THE PLIGHT OF THE MARGINALISED

BIN PICKERS BY SUBRY GOVENDER

If you think life is becoming tough with the current trends in our economy, spare a thought for those who are living on the margins of our society. Early today (Oct 22 2018) while going on my usual walk alongside the road at a beach on the North Coast, I was taken aback by noticing some men digging into bins. The bins were placed by residents outside their houses for the municipal trucks to collect and cart them off to the municipal dumps. I was shocked that human beings were digging into the bins. I approached some of them who looked very pitiful and really downtrodden. I inquired what they were looking for in the bins? They were not only looking for empty tin cans but also other items that they could sell. Some of them even had collected some sandwiches they found in the bins.

One of the men, an old person who was dressed in very dirty long pants and shirt, said: “We have nothing to eat. We are looking for anything that we can sell and make some money.” The man, who looked as if he had not eaten for some days, said they all lived in squatter settlements and were struggling to make a living. Asked whether they don’t have children who could take care of them, he said: “They are also living in the jondolos and they don’t work.” Many cultural and social organisations are doing a lot to help these hapless people. It seems they cannot reach all the people on the side-lines of society.

Witnessing the “bin pickers” made me wonder whether all those politicians and their business friends, who are stealing billions of taxpayers’ money, ever spare a thought for the marginalised and the poor who live on the fringes of society? One sincerely hopes that these politicians and their business friends will take some time off from their busy corrupt schedules and visit those on the fringes of society. The poor and the marginalised must also be given opportunities to improve their lives socially and economically. They cannot be used only as cannon fodder during election time. ends - subrygovender@gmail.com