Zimbabwe 6

Listen to Zimbabwe 6, a 31-year-old woman from Harare, Zimbabwe. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject. 

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 31

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 23/08/1986

PLACE OF BIRTH: Harare, Zimbabwe

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Black/Shona

OCCUPATION: cleaner

EDUCATION: A-Level national secondary education

AREAS OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

The subject moved to South Africa with her husband and children in 2012 in search of employment. They arrived in Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, but soon moved to Cape Town when her husband had to relocate for work.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH: N/A

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: Nadia Barnard

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 05/03/2018

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. I’m [almost] 32 years old, I’m married, and I have two kids. Ja, it’s different somewhere, some more, only it’s — South Africa I can get a job. Zimbabwe: It’s so difficult to get a job, but when it comes to the way of surviving, Zimbabwe is far much better than South Africa because Zimbabwe is safe. South Africa: Ja, I can get that job, but it’s not safe. Even if I get paid, I might lose the money just, just at the gate.

It’s so scary living in South Africa, as such, but it’s a very peaceful place to be in — Zimbabwe — because you can do what you want; you can walk around; you’re free, everything! But here, ja, I can get a job, but there are too much challenges. It’s like, I don’t know maybe if it’s the area I’m staying or is it around, or is — it’s about South Africa. It’s like, it’s not safe, people around you, everyone is not safe, like some people  — no, like the South Africans: They, they call you, they call us names, like they don- – actually they don’t like us. And, er, the fact that maybe I can, I can talk to somebody like, like you I can talk to you, then you can understand me; then they don’t like it.

Even when I, when I — where I stay there by Philippi, I am facing the same challenge, like the people around; they don’t like us. And also the — it’s not a safe area. There are too much criminals! Ja, day and night they rob us!

If I have – if like maybe, if I’m financially stable somewhere, if I get a decent job. My husband: He already has a decent job, but if I go to another place right now, maybe we’ll be just working for, for, for the rents. And I have two kids, who are schooling here in South Africa. They also need food; they also need money for transport, to go to and from school. So, once I get a decent job, ja, I can move to a better place. …

I miss my family. I miss my parents so much. Some other thing I miss, but I miss my family. Every day, now and then I miss them.

In case maybe my husband — you, you know this thing is natural — maybe he’ll just pass away and I have to take care of the kids. But if I’m like this, really I can’t take care of the kids! But I just dream maybe one day I’ll, I’ll go back to school and I’ll do something better, or I’ll finish the nursing. But I know my husband, who can’t afford to pay the nursing thing and take care of the kids at the same time. But anything that can make me somebody, I know one day maybe I will. Only – I don’t lose hope; only it’s a matter of time; maybe it’s tomorrow, maybe it just happens.

[Subject speaks in Shona.] In English, I’ll tell him: “My son, go to school, go and learn, listen to your teacher, please be educated, try hard, the best you can to be somebody.” That’s Shona.

I’ll just say: [Subject continues to speak in Shona.] OK, in English, I’ll say: “Mama, I love you, Mama. I miss you. I always feel like crying when I think about your absence in my life.”

TRANSCRIBED BY: Nadia Barnard

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 09/04/2018

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY: N/A

COMMENTARY BY: N/A

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

The archive provides:

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