'They said we must go'
2009-11-17 23:11
Cape Town - "What will the future hold for us? They started destroying our houses and said we must go."
This was the feeling on Tuesday night of a weary Philip Chinomera, 46, one of 3 500 foreigners who fled their shacks in the township of De Doorns in the Western Cape because of angry locals.
On Tuesday morning locals tried to stop foreigners from getting onto the trucks of farmers coming to collect workers for the day. They had also demolished a number of shacks rented by foreign nationals.
Luckily, they had already been vacated.
'They don't belong in SA'
Tensions began to flare up after 68 foreigners had slept at a municipal storeroom next to a police station at the weekend following a shebeen fight in which Zimbabweans were involved.
Rumours then began to circulate that action was to be taken against foreigners.
A local resident, Sibongiseni Makapela, 18, said South Africans are breaking down the homes of Zimbabweans because "they don't belong in South Africa".
About 1 800 of the foreign nationals who fled, including children, were escorted by police to a sports field where they will sleep in tents.
Many others were taken in by farmers who they work for.
Others simply set off on foot, with their possessions balanced on their heads.
At the municipal storeroom, Nyasha Masayire described South Africans as "very rough".
"They treat us like shit."
'We have papers'
Another Zimbabwean man came running up, holding out his work permit.
"Why do South Africans want to chase us away? We have work permits!" he called out.
According to Masayire, they all have their "papers".
Police station commissioner Desmond van der Westhuizen said no injuries were reported and no arrests were made on Tuesday.
A temporary arrangement was also made between officials and locals to leave the foreigners alone.
But police will still maintain a visible presence in De Doorns, particularly as some Lesotho nationals are still there. Van der Westhuizen said that, for now, the area was quiet and calm.
Councillors, disaster management officials, members of the farming community and the police will meet on Wednesday to discuss what the next plan of action should be.
Van der Westhuizen said the outbreak of xenophobia was not a one-off incident, but an annual occurrence.
"It's a thing with a history," he said. "We must all come on board to solve this problem."