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The Gold Diggers
It’s 2008 and the height of Zimbabwe’s economic demise. A group of passengers is huddled in a Toyota Quantum about to embark on a treacherous expedition to the City of Gold. Amongst them is Gugulethu, who is hoping to be reconciled with her mother; Dumisani, an ambitious young man who believes he will strike it rich, Chamunorwa and Chenai, twins running from their troubled past; and Portia and Nkosi, a mother and son desperate to be reunited with a husband and father they see once a year.
They have paid a high price for the dangerous passage to what they believe is a better life; an escape from the vicious vagaries of their present life in Bulawayo. In their minds, the streets of Johannesburg are paved with gold but they will have to dig deep to get close to any gold, dirtying themselves in the process.
Told with brave honesty and bold description, the stories of the individual immigrants are simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming.
They have paid a high price for the dangerous passage to what they believe is a better life; an escape from the vicious vagaries of their present life in Bulawayo. In their minds, the streets of Johannesburg are paved with gold but they will have to dig deep to get close to any gold, dirtying themselves in the process.
Told with brave honesty and bold description, the stories of the individual immigrants are simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming.
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First published June 1, 2018
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June 29, 2025Sue Nyathi gave us "The Polygamist" almost 7 years ago. A witty and light commentary taking jibes at socioecomic and political challenges faced by a goup of black women rooted in systematic and institutionalised patriarchy in a Zimbabwe which was slowly falling apart.
7 years later, she unleashes "The Gold Diggers" on us. Man, I did not see this story coming. The cover is flirty, gives off soiree vibes and the title hints at a phenomenon which has been circulating forever, Blesser-Blessee-cum-Slay Queening. What I was hit with, from the opening sentence, was a gust of cold reality-filled air. How many times have we sat, yes us, native South Africans, in judgement with thoughtless utterances of "Why don't they go home?"...
Go home to what? A bleak and smog-covered present with no prospects of a future. Go home to what? A family waiting on you to manifest their present? Forget the future. You cannot plan ANYTHING on an empty stomach.
All those people in the Quantum could have been anyone. Me. You. Displaced. Forced to eject ourselves from our homes. Families. Navigating treacherous terrain in search for Nirvana. A glimpse of happiness. A piece of peace. Forced to make stomach-satiating decisions. Shelter. Food. Warmth. Protection from the elements. Safety. When there's a child who depends on you for all those things, as a mother, you make some hard decisions. Of all the characters who left Zimbabwe as a group, what Givemore and Melusi did to Gugulethu was sadistic.
You cannot read The Gold Diggers without giving a long and hard thought to our displaced brothers and sisters on the continent. Studies on migration are abound, odes dedicated to the "migritute" but we overlook the effects of corruption by those we've trusted to run our countries. How the looting and plundering of resources is breaking up families. Fragmenting. Dismantling nations. Those in power spit "Let them eat cake" at the electorate.
You cannot read The Gold Diggers without reflecting on the underpinning institutionalized patriarchy which knocks you off from all angles. As a woman reading this, particularly as a black woman reading this, the glare from systematic patriarchy and white imperialism is blinding. The fight for a radical systematic breakdown is so far from over. Narratives like these fuel the drive to live, breath, walk and talk feminism. We Should All, indeed, Be Feminists. Males and females.
How is Africa going to rise when it is broken down at every opportunity by the very same Africans who are entrusted with rebuilding it???
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
7 years later, she unleashes "The Gold Diggers" on us. Man, I did not see this story coming. The cover is flirty, gives off soiree vibes and the title hints at a phenomenon which has been circulating forever, Blesser-Blessee-cum-Slay Queening. What I was hit with, from the opening sentence, was a gust of cold reality-filled air. How many times have we sat, yes us, native South Africans, in judgement with thoughtless utterances of "Why don't they go home?"...
Go home to what? A bleak and smog-covered present with no prospects of a future. Go home to what? A family waiting on you to manifest their present? Forget the future. You cannot plan ANYTHING on an empty stomach.
All those people in the Quantum could have been anyone. Me. You. Displaced. Forced to eject ourselves from our homes. Families. Navigating treacherous terrain in search for Nirvana. A glimpse of happiness. A piece of peace. Forced to make stomach-satiating decisions. Shelter. Food. Warmth. Protection from the elements. Safety. When there's a child who depends on you for all those things, as a mother, you make some hard decisions. Of all the characters who left Zimbabwe as a group, what Givemore and Melusi did to Gugulethu was sadistic.
You cannot read The Gold Diggers without giving a long and hard thought to our displaced brothers and sisters on the continent. Studies on migration are abound, odes dedicated to the "migritute" but we overlook the effects of corruption by those we've trusted to run our countries. How the looting and plundering of resources is breaking up families. Fragmenting. Dismantling nations. Those in power spit "Let them eat cake" at the electorate.
You cannot read The Gold Diggers without reflecting on the underpinning institutionalized patriarchy which knocks you off from all angles. As a woman reading this, particularly as a black woman reading this, the glare from systematic patriarchy and white imperialism is blinding. The fight for a radical systematic breakdown is so far from over. Narratives like these fuel the drive to live, breath, walk and talk feminism. We Should All, indeed, Be Feminists. Males and females.
How is Africa going to rise when it is broken down at every opportunity by the very same Africans who are entrusted with rebuilding it???
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
September 27, 2020
My rating for this book is actually a 4.5.
I highly recommend that you try this excellent book that explores the difficulty of a group of people to immigrate to South Africa from Zimbabwe. As is stated on the back of the book "We all know our final destination but we have no idea what will cross our path as we journey there."
Sue Nyathi writes this book with such precision and shows us how difficult this trip is and how it affects each character. In less than 300 pages with poignant dialogue and pertinent characters and descriptions we will understand what the title of this book really means. You will be moved, shocked, saddened as you root for these characters who are just trying to make it despite all of the adversity they come across. So be prepared because this is not a happy book. Yo need to get your mind right!
