Strangers of Braamfontein

A perceptive and vigorous tale of people trapped in dire circumstances

Heartbroken and essentially alone in the world, Osas puts what little he has into ascertaining the papers that will permit him to enter Johannesburg, South Africa, from his homeland of Nigeria, only to learn that life has dealt him another blow. With no other prospects, he befriends a fellow countryman, and a known criminal who quickly sees in Osas a young man hungry and wily enough to sell drugs and run street hustles. Chamai has come to South Africa from Zimbabwe to further his education, but when his financial resources dry up, he turns to sex work to make enough money to eat. In The Strangers of Braamfontein, Onyeka Nwelue pits the aspirations of those always striving for more against the harsh realities of the immigrant experience.