Rottenville

In a Johannesburg suburb, crime and a lackadaisical police force has enraged residents. Foreigners are bearing the brunt of this anger.

- Yonela Mgwali

Rosettenville, south of Johannesburg, is quiet. Every-where we turn, people stare; it’s tense after 12 houses belonging to foreigners, allegedly used as brothels and drug dens, were burned by irate South Africans.

As we’re about to leave; a young Nigerian approaches and introduce himself as Magrin, his real name is Amobi Obidi. The political history and international relations graduate came to South Africa, in 2015, to find a job.

“After graduating from the University of Nigeria I couldn’t find a job. So, because of the way the economy is in Nigeria and based on what I had read on the internet, I believed that I could make a living in South Africa. But it’s not how I imagined it to be. Here, you have to hustle to make a living,” says Obidi.

The 30-year-old Obidi admits to selling drugs and that his countrymen are operating brothels. He says he makes R1,200 ($90) a month from marijuana.