I highly recommend that you try this excellent book that explores the difficulty of a group of people to immigrate to South Africa from Zimbabwe. As is stated on the back of the book "We all know our final destination but we have no idea what will cross our path as we journey there."
Sue Nyathi writes this book with such precision and shows us how difficult this trip is and how it affects each character. In less than 300 pages with poignant dialogue and pertinent characters and descriptions we will understand what the title of this book really means. You will be moved, shocked, saddened as you root for these characters who are just trying to make it despite all of the adversity they come across. So be prepared because this is not a happy book. Yo need to get your mind right!
January 29, 2020
My gardener, a Zimbabwean, recently traveled back home to place a gravestone on his mother’s grave only to get robbed crossing the border. Not only were his and fellow passengers’ money stolen but also food, shoes and anything else portable.
When I asked him why he did not rather transfer the money to Zimbabwe first he told me how untrustworthy the banks are. I must add that this happened to him while crossing the border legally!
There is so much privileged (white or black) South Africans do not know about the hardships that compel our neighboring countries to seek refuge here. This book may be labeled as fiction but all these stories have their roots in true events.
The writing was very engaging even if the stories themselves were not always easy to read.
The story follows eight Zimbabweans who, desperate for different reasons, cross via illegal methods to South Africa. The perilous journey involves swimming across the Limpopo, crawling through barbed wire fences and dodging soldiers (and worse) to make their way to Johannesburg,
But the City of Gold is not the haven they expected. Xenophobia, poverty, drugs and other horrors await them.
I think this is an important book to read if you are South African.
When I asked him why he did not rather transfer the money to Zimbabwe first he told me how untrustworthy the banks are. I must add that this happened to him while crossing the border legally!
There is so much privileged (white or black) South Africans do not know about the hardships that compel our neighboring countries to seek refuge here. This book may be labeled as fiction but all these stories have their roots in true events.
The writing was very engaging even if the stories themselves were not always easy to read.
The story follows eight Zimbabweans who, desperate for different reasons, cross via illegal methods to South Africa. The perilous journey involves swimming across the Limpopo, crawling through barbed wire fences and dodging soldiers (and worse) to make their way to Johannesburg,
But the City of Gold is not the haven they expected. Xenophobia, poverty, drugs and other horrors await them.
I think this is an important book to read if you are South African.
September 29, 2020
Totally loved this book.... but then i am a fan of Sue. 2018 has been a year of really good reads from our African authors
January 6, 2020
Hillbrow was a cluster of elevated buildings reaching towards the sky like vines trying to escape the hell below that lurked in the streets. Gutted windows with hollowed eyes looked heavenwards as if seeking salvation.
I've read a few books about illegal immigration, but none set in Africa. In most of the other books I have read, the focus is mostly on the harrowing journey from the country they are trying to escape. In The Gold Diggers it seems that for illegal immigrants coming to South Africa, this is just the first of many dangers they will encounter while trying to improve their lives in Johannesburg, which is seen as the city of gold by many.
We meet one group of passengers leaving Zimbabwe, and then follow each character's story when they arrive in SA. Very well written and researched, but prepare yourself for a dark, emotional ride with no happy endings. Some of the issues included are incest, child trafficking, xenophobia, drug trafficking and rape. Although upsetting, the author does a good job in sharing these stories in a non-dramatic way. I really struggled to put this novel down as I had to find out what happened to each of these characters.
I think everyone should read this book to make us aware of the plight of the millions of African illegal migrants, and how harsh and uncertain their lives are. The author says that although the characters are fictional their lives are not. She also says that her reason for writing this story is to evoke empathy, and in this she definitely succeeds.
I will be looking out for Sue Nyathi's next novel.
October 5, 2021
For me this book does two things at once; it prepares anyone who thinks of migrating to the City of Gold of the harsh realities of being an undocumented immigrant in Johannesburg and South Africa in general., it also creates a sense of understanding, and therefore tolerance, to South Africans who reject or discriminate against undocumented immigrants on the basis of their citizenship. The author does it by covering a wide range of issues such as prostitution, crime, xenophobia, gender-based violence and more. It's very educational, to say the least. And given the state of affairs between South Africa and Zimbabwe we need more books like this.
June 10, 2018
Fasten your seatbelts for this one!
September 10, 2020
It's a great book that tugged every heart string in my small heart
October 11, 2019
I can't believe I have had this book for a year on my shelves and never read it🤦🏾♀️ but I'm also glad I didn't because reading it now, its history repeating itself. What she tackles on in the book is the 2019 Zimbabwe though, in the book its the 2008 Zimbabwe, it's like a mirror image🤦🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️😭.
The story begins with a white quantum in Bulawayo filled with 7 passengers, each coming with their different circumstances pushing them to the city of Gold for a better life, strangers to each other but ending up with intertwined destinies. Some descriptions got me feeling all nostalgic about the former life: wedding photos being taken at city gardens, kodak camera, park walks, etc. Zimbabwe is at its peak of economic failure, a choice has to be made to stay and suffer or to go to Igoli undocumented since passport offices are closed🤷🏾♀️
She touches on:
-Illegal migration to the city of gold for a better future, the struggles involved and dangers of crossing Limpopo undocumented, a matter of life and death. It's still currently happening now🤦🏾♀️ and the life of the undocumented immigrant once in city, the hustles involved doing what you have to do to survive🤷🏾♀️😭😭😭😭
-She addresses issues of human and drug trafficking, child prostitution, marital abuse, rape by trusted perpetrators with the complications incurred after(post-traumatic disorder, depression, repercussions of not dealing with past traumas)
-She touches on educated waiters, black tax "Poverty and desperation forces you to do things you wouldn't necessarily do otherwise".
