Refugees 'to be reintegrated'

2009-11-18 10:28

Cape Town - Informal settlements at De Doorns in the Western Cape were quiet on Wednesday morning following Tuesday's outbreak of xenophobia, the local police chief said.

"Police are still in the area monitoring the situation," said station commissioner Superintendent Desmond van der Westhuizen.

Head of disaster management for the Breede River local municipality Previn Govender said the displaced foreigners had spent Tuesday night at a securely fenced sports field in the town.

One large tent was erected for them after midnight, and two more would be put up there during the course of the day on Wednesday.

Food, facilities

The municipality, together with the Red Cross and Salvation Army, had provided food on Tuesday night, and would continue to do so on Wednesday.

"Obviously for as long as this thing drags on we will try to ensure their basic needs," he said.

Toilet facilities had been provided at the sports field, and the municipality hoped to make health services available in the form of a mobile clinic.

Attempts would be made to reintegrate the people into the informal settlements they had come from, he said.

Some farmers have reportedly also accommodated refugees.

Evacuated

Some 2 000 foreign nationals evacuated the settlements on Tuesday following confrontations with local residents. The locals had prevented foreigners from climbing onto the trucks of farmers collecting seasonal workers for the day.

The locals claimed the foreigners - mostly Zimbabweans, but including some Lesotho nationals - were accepting lower wages than locals and robbing them of jobs. They also broke down shacks that foreigners had been living in.

SABC news reported on Wednesday morning that some foreigners started fighting amongst each other about whether they should go to work or not.

The police had to break up a fist fight between them, said the radio report.

- SAPA