Two months since xenophobic attacks left De Doorns divided, the locals are adamant that they will chase the Zimbabweans out should they try to return.
Breede Valley mayor Charles Ntsomi said continuing tensions in the area meant re-integrating the Zimbabweans was not possible at this stage..
The residents of Stofland and Ekuphumleni say they don't want their Zimbabwean neighbours to return. Thousands of them have been living in tents on the town's only sports field since November.
Those who live in Stofland, an informal settlement outside De Doorns, told the Cape Argus during a visit to the area yesterday that they did not, under any circumstances, want the immigrants back.
"We will braai them and turn them into KFC if they come back. There's no place for them here," said Pastor Frans Henke on his return from a church service yesterday afternoon.
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. I'm 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.
"It's got nothing to do with xenophobia. It's all about work and resources. There's 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 left them in the dark.
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.
But Ntsomi said he does not know what to tell the Zimbabweans.
"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 can't force them back to communities. What if people are killed?"
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.
When they are weak enough, an ambulance is called and they are taken to hospital for treatment.
He said several people have 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 have families in Zimbabwe whom they support financially. But because of the untreated illnesses spreading through the camp, work days are lost.
The camp is divided into sections for single women, single men and families.
Despite the attacks two months ago, people still go to work each day.
"Zimbabweans work. They don't 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.
During the visit yesterday, two groups were having church services. Moyo said despite everything that had happened to them, people still held on to their faith.
"We are starting to recover from the trauma. We just want to get on with our lives," he said.
- Cape Argus
Breede Valley mayor Charles Ntsomi said continuing tensions in the area meant re-integrating the Zimbabweans was not possible at this stage..
The residents of Stofland and Ekuphumleni say they don't want their Zimbabwean neighbours to return. Thousands of them have been living in tents on the town's only sports field since November.
| 'We will braai them and turn them into KFC' |
Those who live in Stofland, an informal settlement outside De Doorns, told the Cape Argus during a visit to the area yesterday that they did not, under any circumstances, want the immigrants back.
"We will braai them and turn them into KFC if they come back. There's no place for them here," said Pastor Frans Henke on his return from a church service yesterday afternoon.
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. I'm 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.
| 'It's got nothing to do with xenophobia' |
"It's got nothing to do with xenophobia. It's all about work and resources. There's 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 left them in the dark.
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.
But Ntsomi said he does not know what to tell the Zimbabweans.
"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 can't force them back to communities. What if people are killed?"
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.
When they are weak enough, an ambulance is called and they are taken to hospital for treatment.
He said several people have 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 have families in Zimbabwe whom they support financially. But because of the untreated illnesses spreading through the camp, work days are lost.
The camp is divided into sections for single women, single men and families.
Despite the attacks two months ago, people still go to work each day.
"Zimbabweans work. They don't 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.
During the visit yesterday, two groups were having church services. Moyo said despite everything that had happened to them, people still held on to their faith.
"We are starting to recover from the trauma. We just want to get on with our lives," he said.
- Cape Argus
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