-Xenophobia with black on black violence, life of crime and how if you do the crime you pay the time
-Lastly, womanhood, friendships, and relationships, how that's more cherishable than gold
It's thrilling, captivating and full of suspense
Sue, you have a way with words that leaves you longing for more and imagination was running wild. I can't wait for the film adaptation of it👌🏾👌🏾Well done on a masterpiece !!!!
The story begins with a white quantum in Bulawayo filled with 7 passengers, each coming with their different circumstances pushing them to the city of Gold for a better life, strangers to each other but ending up with intertwined destinies. Some descriptions got me feeling all nostalgic about the former life: wedding photos being taken at city gardens, kodak camera, park walks, etc. Zimbabwe is at its peak of economic failure, a choice has to be made to stay and suffer or to go to Igoli undocumented since passport offices are closed🤷🏾♀️
She touches on:
-Illegal migration to the city of gold for a better future, the struggles involved and dangers of crossing Limpopo undocumented, a matter of life and death. It's still currently happening now🤦🏾♀️ and the life of the undocumented immigrant once in city, the hustles involved doing what you have to do to survive🤷🏾♀️😭😭😭😭
-She addresses issues of human and drug trafficking, child prostitution, marital abuse, rape by trusted perpetrators with the complications incurred after(post-traumatic disorder, depression, repercussions of not dealing with past traumas)
-She touches on educated waiters, black tax "Poverty and desperation forces you to do things you wouldn't necessarily do otherwise".
-Xenophobia with black on black violence, life of crime and how if you do the crime you pay the time
-Lastly, womanhood, friendships, and relationships, how that's more cherishable than gold
It's thrilling, captivating and full of suspense
Sue, you have a way with words that leaves you longing for more and imagination was running wild. I can't wait for the film adaptation of it👌🏾👌🏾Well done on a masterpiece !!!!
December 22, 2020
Though the story lines knitted well into each other, the book read to me like a collection of short stories. It is unfortunate, because I am not a big fan of short stories. Normally, with short stories, the characters lack depth and the content lacks detail. This book was no exception. There was just too many characters and too many story lines. As a result, everything stayed at a very superficial level.
Secondly, it seemed the author wanted to condense all of Zimbabwe and South Africa´problems into one book. From dysfunctional families, domestic violence, child abuse, rape, poverty, prostitution, child and drug trafficking, drug abuse, robbery, murder to corruption. NoViolet Bulawayo also did something similar in her famous book, ¨We Need New Names¨. Its as if the authors are subconsciously targeting readers from outside the continent, readers who are keen to confirm their negative stereotypes on Africa/Zimbabwe. This may be wrong but that is the impression I get.
Thirdly, maybe I missed something but some story lines seemed unrealistic to me. Like how Dumisani an engineering graduate moved from working at a restaurant to becoming a chief executive officer of an investment company that makes billions of rands in profit in just less than 4 years. Yes, I know it is fiction and the author has the poetic license to do whatever she wills with her characters and her plot, but its just that she told us that everything was grounded in reality.
Overall, its a good read, the writing style is good and the story lines are descent. It would have been a great read had she gone in great detail with her story lines and deeper in developing her characters.
Secondly, it seemed the author wanted to condense all of Zimbabwe and South Africa´problems into one book. From dysfunctional families, domestic violence, child abuse, rape, poverty, prostitution, child and drug trafficking, drug abuse, robbery, murder to corruption. NoViolet Bulawayo also did something similar in her famous book, ¨We Need New Names¨. Its as if the authors are subconsciously targeting readers from outside the continent, readers who are keen to confirm their negative stereotypes on Africa/Zimbabwe. This may be wrong but that is the impression I get.
Thirdly, maybe I missed something but some story lines seemed unrealistic to me. Like how Dumisani an engineering graduate moved from working at a restaurant to becoming a chief executive officer of an investment company that makes billions of rands in profit in just less than 4 years. Yes, I know it is fiction and the author has the poetic license to do whatever she wills with her characters and her plot, but its just that she told us that everything was grounded in reality.
Overall, its a good read, the writing style is good and the story lines are descent. It would have been a great read had she gone in great detail with her story lines and deeper in developing her characters.
August 4, 2023
"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark." - Warsan Shire
My first introduction to Sue Nyathi was A Family Affair and it felt like watching a South African soapie that handled sensitive topics like GBV, substance abuse carelessly almost like it was more for shook value than unearthing the humanity. I feel like Gold Diggers toes this line. And that put me off it very quickly. Many factors contribute to this experience. Maybe I read a book on immigration, before this one ,that was far more sensitive and emotionally charged, or maybe I just don't like Sue's writing. I get that she wanted to be hyper realistic with all the interconnected stories, but Jesus, maybe prep me first? Her writing is very smutty adjacent while dealing with really heavy stuff, and I feel like that does such a huge disservice to the story. I think she definitely tells important stories, but the language is more practical, more economical than lyrical or poetic. It's like reading a report. The immigrant experience for folks from other African nations in South Africa is an awful one. And it's crazy how relevant these stories are even today. Southy and being xenophobic/afrophobic is so endemic, like, yoh!
I'll conclude this review by saying that I don't think I'm Sue's target audience, but I definitely think the stories she tells are very important. Just prepare yourself,yeah?
TW: sexual assault, xenophobia, human trafficking ,substance
My first introduction to Sue Nyathi was A Family Affair and it felt like watching a South African soapie that handled sensitive topics like GBV, substance abuse carelessly almost like it was more for shook value than unearthing the humanity. I feel like Gold Diggers toes this line. And that put me off it very quickly. Many factors contribute to this experience. Maybe I read a book on immigration, before this one ,that was far more sensitive and emotionally charged, or maybe I just don't like Sue's writing. I get that she wanted to be hyper realistic with all the interconnected stories, but Jesus, maybe prep me first? Her writing is very smutty adjacent while dealing with really heavy stuff, and I feel like that does such a huge disservice to the story. I think she definitely tells important stories, but the language is more practical, more economical than lyrical or poetic. It's like reading a report. The immigrant experience for folks from other African nations in South Africa is an awful one. And it's crazy how relevant these stories are even today. Southy and being xenophobic/afrophobic is so endemic, like, yoh!
