Normalcy for refugees

Responding to queries raised by The Zimbabwean this week, the DMPSP spokesman, Walter da Costa e silva, said that his organisation so far had won the approval and recognition of the Gauteng provincial authorities and now sat in the City of Johannesburg Advisory Panel. The organisation is also part of what is known as the Shelter Working group responsible for selecting suitable accommodation for migrants.

Due to concerns raised by the refugees, non-governmental organizations andsome churches, efforts have been made to identify alternative accommodation for the migrants at CMC, most of whom are Zimbabweans sharing the space with Malawians, Congolese, Zambians, Mozambicans and South Africans. Following continued dialogue featuring DMPSP, City of Johannesburg, the

United Nations Development Programme, the European Commission and the Gauteng provincial government, a building in central Johannesburg has been chosen for the homeless Zimbabweans, Costa said in the statement.

Many homeless Zimbabweans at CMC lack skills, experience or education to sustain themselves, hence their continued stay at the church, and because theDMPSP has taken this into account, a comprehensive skills development programme is one of the priorities on its agenda. Without giving a definite date, Costa was confident that the UNDP and the EU would be ready with all that is required to move the people by the end of the month.

“It is safe to say that we working hard at moving the people at CMC to a suitable shelter and placing them through a programme that will assist them in becoming self-sufficient,” said Costa. Under the relocation and skills programme, the DMPSP has established a website, “web trust” where supporters, sponsors and people proposing projects can interact.