The big question coming out of all the centres of refuge for “foreigners” displaced by xenophobic violence in and around police stations, civic centres and churches is where do we go from here?
What plans are on the table to protect, sustain and eventually reintegrate into the community some 30 000 (and growing) displaced people, many of whom have been here for years and have long since made South Africa their home.
We received no answer to this question and certainly no government plans to achieve reintegration in the face of a major humanitarian catastrophe were on offer yesterday, when as part of a Parliamentary investigating team I visited four of the sites of xenophobic violence around Gauteng. Kicking off in Alexandra we proceeded to Tembisa and Reiger Park. The reason I was part of the group is that a section of Alex falls into my designated constituency area and in a council ward (Ward 91) which the DA won in 2006, so we have a direct responsibility.
Local government representatives and representatives of community organisations, who have been run ragged helping to provide food and clothing for the refugees posed this question. The Crisis Committee in Germiston where over 11 000 refugees are being cared for, told us they had provisions only until 2 June.
But it’s not only a matter of material survival. If these displaced fellow Africans are to be reintegrated, government will have its work cut out to persuade particularly the poorer communities to have them back. The police reported to us that local shack dwellers are unrepentant. We were told at Reiger Park that the burnt shacks of foreigners at Ramphosa squatter settlement had already been cleared and new shacks were being built on the sites by locals, for themselves.
Some of my impressions are as follows:
After a two hour session at police headquarters at Alexandra also involving community groups and local councillors, it seems that all parties believe there was a certain amount of orchestration and planning behind the violence that started on Sunday 11th May in a section of Alex known as “Beirut,” which is dominated politically by the IFP and residentially by hostel dwellers. After a residents’ meeting in the afternoon the violence started at 20:00 that evening. We gained a different impression at Tembisa, and the other centres where the violence was more in the nature of opportunistic copy-cat incidents of crime which nevertheless has done enormous damage.
While the police were caught napping when the violence broke out, being ill equipped and under-resourced, they have quickly caught up and it is clear that with the assistance of the SANDF the violence is under control. At the same time it must be acknowledged that the SAPS, with the assistance of local public reps and community organisations have been magnificent in the way they have afforded places of refuge for the victims. We visited halls and tented camps where the victims had been made as comfortable as possible with adequate ablution and cooking facilities for the short term.
South African civil society has opened its heart and given generously. Government, it seems, has yet to wake up to the enormous task in hand of reintegrating our fellow Africans who have made their home in our country in the poor urban settlements.
@ Sheila
I think you can put it even more simply – Government has yet to wake up to anything…
- HIV/AIDs
- Crime & Violence
- Fraud in Government
- Unemployment
- Safe drinking water
- Safe hospitals
How about setting an example in your own constituency?
To ‘South African in Europe’ – some of us are women, and some of us women are real.
Let’s hear your ideas, Sheila, on what you think the government – and the rest of us – should do?
As communities – even if our areas are not directly affected – we should be working to make it possible for these internal refugees to return to their adopted homes. Masiphumelele, near Fish Hoek, Cape Town, is being a model of tolerance that the rest of the country should follow. Led by local church and community leaders they have volwed to protect returnign foreigners from the violent elements in their communities. Let’s hope they succeed.
We all need to understand that the ‘refugees’ need to be able to return to the niches they’ve carved for themselves in their adopted land. They are very, very angry. They fled their home countries with nothing, worked against all odds to earn a living and contribute to their communities, only to have what little they’d gathered together, ripped away from them. They didn’t deserve this.
There needs to be reconciliation work done between them and the communities that ousted them.
More ideas, please, from everyone. We can’t wait for the government to act. We have “Crisis, what crisis?” leadership at play.
I have often wondered if we should not have zones in our cities where African immigrants (legal / illegal) are able to live in relative peace and stability. The idea was specifically that they be able to practice their skills in these zones without fear or persecution. We have many people with masters and doctorates in SA that work as security guards and car guards just to earn an income – it is such a waste.
However, I have not been able to figure out how it could would be practically implemented. Yes, I know theoretically legal refugees should be able to work anywhere, but they dont in practice. And technically, we should not encourage illegal immigration by giving them “free” zones where they are able to work. But we need their skills, their expertise, etc. The area must not be fenced in for both the residents in these areas should be able to move to these areas, and we the citizens living elsewhere should be able to move freely into these areas.
