared street in Hillbrow. It is very difficult for people to walk because of the flowing water. The open drainage system makes it dangerous for children who play on the street.
This poster is a result of a participatory photography project with migrant women involved in sex work in inner-city Johannesburg in August 2010, as part of the health and migration research initiative of the Forced Migration Studies Programme at Wits University in collaboration with the Market Photo Workshop.