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Judge Jarachara, Chronicle Reporter
AT Killarney squatter camp, constant hand washing is a luxury.

There is no running water, slum dwellers live in overcrowded shacks and there is no electricity.

People from this corner of the world mainly survive on menial jobs but they are now grounded due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

Their plight has been worsened by heavy rains the country is receiving which is making it very difficult for them to cope with the situation as their shacks are sometimes flooded.

A Chronicle new crew yesterday established that hunger, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancies and prostitution are rampant at this illegal settlement.

The economic impact of the lockdown on families that mostly live from hand to mouth is devastating.

Mr Ousten Nyebera (53) one of the settlers at the squatter camp who has five children, said he has lived at the place for 15 years.

Mr Nyebera said Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have destroyed his means of survival.

He said his children’s future is now bleak as he cannot afford to send them to school when schools open.

“I have been here for 15 years and have seen the worst coming and going. Talking of the lockdown, we are talking of an animal we never thought would crawl into our country and it has destroyed all my plans and my life. I do not have food to give to my children because I no longer go to work. I used to go to the nearby suburbs and do casual jobs,” he said.

Mr Nyebera said because of the pandemic, most residents no longer want strangers at their houses fearing the spread of the virus.

“We can no longer be engaged to do piece jobs as was the case before the outbreak of this disease,” he said.

He said the situation was very desperate for most of the settlers and their children because they no longer have any sources of income.

Mr Nyebera said some of the settlers were engaged in vending which has been banned under the level 4 National lockdown.

The situation at Cabatsha squatter camp in Umvutshwa is not different from Killarney. The place is mosquito infested and families are struggling to put food on the table.

A community leader Mr Nhlabati Khumalo (56) said families were finding it difficult to raise money for food and other basics.

“Most families are facing starvation here because they used to rely on vending which has been banned under lockdown,” he said.

A man who had no mask in the company of four other people, said they only heard about Covid-19 but in their area they have not heard of people infected by the pandemic.

He said their concern was the adverse effect of the lockdown restrictions.

“Covid-19 is not in this community as you see hence we do not need masks as in other areas. We have never buried a person said to have died of Covid-19. The only problem we have here is hunger which is being caused by the lockdown,” he said.

Mr Khumao said most families urgently need aid especially during the period of the lockdown when they cannot engage in income generating activities due to restrictions.

“The other big challenge I am facing as a leader during this lockdown is increasing cases of violence. We have ogweja lapha (small scale miners) who are classified as essential service and are the ones with money. These are wreaking havoc, they do not respect people’s wives because they have money resulting in many fights here,” said Mr Khumalo.

He pleaded with Government and other well-wishers to help them with food saying some families were on the verge of starving.

Another resident Mrs Spiwe Dube (35) said as women they are living in “hell “as their plight has been worsened by the lockdown restrictions.

She said lack of food and domestic abuse are the major problems they face as women.

Mrs Dube said prostitution and teenage pregnancies were on the rise at the informal settlement.

“The first thing to talk about is hunger and abuse. Cases of abuse of school girls are now rampant now that schools are closed.

“Some of the girls are engaging in prostitution to raise money for food as their parents are no longer able to fend for them and as a result some are falling pregnant,” said Mrs Dube.

Mr Langton Mpofu (53) a father of 10 said all he wants is to be able to provide food for his children as he has given up on sending them to school.

He said six of his children were attending school before the lockdown but he had since resolved not to send them to school when schools open because the Covid-19 restrictions had adversely effected his sources of income.

“We are going hungry because of the lockdown restrictions and we are appealing to Government to assist us find jobs so that we fend for our families.

“We are as good as infected because we are threatened with starvation,” he said.

Mr Mpofu said women are the worst affected by the restrictions as most of them used to go to town to buy commodities for resale.

“I sympathise with women because they are suffering the most. They are facing all the challenges alone as most men have resorted to alcohol abuse,” he said. — @jdgjarachara