I'll conclude this review by saying that I don't think I'm Sue's target audience, but I definitely think the stories she tells are very important. Just prepare yourself,yeah?
TW: sexual assault, xenophobia, human trafficking ,substance
April 9, 2021
"They dragged his body into the street leaving a trail of blood. Vociferous chanting floated above his body. Someone supplied a rubber tyre, which was doused in petrol."- Sue Nyathi
This is one beautifully written book, well researched topics incorporated in short chapters. It was so interesting to experience the characters in their youth and as matured adults who've grown from their day one hardships in the City of Gold. Touching on topics that should be had, eye-opening and definitely reminding the readers to have more compassion for one another. A gem for sure.
This is one beautifully written book, well researched topics incorporated in short chapters. It was so interesting to experience the characters in their youth and as matured adults who've grown from their day one hardships in the City of Gold. Touching on topics that should be had, eye-opening and definitely reminding the readers to have more compassion for one another. A gem for sure.
February 3, 2020
There's no holding back on the possible fates of people who flee their country hoping to cross the border of South Africa and find a better life. The book covers rape, murder, AIDS, corruption, drugs, xenophobia, child sex traffickers, domestic violence, women's rights, organ selling, necklacing and whatever else can be sins of the modern world. I don't think it is that well written but it does pack a punch and reminds me of how easy it is to be living a privileged life.
September 21, 2024
رحلة من زيمبابوي المنهارة اقتصاديًّا، إلى جنوب أفريقيا بلد الذهب.. خاضها أشخاص يحملون همومًا، تفاوتت بين قاسية، وأخرى هي أقسى، كلهم طامح إلى غد ينال فيه ما تمنى، ولا يعاني فيه كل هذه المعاناة المرّة الثقيلة.. فكيف سيكون الغد؟
رواية مؤلمة في كثير من صفحاتها.
رواية مؤلمة في كثير من صفحاتها.
July 12, 2018
The Gold Diggers follows the lives of a group of ordinary Zimbabwean nationals, who leave their economically ailing country on a one way ticket to their utopia, South Africa, Gauteng , Egoli. Their journey and lives in South Africa brings to the fore intricacies of, dual citizenship, unemployment, hardships , displacement and identity. Their plight is exacerbated by the illegal nature of their journey and stay. As an ominous sign, drama unfolds early in the Zimbabwean leg of the trip.
Definitely not a cheesy tale on relationships whose chief aim is financial and material benefit.
We follow the tumultuous journey of the characters into South Africa, Musina, Hillbrow, Johannesburg CBD, Northern suburbs, Alexandra township, Cape Town, and Soweto. Christine's immigration takes us to the UK too.
A confident display of knowledge and navigation across various landscapes by Nyathi.
A skilfully woven tale with interesting and well placed history nuggets. We are let in on the Gukurahundi massacre of 1986, the before and after of Hillbrow and the history of Vilakazi Street in Soweto. Fast paced. Believable. Relatable. The isiNdebele, Isizulu and South Sesotho dialogues add colour and preserve authenticity and texture of the text.
Nyathi has grown and matured as a writer since her debut "The Polygamist" (2012)
A multi layered and themed narration on, migration, crime, xenophobia, love, tribalism, drugs, human trafficking , interracial relationships, prostitution, deception, survival, exploitation, depression, illegal organ donation , friendship, and patriarchy.
The character development is impeccable, gradual and deliberate. I resonated so much so with the characters that I walked miles in their different shoes. When they hurt I hurt too, when things were going well I routed for them.
For a book with multiple characters, a minibus full and more, there was no challenge of mix ups. There were additional characters in the form of Nomonde, Lerato, malume Jackson, Kayin, Sibongile, Tryphina, Tony and others. I loved how a character from Nyathi's first book, features and fits perfectly in The Gold Diggers too.
Portia was my rock star. A fighter , resilient, focused and hardworking. All the while with a child tailing alongside her.
The concept of beauty that comes out through the experiences of Chanai is an important self love and affirmation message that children need to hear repeatedly .
The xenophobia theme hit home. The victim was given a face. It was someone's child , lover, with dreams and aspirations.
A book where horrid things happen to good people, and good people in turn, due to circumstances and desperation, resort to unsavoury behaviour. It depicts a brother eat brother world wherein illegal immigrants, especially Black and female, are subjected to unimaginable wickedness.
What concerns the most about The Gold Diggers is that, despite it being fiction, the contents thereof are real eventualities in other people's lives. Motivation enough for us to, introspection, revisit our treatment, attitude, demeanour towards all immigrants inclusive of internal travellers . Yearn and work towards a united states of Africa, that boasts good governance and service to all its people.
100 marks to The Gold Diggers. A well researched project. Related with eloquence. empathy and brevity.
Definitely not a cheesy tale on relationships whose chief aim is financial and material benefit.
We follow the tumultuous journey of the characters into South Africa, Musina, Hillbrow, Johannesburg CBD, Northern suburbs, Alexandra township, Cape Town, and Soweto. Christine's immigration takes us to the UK too.
A confident display of knowledge and navigation across various landscapes by Nyathi.
A skilfully woven tale with interesting and well placed history nuggets. We are let in on the Gukurahundi massacre of 1986, the before and after of Hillbrow and the history of Vilakazi Street in Soweto. Fast paced. Believable. Relatable. The isiNdebele, Isizulu and South Sesotho dialogues add colour and preserve authenticity and texture of the text.
