Ze Bill for ze solution is Beeg

The City of Cape Town spent at least R108-million on relief to victims of xenophobia, but so far has only been reimbursed R17-million by the provincial and national governments.

City chief financial officer Mike Richardson said the R91-million shortfall, which had to be siphoned from various council departments, would affect their budgets. (From the Cape Times)

Housing mayoral committee member Dan Plato said the money used for xenophobia relief measures were needed for other projects.

"We need to tell citizens out there that we can't afford to spend money like this." (Hahaha - Thanks for that Dan...)

With only three months left before the end of the 2007/08 financial year, the city is racing against the clock to spend its R4-billion capital budget, having only spent 32 percent by the end of February. (From the Star)

The City’s 2008/09 budget amounts to R22 792 million, represented by a Capital Budget of R3 888 million and an Operating Budget of R18 904 million. (City of Cape Town Budget)

"Ve are going to kill you because you don't vant to listen."

"We're going to kill you because you don't want to listen." (From IRINNews..)

"They are coming"... three words to turn your stomach. Zen Ven zey arrive zey break ze vindows.. rape ze woman unt kill de man...

Kwerekwere are not welcome back in the townships..."I know at least 20 people who went to be reintegrated and were raped or killed or attacked," Asad Abdullahi, a Somali leader in Cape Town's Blue Waters Security Site, told IRIN. "I've attended their funerals, and still have their documentation for asylum seeking."

South African Police Service wrote in response to allegations of 10 "xenophobia deaths": "We do not have any record of the existence of xenophobia in the Western Cape for that period. Be advised that several cases of crime however were reported." (Hahaha... or perhaps Bwhahahahahahahaha? Several cases of crime were reported... SAP... )

An SAP officer who had urinated on the tap where the kwerekwere bathe allegedly said that he was in his country and could do whatever he liked,

"If the police, who are supposed to protect you, say things like that, and you're still pressing me to go reintegrate, I ask you, who is going to protect me there?"

Aunesi Omari – who, in her five years in South Africa has seen her brother killed, her daughter raped, and her home taken away from her – seem to have fallen into passive desperation.

"Now they're talking about evicting us from the camp. I don't know which place I'm going to go. I'm looking everywhere for where I'm going to be safe. In South Africa I'm not safe, and in my country I'm not safe. Where can I go with five children? I really don't know what I'm going to do."

Schwartzers facing Eviction from ze Camps

Refugees and asylum seekers who remain at Blue Waters and Youngsfield face legal action if zey do not voluntarily leave the camps, said city spokesperson Pieter Cronje. (IOL)

Those at Youngsfield had until midnight on Tuesday night to apply for reintegration assistance. If they now refuse to leave, the SA National Defence Force - vich owns the land - may apply for an eviction order.

Cronje said the same applied to Blue Waters, but the deadline is Vriday at midnight. If people did not leave voluntarily "zen the city will take legal action to remove (them) from the site".

"There is no information, no pamphlets and no time agenda for repatriation". Ben Ilunga

At Youngsfield, Ali Mohammed and Siad Ndikumana from Burundi said they had not heard of this information and were still waiting to be repatriated.

"We can't understand this story. What is this formula between repatriation and reintegration?" said Mohammed.

400 Schwartzers want to go home....

"We are not discouraging camp residents to try reintegrating; rather, we ask that the government show sensitivity and understanding not force us to reintegrate when our people continue to be raped and murdered upon returning to the townships." The Joint Refugee Committee of the Western Cape open letter addressed to the provincial government, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the SA Human Rights Commission.

The letter said there were about 280 refugees at Blue Waters camp and 140 refugees at Youngsfield camp waiting for interviews with UNHCR or International Organisation for Migration so they can be repatriated. (from IOL)

The government has urged all refugees in camps, including those who want to be repatriated back home, to go back to local communities as it closes the sites.

Congolese volunteer Ben Mutenga said they hoped there wouldn't be any forced removals.

"There is always a peaceful solution. Evictions are traumatising."

Schwartzers STARVING TO DEATH IN THE CAMP..

The food shortage at the Youngsfield ethnic cleansing camp in Wynberg is escalating, with leaders pleading for help to prevent women and children "starving to death".

More than 10 days ago, the govmunt closed the camp and cut food and electricity supplies to the more than 150 schwarzers who refused to move.

Mohammed, who has lived in schwarzers camps in Kenya and Mozambique, said life at Youngsfield was a nightmare.

"The children in the camp cry due to hunger, their health is no longer good food supplies are erratic and sometimes just trickle in we have women who are in dire need of baby milk for their children, but it is not coming through," he said.

He said a camp or safety site should take into account human rights, "but here it is like we are in jail", "I hoped to find peace here, but now I'm ready to go back home,"

Schwartzers not wanting to go home....

A group of 160 kwerekwere, including 37 children, have refused to leave the Youngsfield safety site which was closed on Friday.

The supply of food to the kwerekwere has been stopped and electricity cut off....

Now what happens now... No food...?