The forgotten plight of Zimbabwe’s xenophobia victims in SA

By Tichaona Sibanda
9 March 2010

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.