Nyathi has grown and matured as a writer since her debut "The Polygamist" (2012)
A multi layered and themed narration on, migration, crime, xenophobia, love, tribalism, drugs, human trafficking , interracial relationships, prostitution, deception, survival, exploitation, depression, illegal organ donation , friendship, and patriarchy.
The character development is impeccable, gradual and deliberate. I resonated so much so with the characters that I walked miles in their different shoes. When they hurt I hurt too, when things were going well I routed for them.
For a book with multiple characters, a minibus full and more, there was no challenge of mix ups. There were additional characters in the form of Nomonde, Lerato, malume Jackson, Kayin, Sibongile, Tryphina, Tony and others. I loved how a character from Nyathi's first book, features and fits perfectly in The Gold Diggers too.
Portia was my rock star. A fighter , resilient, focused and hardworking. All the while with a child tailing alongside her.
The concept of beauty that comes out through the experiences of Chanai is an important self love and affirmation message that children need to hear repeatedly .
The xenophobia theme hit home. The victim was given a face. It was someone's child , lover, with dreams and aspirations.
A book where horrid things happen to good people, and good people in turn, due to circumstances and desperation, resort to unsavoury behaviour. It depicts a brother eat brother world wherein illegal immigrants, especially Black and female, are subjected to unimaginable wickedness.
What concerns the most about The Gold Diggers is that, despite it being fiction, the contents thereof are real eventualities in other people's lives. Motivation enough for us to, introspection, revisit our treatment, attitude, demeanour towards all immigrants inclusive of internal travellers . Yearn and work towards a united states of Africa, that boasts good governance and service to all its people.
100 marks to The Gold Diggers. A well researched project. Related with eloquence. empathy and brevity.
September 22, 2021
BOOK REVIEW of The Gold Diggers by Sue Nyathi
#QOTD have you ever had your mind blown twice over when you re-read the title of the book once you’ve finished it?
I have. The Gold Diggers is such a brilliant book, and the title is layered, just like the story itself. It talks to migration from Zimbabwe to the city of gold, it hints at the saying “not all that glitters is gold”, it speaks to experiences of transactional relationships. It has it all.
Thoughts:
Set in 2008, when Zimbabwe was at the height of economic dysfunction and many were choosing to illegally cross the border into South Africa in the hopes of a better life, Sue weaves a story following the lives of a group of people that crossed over together and separated once they reached South Africa. It is so evident a lot of thought went into writing this book and bringing real stories to life through literature.
South Africa’s difficult history has meant that there is a lot of enmity and competition for menial jobs - and extremist disinformation is often spread on social media about foreigners ‘stealing’ jobs when the country’s socio-economic situation has set back millions of people due to past political systems that made it this way.
I was heartbroken at the amount of gender-based violence that was experienced by the women in this book, and yet it was so real, so raw, so honest. These are stories that I can relate to. These narratives are similar to stories I hear at home, “Shame, did you hear Mai Rumbi’s daughter was arrested for jumping the border...Eish, did you hear about Aunty Janet, she was deported...Man, Trymore really landed himself in trouble this time - he is doing time for drug trafficking...Ah Lillian? She is now some high-flying businesswoman that side in Jozi, you wouldn’t recognise her!” These snippets of conversation are often relayed with a tinge of jealousy if the person seems to be doing well, or open satisfaction if someone has fallen from grace.
Sue’s characters experience financial exploitation at the hands of fellow African immigrants, transactional sex to survive in a country that was meant to be a reprieve from poverty, human trafficking of young children at the hands of the very people meant to take them to their waiting families and so much more. Just when you think their stories could not have another shocking twist, it happens!
@SueNyathi, you outdid yourself with this book. I was drawn in from the moment I opened the book. I finished it in 24 hours.
Themes: migration, xenophobia, tribalism, human trafficking, mental health, drug addiction, drug mules, sex work, exploitation, survival, mother’s love.
#QOTD have you ever had your mind blown twice over when you re-read the title of the book once you’ve finished it?
I have. The Gold Diggers is such a brilliant book, and the title is layered, just like the story itself. It talks to migration from Zimbabwe to the city of gold, it hints at the saying “not all that glitters is gold”, it speaks to experiences of transactional relationships. It has it all.
Thoughts:
Set in 2008, when Zimbabwe was at the height of economic dysfunction and many were choosing to illegally cross the border into South Africa in the hopes of a better life, Sue weaves a story following the lives of a group of people that crossed over together and separated once they reached South Africa. It is so evident a lot of thought went into writing this book and bringing real stories to life through literature.
South Africa’s difficult history has meant that there is a lot of enmity and competition for menial jobs - and extremist disinformation is often spread on social media about foreigners ‘stealing’ jobs when the country’s socio-economic situation has set back millions of people due to past political systems that made it this way.
I was heartbroken at the amount of gender-based violence that was experienced by the women in this book, and yet it was so real, so raw, so honest. These are stories that I can relate to. These narratives are similar to stories I hear at home, “Shame, did you hear Mai Rumbi’s daughter was arrested for jumping the border...Eish, did you hear about Aunty Janet, she was deported...Man, Trymore really landed himself in trouble this time - he is doing time for drug trafficking...Ah Lillian? She is now some high-flying businesswoman that side in Jozi, you wouldn’t recognise her!” These snippets of conversation are often relayed with a tinge of jealousy if the person seems to be doing well, or open satisfaction if someone has fallen from grace.
Sue’s characters experience financial exploitation at the hands of fellow African immigrants, transactional sex to survive in a country that was meant to be a reprieve from poverty, human trafficking of young children at the hands of the very people meant to take them to their waiting families and so much more. Just when you think their stories could not have another shocking twist, it happens!
