South Africa Archives - No Más Mulas

From clothes seller to drug courier

I am 45 years old, born in Tanzania in the Mbeya region, Kyela district. In a family of 11 children, I am the 10th child.

I got married when I was 17 years old and was blessed with four children, all of whom are boys. But when I was pregnant with my last child, that is when my life changed until today where I am here in prison. When I was three months pregnant, I went to the hospital to start the antenatal care. When you are pregnant in Tanzania, you must test for HIV. I tested and was found to be infected with the HIV virus.

When I returned home and explained the HIV test results to my husband and asked him to test as well, he angrily refused to get tested saying he is safe and has no infection. Since I was the one infected, I entered this situation on my own, and my life changed. He started drinking heavily and beating me a lot.

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Used. Left behind. A voice from Prison.

A letter from a father, someone’s son, a fiancé, a brother to warn others.

I’m writing from prison. Not to ask for sympathy – but to stop you from making the same mistake I did.

I came from a humble background. Like many, I was just trying to survive and to take care of my four children. I was living in the backyard of a small bachelor’s apartment, working hard to stay out of trouble and keep us going.

One day the owner of the property introduced me to the new owner of the property. That same man seemed successful. He offered help and a better future. Things moved quickly and before I knew it, I was involved in something I couldn’t walk away from.

Continue reading Used. Left behind. A voice from Prison.

Freedom is just a distant memory

I am writing to you from a place where “freedom is just a distant memory.” I’ve lost count of the days, weeks, months, and years that have passed since I was taken away from my loved ones in South Africa.

I was promised a job opportunity in Brazil, and now I’m paying the price. I’m trapped in a prison, thousands of miles away from my family and loved ones in Hong Kong. My children are growing up without me, and my fiancée is shouldering the burden of caring for them alone.

I’m allowed only one phone call a month for ten minutes and can only communicate through letters. I’ve missed countless milestones, birthdays, and special moments. The pain of being separated from my loved ones, and knowing that I will not be able to see them for years—and if I see them and no one has passed away in the time I’m away in prison—is unbearable all the time.

Continue reading Freedom is just a distant memory

False hope from a false friend

I am a 36-year-old woman from South Africa. I have a 13-year-old son and have been also caring for my grandmother and my late sister’s children. My sister passed away in April 2021, leaving behind a son and daughter who are 7 and 5.

I lost my job in 2020 and started a food business, but I lost that too due to the unrest in my city in 2022. I was living in an unhappy marriage with an abusive husband. It took me a long time to leave him because I was concerned about how I would support the children.

One day, I met a woman who said she knew me, though I didn’t remember her. She said she was sorry about the passing of my late sister and my failed food business. I was surprised to hear this so I asked how she knew all that. Turns out she used to be acquainted with my sister and had patronized my business once before. I cried. She was moved and asked me what I needed most. I told her I desperately needed to restart my business, as it was very difficult to find a job due to the unrest. She said she was going to Johannesburg and would return in two weeks to discuss how she could help me. She gave me her contact information and a food voucher before leaving. I was so happy about this encounter that I told my family all about it and the nice woman I had met.

Continue reading False hope from a false friend

When your life is past due

I am a 29 years old woman from South Africa. In 2022 I was arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport for trafficking dangerous drug. I am a single mother of two boys, aged 11 and 9 years old.

Before my arrest, I had been struggling to support my sons financially. In 2020 I enrolled in a college for a 3-year course. Once admitted I was offered a bursary that only covered my fees, but in order to get it, I needed to achieve a certain percentage in my exams. Unfortunately I struggled to maintain the grades, and in 2022 my performance dropped. The bursary stopped paying for my fees, but I continued studying without paying and I managed to qualify to write my final-year exams.

Being arrested is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I am emotionally drained, I just live because there is nothing else to do.

Continue reading When your life is past due

Living in anguish far from home

I am now in detention and I want to share my story of how I got tricked into trafficking cocaine into Hong Kong on 25th October 2022. That was the day I got arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport upon arriving.I am a 29-year-old mother of two. In 2020, I got a call from my ex-husband because things could not work out between us. We had separated in 2016 when I had just gotten pregnant with our second child. I had to relocate to a different town because a lot had happened to me. I needed space. I had left home by then, my grandparents who raised me didn’t agree with me having a baby. They were scared that with the way I was maybe I would go dump the child in the street. So I left them and went to my childhood friend who was willing to take me in. We started living happily. We found work as sales agents at one of the most popular insurance companies in my country because before I could separate from my ex-husband I was already selling insurance.

Continue reading Living in anguish far from home

Missing life

To all South African people,

I’m a white lady, 63 years of age, and am now sitting in a women’s prison for trafficking drugs into Hong Kong.

I am so very sorry that I have ever committed such a terrible crime. I am now a lonely person. I was always willing to help others, but my goodness and kindness were used against me. I needed to help other people, but they used my kindness to benefit from me, not because they cared. I have lost so much now in my life.

Continue reading Missing life

If I could have seen the future…

A warning to all South Africans and the rest of the world

I am a 36-year-old mother of four. I am a single mother who was struggling to raise my children. Things were not easy for me to provide for their needs. I am a high school dropout which made it hard for me to get a job, so I did part-time jobs as a domestic worker and also had a small business buying and selling second-hand clothes and hair products to provide for my children. My dream was to give them a good education.

Cocaine wrapped as Christmas gifts seized at Hong Kong airport, two men due in court

Two men accused of trafficking cocaine wrapped up as Christmas presents into Hong Kong are due in court on Monday.

Customs seized HK$30 million worth of the addictive stimulant from the luggage of two men, who were arrested after arriving at the city’s international airport on Friday. The two 25-year-old male passengers landed at Hong Kong International Airport on the same flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.

During the customs clearance, officers found a total of 24kg of the suspected cocaine in two of the men’s checked-in bags, which were packaged into 25 blocks and disguised with Christmas decorations and festive wrapping paper.

The two men have each been charged with one count of trafficking a dangerous drug. They will appear at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

The bust led customs officials to warn of a spike in drug smuggling for the festive season.

“With the Christmas and New Year holidays approaching, there is a possibility that drug syndicates need to traffic in dangerous drugs urgently in order to meet increased demand during the long holidays,” a spokesman for the department said.

“Customs will further step up enforcement action to combat transnational drug trafficking activities before the long holidays.”

Sources: SCMP, HK Customs and Excise Department

The promise, the lie, and the suitcase

This story is for all people, to please take note and take care not to be used by the Nigerian drug lords for muling their drugs.

I was misused, as a fool, by trusting a friend who knew a Nigerian who could help me with a job. Due to the high unemployment rate in our country the Nigerian’s come with all these sweet stories of how they can help us earn some “legal” money. Be careful for they are recruiting people on our beach front in Durban, South Africa.