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Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
SCORES of children from neighbouring Mozambique are flocking to Chipinge district in search of greener pastures, The Herald has established.

The children are taking advantage of the porous border to illegally enter Zimbabwe and are mostly aged between 10 and 15.

They come from areas like Espungabera, Dakata, Maridheya and Dhombe which are close to Chipinge District.

After failing to secure employment, they turn to begging on the streets of Chipinge.

The lucky ones sell wares for local businesspeople, risking abuse and exploitation.

In an interview, a 15-year-old minor who hails from Dakata in Mozambique said poverty forced him to jump the border and look for a job as a domestic worker.

“I left Mozambique for Chipinge to look for domestic work after my father died in 2016,” said the minor. Our life had suddenly turned desperate after my father’s death with my mother struggling to make ends meet.

“I came here hoping to get a job and support my mother and siblings back home.

“I am currently working for a couple as a vendor selling boiled eggs. They pay me $20 per month and I send part of the money to my mother back in Mozambique.”

Another teen from Dakata said life had not been rosy for him since he arrived in Chipinge from Mozambique last year.

“I came here last year hunting for employment, but I am still to secure a job,” he said.

“I am staying with my friends from Mozambique who are working as vendors.

“They are working for someone, but they are not paid well and sometimes they are not even paid. Their employers have threatened to hand them over to the police if they demand payment.”

Chipinge business community chairperson Mr James Gabaza said some unscrupulous people in Chipinge were exploiting and abusing the juveniles when they employed them.

“Some people here are taking advantage of desperate young Mozambicans and employing them as vendors that bring cash for them every day.

“Many are not paying them, claiming that they are offering them free accommodation and food.

“We are appealing to various authorities to come and assist in addressing the situation.”