@SueNyathi, you outdid yourself with this book. I was drawn in from the moment I opened the book. I finished it in 24 hours.
Themes: migration, xenophobia, tribalism, human trafficking, mental health, drug addiction, drug mules, sex work, exploitation, survival, mother’s love.
March 22, 2019
Sue Nyathi dribbled my heart as she would have a soccer ball. My emotions, my tears, my fears the entire experience was just way too high and ô so good. This is a gem. All the themes, immigration, xenophobia, patriarchy etc...she manages to give them human faces. Needless to say I loved it right ? unputdownable
April 23, 2025
As South Africans, we often meet Zimbabweans who have relocated here in search of opportunity. Some of us have heard a few of their personal stories. About a decade ago, veteran actress and director Bo Petersen worked with Zimbabwean immigrant, Jonathan Nkala to bring his story to theatre in a touching play called The Crossing. But, even though I watched Nkala perform his piece and interviewed him at length for an article, I wasn’t prepared for the effect of Sue Nyathi’s novel, The Gold Diggers.
Published earlier this year and set in 2008, The Gold Diggers tells the stories of eight Zimbabweans who, desperate for different reasons, engage the illicit people transportation services of the unscrupulous Melusi and Givemore. The perilous journey involves swimming across the Limpopo, crawling through barbed wire fences and dodging soldiers (and worse) to make their way to Johannesburg, where other, arguably as dangerous obstacles await them.
The novel follows their lives (by then there are seven), which sometimes intertwine, in the city. It describes the lengths the Zimbabweans have to go to survive in an inhospitable place that teems with opportunists and hostility. Twins Chamunorwa and Chenai are reunited with their mother, Sibongile, who has found work and security in the suburbs. But even then, settling in South Africa isn’t easy. Chamu is the stronger of the two, but, just as things seem to be coming right for him, tragedy strikes. Beautiful, troubled Chenai finally accepts that she is gorgeous and is convinced to become a model, but her troubled past shadows her and, without Chamu’s strength, she falters.
Engineer Dumisani eventually finds wealth and success as the CEO of a financial services company, but his plans to bring his beloved wife, Christine to South Africa fail, as does their marriage. Ambitious Lindani is lured into unlawful dealings with shocking consequences. When Portia’s husband, Vusani insists that she and their son Nkosi return to Zimbabwe – he’s shacked up with another woman – she decides otherwise. The chance discovery of a South African passport gives her a new identity and a way into the corporate world. But will that end well? Little Gugulethu sobs when she is separated from her loving Gogo in Bulawayo and is taken to South Africa to be with her parents. But what happens when they don’t arrive to fetch her from Melusi and Givemore as planned?
Nyathi is a masterful storyteller and The Gold Diggers is ‘leave-me-alone-can't-you-see-I’m-reading’ enthralling. The novel moves at pace and her characters are endearing, infuriating, sometimes funny and always human. I rooted for the immigrants and railed at Melusi, Givemore and Dumisani’s ruthless uncle Melume Jackson. It’s a heart-breaking story with sunny moments, which not only entertained me from beginning to end, but had me thinking about the characters even when (damn it!) I had to set the book aside and get on with other things.
I’ve been pondering the role fiction plays in helping us understand one another a great deal recently; the power it has to evoke empathy and awareness and fiction's place in teaching us humanity and helping us heal. After all, as Nadine Gordimer said, "Fiction uses metaphor to help us see the truth."
If I were a literary doctor, I’d prescribe The Gold Diggers as obligatory reading for all South Africans. Dosage and directions for use? “Read it once and, if you’re still unmoved, read it again...and again until you get it. Or read it simply because it’s an excellent book and reading fiction is good for you.”
Published earlier this year and set in 2008, The Gold Diggers tells the stories of eight Zimbabweans who, desperate for different reasons, engage the illicit people transportation services of the unscrupulous Melusi and Givemore. The perilous journey involves swimming across the Limpopo, crawling through barbed wire fences and dodging soldiers (and worse) to make their way to Johannesburg, where other, arguably as dangerous obstacles await them.
The novel follows their lives (by then there are seven), which sometimes intertwine, in the city. It describes the lengths the Zimbabweans have to go to survive in an inhospitable place that teems with opportunists and hostility. Twins Chamunorwa and Chenai are reunited with their mother, Sibongile, who has found work and security in the suburbs. But even then, settling in South Africa isn’t easy. Chamu is the stronger of the two, but, just as things seem to be coming right for him, tragedy strikes. Beautiful, troubled Chenai finally accepts that she is gorgeous and is convinced to become a model, but her troubled past shadows her and, without Chamu’s strength, she falters.
Engineer Dumisani eventually finds wealth and success as the CEO of a financial services company, but his plans to bring his beloved wife, Christine to South Africa fail, as does their marriage. Ambitious Lindani is lured into unlawful dealings with shocking consequences. When Portia’s husband, Vusani insists that she and their son Nkosi return to Zimbabwe – he’s shacked up with another woman – she decides otherwise. The chance discovery of a South African passport gives her a new identity and a way into the corporate world. But will that end well? Little Gugulethu sobs when she is separated from her loving Gogo in Bulawayo and is taken to South Africa to be with her parents. But what happens when they don’t arrive to fetch her from Melusi and Givemore as planned?
Nyathi is a masterful storyteller and The Gold Diggers is ‘leave-me-alone-can't-you-see-I’m-reading’ enthralling. The novel moves at pace and her characters are endearing, infuriating, sometimes funny and always human. I rooted for the immigrants and railed at Melusi, Givemore and Dumisani’s ruthless uncle Melume Jackson. It’s a heart-breaking story with sunny moments, which not only entertained me from beginning to end, but had me thinking about the characters even when (damn it!) I had to set the book aside and get on with other things.
