Xenophobia victims 'abandoned'

2009-09-14 14:46

Pretoria - The Department of Home Affairs must take immediate action to help victims of xenophobia in the Alberton area, the DA said on Monday.

"At least four foreign nationals have been living on the pavement in Christian Street, Brackenhurst, for the past month, after they were evicted from a house allegedly rented for them by the United Nations, because the rent was not paid," said Neil Campbell, DA's constituency member of the provincial legislature.

He said DA councillor Maureen Ansett discovered the situation during an inspection of the area.

"She has been feeding them at her own expense. They are also getting assistance from the Brackenhurst Methodist Church in Alberton."

He said the foreigners were scared to return to their countries of origin, Burundi and Sudan.

"They sleep under a tree, cook and defecate in nearby vacant land and bath in a nearby storm-water drain," he said.

Too frightened to leave

He said the fifth foreigner, an Angolan woman, occupied a large house in Brackenhurst, but was too frightened to leave the heavily secured house and had no money to buy even a light globe.

"The house could easily accommodate the refugees from Christian Street but no-one cares enough to manage the situation."

He said the Angolan woman feared that local homeless people would forcefully occupy the house should they become aware of her vulnerability.

Her rental was being paid by the United Nations, he said.

Campbell said the five people had been placed in the Akasia camp, north of Pretoria, following the xenophobic attacks last year, but were moved to Ekurhuleni and allegedly abandoned earlier this year.

He said apparently a larger group from Akasia was camping behind the De Deur police station near Vereeniging.

No shelters

"Until Minister [Nkosazana] Dlamini-Zuma gets her department to function effectively and imposes some control on our borders, lamentable situations such as these will continue."

Home affairs director general of immigration services, Jackie Mackay, said there were no shelters for refugees in the country.

"The last shelter was demolished in March this year, our job is to document people, where they stay afterwards is for the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] to decide," he told Sapa.

The UNHCR was not immediately available for comment.

- SAPA