The forgotten plight of Zimbabwe’s xenophobia victims in SA
Posted on March 10, 2010 | Category: Politics; Business, Sport
At least 1,500 Zimbabweans who fled their homes in the De Doorns farming
area in the Western Cape, after they were attacked by South African mobs,
believe they have been overlooked by authorities and aid agencies.
Many of the displaced were informal settlers living in shacks. They competed
for seasonal jobs on the farms with local South Africans who began attacking
them and demolishing their homes in November last year.
Four months on, half of the original 3,000 refugees that fled the xenophobic
attacks say their plight has for the most part been swept under the rug and
forgotten.
Emmanuel Mabika and his family have been living on the field of a rugby club
since the attacks. There are no family photos or possessions recalling their
former lives in a community that was torn apart by xenophobia.
‘Most people here didn’t take anything with them because they didn’t have
time. We had to run for our lives. The only thing that comes to mind in such
a situation is to save your children and your own life,’ said Mabika. ‘You
don’t think about the clothes, you don’t think about personal documents, you
just grab what is near you and run.’
Mabika told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that little success has been achieved
on local integration, with less than 1,000 former refugees finding space to
co-exist with the locals, while the rest have packed their bags and moved
elsewhere
‘Most of us that are stuck here live in desperate conditions and face a
bleak future. The aid agencies have pulled out, the Red Cross and the United
Nations High Commissoner for Refugees have all gone. We very much appreciate
PASSOP (a group dedicated to the rights of refugees) drawing attention to
the ongoing refugee crisis in De Doorns,’ Mabika said.
Conditions in the temporary camp are dire. When it is raining fires are a
regular threat and often fatal. Weeks ago, a blaze destroyed a tent when the
occupants were preparing a meal inside, leaving three people injured and
without shelter.
The camp has irregular electricity and water supply is from a single source.
Hundreds of children live there in difficult conditions without enough food
or water and yet almost everyone has forgotten about these victims of
xenophobia.
Everisto Kamera, a volunteer with PASSOP, told us conditions in the camp
were becoming catastrophic. Mounds of waste take weeks to be collected, some
resort to burning it. As a result of the putrid air, health becomes an
issue.
‘Its sad, many of these refugees cannot return home for fear of political
persecution while others believe conditions here are far better than those
in Zimbabwe,’ Kamera said.
He added; ‘What I’ve seen so far in assessing the situation in De Doorns is
a serious lack of support for families who are victims of xenophobic
attacks. International aid agencies and the donors that support them are
often able and willing to meet the emergency needs of the displaced in
camps, but when it comes time to invest in reintergration, neither the
agencies nor the funding is present at anywhere near the level required.’
‘The problem is compounded by the authorities who are not proactive enough
to deal with xenophobia, but reactive only when the situation turns ugly,’
Kamera said.
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