People by the thousands risk crocodile attacks, robbery, drowning and arrest to cross the Limpopo River from Zimbabwe to South Africa, part of a booming migrant economy.
Sonja Falck was happily married to a man 34 years her senior. When their age gap started to test their bond, they had to change their relationship in order to save it.
Portia Stafford has a high school diploma in hospitality and three certificates from job training programs. She is among a generation of ambitious Africans who spend their days chasing an elusive opening.
Officials blame immigrants and liberal housing laws, but a Times investigation found the entrenched problems that turned downtown Johannesburg into a blighted tinderbox.