The Golddiggers

Written by Sue Nyathi

Narrated by Malika Ndlovu

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: May 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781770106208

Reviews for The Golddiggers

[Achievement Dhlakama · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story about ordinary Zimbabweans told beautifully and skillfully!!! Read perfectly too

[Kizza Racheal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This has got to be one of my favourite books by Sue Nyathi. I love that she examines issues that the society is grappling with. With many zimbabweans moving to South Africa hoping for a better experience but finding that its better to find gold in your own country than in another. The gold is in the friends who stand by you through thick and thin.
The narration was superb. The plot was neatly done. The suspense and plot twists were beautifully executed.
I recommend the book to all.

[SammiKoalaReads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

?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.

#TheGoldDiggers #SueNyathi #5starbookreview

[D Makhathini · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A novel about a group of Zimbabweans who come into South Africa, illegally, in search of a better life. The author calls them the gold diggers, the gold diggers are a a diverse group from the youngest girl Gugulethu to male and female adults Dumisani and Portia.

Great storytelling about the different experiences of the gold diggers; Dumisani lands a good job and becomes CEO, Lindani sells her soul for a flashy life to Cayen a Nigerian drug dealer, Gugulethu is sold to a Chinese man for child prostitution, Chenai lands a good modeling contract but loses everything to drugs including her Italian fiancé and she later dies, Chamunorwa (Chinai’s twin brother) finds love and later dies in a tragic accident; Portia lands a good job as receptionist at a law firm after changing her identity to Phakama Nkosi and she later marries one of the advocates from the law firm.

The book highlights the sad, challenging and cruel realities and experiences of Zimbabweans in South Africa. Sue Nyathi refused to give the reader happy endings, probably to emphasize these realities.

[Sharon Traylor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. Loved the flow of the writing and would read something from this author again

[KC Rottok · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great writing by Sue, well thought out plot, unpredictable endings.