I’ve been pondering the role fiction plays in helping us understand one another a great deal recently; the power it has to evoke empathy and awareness and fiction's place in teaching us humanity and helping us heal. After all, as Nadine Gordimer said, "Fiction uses metaphor to help us see the truth."
If I were a literary doctor, I’d prescribe The Gold Diggers as obligatory reading for all South Africans. Dosage and directions for use? “Read it once and, if you’re still unmoved, read it again...and again until you get it. Or read it simply because it’s an excellent book and reading fiction is good for you.”
July 6, 2024
التطهير العرقي جاء في بعض القبائل الزمبابوية في فترة الثمانيات ، أودي لثلاثون ألف زمبابوي. هرب الكثيرون من الموت عبر رحلات غير شرعية ، ليقطنوا في مدينة جوهانسبرغ؛ المُلقبة بمدينة الذهب . مدينة صاخبة غنية بها الكثير من الخدمات على عكس القبائل الفقيرة في زمبابوي. يحسبوا أنها الخلاص من مشقاتهم .
أشارت الكاتبة لبعد الفساد و الاستغلال الذي يقوم به الهجرات غير الشرعية، و ضعف النفوس الناجم عن الفقر الذي يسفر بفساد الشخصيات من عصابات مخدرات ، دعارة، اغتصاب، جهل شديد.
أخذت تكرر كلمة "الرجل الأبيض" و دلالة على التفرقة العنصرية "العرقية" بين بشرتي جنوب الأفارقة ، حيث البيض هم الأغنياء ذو السلطة أما ذو بشرة داكنة هم الفقراء.
للأسف ذكر المساوىء النهايا�� غير السعيدة للشخصيات؛ لتوضح عكس ما تمنوا و أن مدن الصخب هي الأسواء عن القرى .
أحببت رمزية "مدينة الذهب" ؛ كأنهم يهربون من واقعهم المرير ليحصلوا على أشياء نفيسة و لكن وجدوها في الآخر سراب.
سعيدة بترجمات دار الربيع التي أعطت لنا رؤية الثقافات الأخرى و معانتهم .
أشيد أيضاً لجمال الغلاف و الموديل الأفريقية عليه.
أشارت الكاتبة لبعد الفساد و الاستغلال الذي يقوم به الهجرات غير الشرعية، و ضعف النفوس الناجم عن الفقر الذي يسفر بفساد الشخصيات من عصابات مخدرات ، دعارة، اغتصاب، جهل شديد.
أخذت تكرر كلمة "الرجل الأبيض" و دلالة على التفرقة العنصرية "العرقية" بين بشرتي جنوب الأفارقة ، حيث البيض هم الأغنياء ذو السلطة أما ذو بشرة داكنة هم الفقراء.
للأسف ذكر المساوىء النهايا�� غير السعيدة للشخصيات؛ لتوضح عكس ما تمنوا و أن مدن الصخب هي الأسواء عن القرى .
أحببت رمزية "مدينة الذهب" ؛ كأنهم يهربون من واقعهم المرير ليحصلوا على أشياء نفيسة و لكن وجدوها في الآخر سراب.
سعيدة بترجمات دار الربيع التي أعطت لنا رؤية الثقافات الأخرى و معانتهم .
أشيد أيضاً لجمال الغلاف و الموديل الأفريقية عليه.
July 15, 2018
Sue takes us on a journey of individuals leaving their home country for greener pastures. But is the grass really greener on the other sides?
I could not read this book in one sitting. The minute my eyes glistened, with tears threatening to break through, I finished the chapter and shut the book with all kinds of emotions.
A book I would recommend. A book that reminds us of the Afrophobia that continues to exists in SA.
I could not read this book in one sitting. The minute my eyes glistened, with tears threatening to break through, I finished the chapter and shut the book with all kinds of emotions.
A book I would recommend. A book that reminds us of the Afrophobia that continues to exists in SA.
April 21, 2022
My review is up on www.bookamoso.co.za
April 17, 2025
لم تكن الحياة هنا غير عادلة وحسب، بل قاسية بشكلٍ موحش ~
رواية مأساوية تضج بالألم والعنف والمأساة ..
تسرد لنا الكاتبة الزيمبابوية من خلال هذه الرواية المأساوية الباحثات عن الذهب الواقع المرير والعنيف والمؤلم الذي يمر به الهاربون من واقعهم الصعب في زيمبابوي نحو أرض الذهب جنوب أفريقيا، فهل ستنجح رحلة فرارهم يا ترى ؟ وماذا ينتظرهم من مآسي وقصص تصرخ عنفًا ووحشية وقسوة وإجرام وعنصرية وتسلط لما يواجهونه في هذه الرحلة المليئة بالمتاعب والتضحيات والدم والموت .. هل كان الذهب هو ما يبحثون عنه أم وجدوا عوضًا عنه شيئًا آخر ؟!
رواية لمن يملك قلبًا من حجر ..
الترجمة للأسف بها الكثير من الأخطاء اللغوية والمطبعية ..
رواية مأساوية تضج بالألم والعنف والمأساة ..
تسرد لنا الكاتبة الزيمبابوية من خلال هذه الرواية المأساوية الباحثات عن الذهب الواقع المرير والعنيف والمؤلم الذي يمر به الهاربون من واقعهم الصعب في زيمبابوي نحو أرض الذهب جنوب أفريقيا، فهل ستنجح رحلة فرارهم يا ترى ؟ وماذا ينتظرهم من مآسي وقصص تصرخ عنفًا ووحشية وقسوة وإجرام وعنصرية وتسلط لما يواجهونه في هذه الرحلة المليئة بالمتاعب والتضحيات والدم والموت .. هل كان الذهب هو ما يبحثون عنه أم وجدوا عوضًا عنه شيئًا آخر ؟!
رواية لمن يملك قلبًا من حجر ..
