Two months since xenophobic attacks left De Doorns divided, the locals are adamant that they will chase out any Zimbabweans who try to return.According to the Cape Argus, thousands of Zimbabweans have been living in tents on the towns only sports field since November.
Those who live in Stofland, an informal settlement outside De Doorns, told the Cape Argus that they did not, under any circumstances, want the immigrants back.
We will braai them and turn them into KFC if they come back. Theres no place for them here, said Pastor Frans Henke on his return from a church service.
Other residents called the Zimbabweans dirty, accused them of practising witchcraft, and said they offered themselves as cheap labour, leaving locals unemployed.
They are a different nation with different cultures. Im not angry with them, but they must go back to their own country, said Henke.
Moses Masimini, a labour broker who lives in the area, denied that xenophobia had anything to do with the fact that more than 2,000 people had been driven from their homes.
Its got nothing to do with xenophobia. Its all about work and resources. Theres no space here for them. They were never part of this community, and would never stand with us, he charged.
Those living in the tented camp on the De Doorns rugby field have accused the government of not informing them of what will happen to them.
Mike Moyo, chairman of the committee for the displaced, said that since they were moved to the field on November 14, government and other officials had not discussed plans with them.
He said it was rumoured that the government had been in meetings with Stofland residents, and that reintegration had been discussed.
Besides interacting with the site manager, Moyo said, there had been no feedback from the authorities on the outcome of any meetings.
Breede Valley mayor Charles Ntsomi said continuing tensions in the area meant re-integrating the Zimbabweans was not possible at this stage.
What can I tell the people? It seems that reintegration is simply not possible. There is still a lot we have to do to educate locals on why the refugees are here. So we cant force them back to communities. What if people are killed? he said.
Ntsomi is also under pressure to find alternative accommodation for the Zimbabweans. The camp is costing the municipality R71,000 a month. And because the refugees temporary home is the only sporting facility in the area, the sports forum is angry because the field cannot be used.
Moyo claimed conditions in the camp are fast deteriorating.
The only thing that has changed here is that things have worsened, said Moyo. He said the ill spent their days lying in unbearably hot tents, getting sicker.
He said several people had contracted tuberculosis.
The Zimbabweans, said Moyo, were also too scared to venture out to the clinic for fear of further victimisation by Stofland residents. So they left their illnesses many of which were contagious untreated.
Many were also too weak to walk to the clinic.
Moyo said most of the workers had families in Zimbabwe whom they supported financially. But because of the untreated illnesses spreading through the camp, work days were lost.
Despite the attacks two months ago, people still go to work each day.
Zimbabweans work. They dont depend on anybody. Even old ladies go to work, unlike the locals, said Moyo.
He denied they offered themselves as cheap labour to undermine local workers.
The fees are not up to us. Labour brokers meet with farmers and agree on the amount to be paid, which we adhere to. It was like this before we arrived; we just fell in with the way things were being done, Moyo explained.
Post published in: News