The idea is not to create another quasi-apartheid system where we live here and they live there, but to create an living environments immigrants are free to build a new life in their adopted country, able to build wealth and contribute to the wealth of SA. Places where govt services and officials are specifically targeted to serve immigrants (refugee applications, foreign French/Portugese speaking police officials, doctors, etc).
But I guess given our history, this is not a real solution.
This post relates to Sheila Camerer’s tone, which is inadequate for this subject matter. The posts in response are correspondingly inadequate.
Sheila Camerer and those who think like her are an essential part of the problem and she will be the last to recognise this. The post emanating from her snug position is a terrible little article saying essentially ‘I am an angel and so of course are my friends but the others are evil. And of course I care for you. Aren’t you lucky’.
As she writes it; ‘But it’s not only a matter of material survival. If these displaced fellow Africans are to be reintegrated, government will have its work cut out to persuade particularly the poorer communities to have them back.’
Show you really care Sheila. Offer them ‘displaced fellow Africans’ your bedroom and the garage and the Wendy House and the pool bar and perhaps the house by the sea. Take them to work in your car. After all, public transport is terrible. Not so?
An active member op the group that single mindedly structured the current problem of disparate wealth and grinding poverty in SA and also worked insidiously and destructively against all independent African nations including Zimbabwe and still seeks to maintain the status quo, she now seeks an opportunity to snipe at those trying to solve the problems she still actively creates, ‘Because’, I am sure she will claim ‘I have changed. It was Mr Mandela you know. Dear, dear Madiba.’ As a consequence she remains an instigator of negativity and division; a good example of what we must never return to.
Madiba would wither her SA in Europe and John Bond it is you who should not use any key other than the Z.
Ja, for the foreigers to be fully integrated in South Africa, we need the governemt to promote inter-racial marriages. Mozambicans for instance marrying white/coloured/indian South Africans, while white/coloured/indian South Africans marry black Zimbabuwens. In that case the country will be a true rainbow nation. What we want to see is a nice sprinkle of black and white wherever you go in this country. That will also have a direct impact on the distribution of wealth. It can also help on the question of Affimative Action, it will be obsolete and die automatically. What’s your take on that one Sheila.
To you “A South African in Europe” what are you doing in europe – hiding?
Government is not interested in making this issue a priority. Justifying Jackie Selebie is on the top of their list.
Miriam
Masiohumelele, near Fish Hoek, is a semi-urban area. It is always easier to control and intergrate these areas. “The Village” helps.
It is going to be much more difficult in the townships of the cities.
@Mr Bond
Thank you for tabling the list of the basic needs for the community in this fashion. I would add housing to this and thanks to Sheila for the question to stimulate our minds to think and plan better a head.
Thank you as well to our community for humanitarian help contributions towards the crises.
These are the things we often ignore that forms the basis of the conflict in our communities, because people cannot afford their daily lives without. As a result in China for instance families are only limited to 2 children to help the govt. to meet these needs.
Back to you Sheila, what is your ideas torwards this? short term plans are up already but what about the future?
Many times people choose politics as their career and get support from the communities but normally, they betray the communities when they encounter these times, am not being personal donn’t get me wrongh.
I am just concern as a community member that we need a strong leadership, leaders who keep their heads above the water to intervene to the present crises, plan long term goals for the future,
and in their plans being critical to prevent the recircling of the crises of this nature.
We have learn a lesson from this as our citizens should be a priority to us and give the surplus help out thereafter.
We really need this kind of a focus,because people would always come and go but our society doesn’t.
Here’s how this outbreak was “orchestrated”:
You win 70% of the vote; You increase the tax take by billions – billions more than even your wildest expectations; You flaunt HUGE wealth among a few fat cats; You spend 99% of your time in-fighting and jockeying for future positions; You punish whistle-blowers and civil servants “on the wrong side” of the in-fighting; You fire critical workers; You never punish non-delivery, you just excuse it; YOu uterly ignore most of your voters except for short whiles just before elections.
Weep for the lost potential. There’s so much we could be doing. And not for the 30 000 foreigners. For our own poor first. We’re much more interested in polishing our marbles (to who out there? George Bush!!?) but we are disinterested in delivering to the poor.
MidaFo
How many immigrants have you taken into YOUR home?
And your siblings?
And your parents?
And your aunts and uncles?
Set an example here !