Congolese lawyer, Chris Kwigomba, lived through the recent spate of xenophobic attacks and believed the situation would calm down and that life would return to normal.
The feeling of confidence was heightened by an announcement by the municipality that it was safe for foreigners to return to their former abodes because the threat of violence was over.
Councillors in areas such as Cato Crest and Mariannhill said their communities would welcome back victims of xenophobia.
Last week, Kwigomba decided to go back to his flat in Umbilo and return to his managerial job at a local food outlet. But as soon as he was spotted in the building, all hell broke loose.
"Someone started screaming 'ikwerekwere' (a derogatory name for 'foreigner') and the next thing there were angry people beating me up with hard objects for no reason," he said.
"I became unconscious and woke up in King Edward VIII Hospital with a head injury and bruises."
Like so many refugees, Kwigomba is between a rock and a hard place. He claims it is not safe to live in the local community and he cannot go back to the Congo because he fears he will lose his life.
"Those who fled the Congo are looked upon as traitors. Whichever way you look at it, it would seem we are doomed."
He said all the refugees were asking for was a safe place to stay.
Mariannhill councillor, Pearl Luthuli, and her Cato Crest counterpart, Gloria Borman, paint a different picture.
Luthuli said she had not heard of any returning refugees who were assaulted.
"If it did happen, it would have been done by an individual and not a group of people because we have been addressing this issue and people don't seem to have a problem with them returning. I would say that it is safe for them to come back," she said.
"As far as I know, most of the foreign members of our community have been returning to their homes safely." - Daily News
The feeling of confidence was heightened by an announcement by the municipality that it was safe for foreigners to return to their former abodes because the threat of violence was over.
Councillors in areas such as Cato Crest and Mariannhill said their communities would welcome back victims of xenophobia.
Last week, Kwigomba decided to go back to his flat in Umbilo and return to his managerial job at a local food outlet. But as soon as he was spotted in the building, all hell broke loose.
"Someone started screaming 'ikwerekwere' (a derogatory name for 'foreigner') and the next thing there were angry people beating me up with hard objects for no reason," he said.
"I became unconscious and woke up in King Edward VIII Hospital with a head injury and bruises."
Like so many refugees, Kwigomba is between a rock and a hard place. He claims it is not safe to live in the local community and he cannot go back to the Congo because he fears he will lose his life.
"Those who fled the Congo are looked upon as traitors. Whichever way you look at it, it would seem we are doomed."
| 'most of the foreign members of our community have been returning to their homes safely' |
Mariannhill councillor, Pearl Luthuli, and her Cato Crest counterpart, Gloria Borman, paint a different picture.
Luthuli said she had not heard of any returning refugees who were assaulted.
"If it did happen, it would have been done by an individual and not a group of people because we have been addressing this issue and people don't seem to have a problem with them returning. I would say that it is safe for them to come back," she said.
"As far as I know, most of the foreign members of our community have been returning to their homes safely." - Daily News
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