الترجمة للأسف بها الكثير من الأخطاء اللغوية والمطبعية ..
April 17, 2024
رواية مأساوية
August 6, 2020
"The raging fire, a collage of yellow, red and orange, engulfed _____ in a hot embrace. It singed his dreadlocks, which burned like paper. The ferocious flames danced off his body eliciting a crackling sound as his flesh began to roast. The acrid smell of burning tissue filled the air. It was pungent and nauseating. The fire was fanned by their fury; fuelled by their resentment of foreigners who crawled across the borders and stole their jobs, stole their houses, stole their women. The foreigners were rude and abrasive. They disrespected them in their own country. They did not even want to learn their languages. They deserved to die. Every one of them. They deserved to be consumed by the fires of hell."
The stories told detail the perils and tribulations faced by a group of illegal Zimbabwean immigrants as they voyage onto a land they hope will bring an end to their poverty and unemployment. The reader is given an insider's view of what our brothers and sisters from lands less fortunate than ours have to endure just to access the crumbs of the pie.
I loved how the stories are realistic, painted with a brush of sincerity and candour. Human trafficking, child prostitution, drug peddling, domestic violence, incestuous rape, mental unwellness, murder, interracial relationships, xenophobia, drug addiction, depression, illegal organ harvesting, identify theft, family fragmentation, migration and some scattered happily-ever-afters here and there, this book is a melting pot of relatable eventualities.
These are the untold stories of these foreigners we yell at to "go home." Stories of men and women whom we have defaced and reduced to nothing more than just illegal immigrants." Stories we neglect to consider when we set them on fire and pelt their bodies with stones.
A great read and highly recommended.
Thank you Sue for writing our stories.
The stories told detail the perils and tribulations faced by a group of illegal Zimbabwean immigrants as they voyage onto a land they hope will bring an end to their poverty and unemployment. The reader is given an insider's view of what our brothers and sisters from lands less fortunate than ours have to endure just to access the crumbs of the pie.
I loved how the stories are realistic, painted with a brush of sincerity and candour. Human trafficking, child prostitution, drug peddling, domestic violence, incestuous rape, mental unwellness, murder, interracial relationships, xenophobia, drug addiction, depression, illegal organ harvesting, identify theft, family fragmentation, migration and some scattered happily-ever-afters here and there, this book is a melting pot of relatable eventualities.
These are the untold stories of these foreigners we yell at to "go home." Stories of men and women whom we have defaced and reduced to nothing more than just illegal immigrants." Stories we neglect to consider when we set them on fire and pelt their bodies with stones.
A great read and highly recommended.
Thank you Sue for writing our stories.
June 3, 2021
I just spent the entire evening listening to this book. What a tale! I guarantee that this will make a great pick for a book club.
Set in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the UK; the story follows the lives of eight Zimbabweans fleeing their country for Johannesburg in search of greener pastures in the streets rumored to be paved with gold.
At the beginning of this novel, you might be tempted to let your guard down and be hopeful. I advice that you proceed with caution, because as the story unravels so does gloom and greater uncertainty. As a reader familiar with stories of immigration, I was thrilled by the numerous ways that Sue Nyathi was able to apply the element of surprise thus making the plot unpredictable.
I also like that she chose to focus on immigration within the continent as opposed to the popular places explored by stories with similar themes such as the U.S., the U.K. etc.
Overall, I highly recommend it as a good read. I rated it 4.5 of 5 stars because even though I am super impressed with the plot, the delivery wasn’t as groundbreaking as I would expect from a 5 star read.
P.S. The narrator did a great job with the audiobook, so feel free to check that out as well, if you’d like to
Set in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the UK; the story follows the lives of eight Zimbabweans fleeing their country for Johannesburg in search of greener pastures in the streets rumored to be paved with gold.
At the beginning of this novel, you might be tempted to let your guard down and be hopeful. I advice that you proceed with caution, because as the story unravels so does gloom and greater uncertainty. As a reader familiar with stories of immigration, I was thrilled by the numerous ways that Sue Nyathi was able to apply the element of surprise thus making the plot unpredictable.
I also like that she chose to focus on immigration within the continent as opposed to the popular places explored by stories with similar themes such as the U.S., the U.K. etc.
Overall, I highly recommend it as a good read. I rated it 4.5 of 5 stars because even though I am super impressed with the plot, the delivery wasn’t as groundbreaking as I would expect from a 5 star read.
P.S. The narrator did a great job with the audiobook, so feel free to check that out as well, if you’d like to
November 29, 2020
The Gold Diggers tells the intersecting stories of a group of Zimbabweans who left to find better opportunities beyond the country's borders. The stories are captivating and narrate some unthinkable tales which show what great lengths people are capable of going to in search of better lives.
As a Zimbabwean this is a great read which shows how our economic troubles have ravaged the people. Broken families, premature deaths, drug addiction, human trafficking. All of it is there. A great read which is well written and researched.
Thank you for this gem Sue!
As a Zimbabwean this is a great read which shows how our economic troubles have ravaged the people. Broken families, premature deaths, drug addiction, human trafficking. All of it is there. A great read which is well written and researched.
Thank you for this gem Sue!
March 11, 2020
I've never cried so hard in my life! The fact that it's based on Zimbabwean characters in South Africa made it all too real for me. It HURT really bad. i admire Sue Nyathi's writing skills and her ability to capture emotions and paint a vivid picture.
Not for the faint hearted but an easy 5 star
Not for the faint hearted but an easy 5 star
October 31, 2020
"You will weep reading it, but it will be the kind of outpour of emotions where afterwards, you will never assume the motivations of an illegal immigrant again, or underestimate the power of desperation." Read my full review of The Gold Diggers on Have You Read This.
March 3, 2023
رواية بديعة ومؤلمة جدا جدا..
December 2, 2019
Loved it.
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