The last of the refugees living at the Youngsfield Military Base are expected to move from the big white tent they have occupying as the city shuts the camp on Thursday.
The Youngsfield refugees, who have had a week to vacate the military premises, will have all municipal services stopped on Thursday.
Last week, after the last members of the remaining group of refugees occupying the Blue Waters camp were evicted, refugees at Youngsfield were offered a R1 000 payout to leave the camp.
All but one of the 64 Youngsfield occupants accepted the offer.
Denzel Abdulkadir, from Somalia, said he had refused the cash payment because it would not sustain him.
Abdulkadir recently underwent appendix surgery, and was admitted to hospital for five days.
"Places need rent, and I can't give R1 000 to my landlord. What will I eat?"
He said he wanted to go home to Mogadishu.
He had no immediate plans for accommodation, but would head to the Cape Town Refugee Centre to inquire about repatriation tomorrow.
Abdulkadir said he was unhappy about the way things were handled.
"In the beginning they looked after 20 000 people. This is a small group of people, why can't they help us? It's unfair."
The majority of the refugees had already packed their belongings and left Youngsfield by midday yesterday.
A group of about 15 people, comprising two families and individuals, said they still had no place to go.
Today the city was expected to dismantle the tent that has been home to the refugees for close to two years.
City spokesperson Pieter Cronje said the remaining 15 refugees would be supplied with transport to whichever areas they wanted to go to in the metropole.
Regarding the final closure, Cronje said: "That would mean that the last of the 20 000 (people) displaced by the May 2008 violence won't be there any more."
This month marks two years since xenophobic violence flared in the Western Cape.
On May 22, 2008, thousands of foreigners fled informal settlements in droves and settled in safety sites set up by the city, assisted by some provincial government departments and NGOs.
Last week Blue Waters was shut, and a group of 39 refugees living on an open field at the site were arrested for trespassing when they refused to leave the camp.
The 39 refugees were jailed for two days, then released last Friday following a court appearance.
They have since been staying in the parking area of a state-owned building, formerly known as Custom's House on the Foreshore.
Today will be the sixth day the group will spend in the parking area. They said they will report to the Cape Town Refugee Centre tomorrow to inquire about repatriation options.
Meanwhile, in De Doorns, about 1 000 refugees are still sleeping in tents on a rugby field after being driven out of the informal settlements there earlier this year.
Local farm workers had accused the group, mostly Zimbabweans, of stealing their jobs.
As of Thursday, the De Doorns site will be the only remaining safety site in the province.
The Youngsfield refugees, who have had a week to vacate the military premises, will have all municipal services stopped on Thursday.
Last week, after the last members of the remaining group of refugees occupying the Blue Waters camp were evicted, refugees at Youngsfield were offered a R1 000 payout to leave the camp.
All but one of the 64 Youngsfield occupants accepted the offer.
Denzel Abdulkadir, from Somalia, said he had refused the cash payment because it would not sustain him.
Abdulkadir recently underwent appendix surgery, and was admitted to hospital for five days.
"Places need rent, and I can't give R1 000 to my landlord. What will I eat?"
He said he wanted to go home to Mogadishu.
He had no immediate plans for accommodation, but would head to the Cape Town Refugee Centre to inquire about repatriation tomorrow.
Abdulkadir said he was unhappy about the way things were handled.
"In the beginning they looked after 20 000 people. This is a small group of people, why can't they help us? It's unfair."
The majority of the refugees had already packed their belongings and left Youngsfield by midday yesterday.
A group of about 15 people, comprising two families and individuals, said they still had no place to go.
Today the city was expected to dismantle the tent that has been home to the refugees for close to two years.
City spokesperson Pieter Cronje said the remaining 15 refugees would be supplied with transport to whichever areas they wanted to go to in the metropole.
Regarding the final closure, Cronje said: "That would mean that the last of the 20 000 (people) displaced by the May 2008 violence won't be there any more."
This month marks two years since xenophobic violence flared in the Western Cape.
On May 22, 2008, thousands of foreigners fled informal settlements in droves and settled in safety sites set up by the city, assisted by some provincial government departments and NGOs.
Last week Blue Waters was shut, and a group of 39 refugees living on an open field at the site were arrested for trespassing when they refused to leave the camp.
The 39 refugees were jailed for two days, then released last Friday following a court appearance.
They have since been staying in the parking area of a state-owned building, formerly known as Custom's House on the Foreshore.
Today will be the sixth day the group will spend in the parking area. They said they will report to the Cape Town Refugee Centre tomorrow to inquire about repatriation options.
Meanwhile, in De Doorns, about 1 000 refugees are still sleeping in tents on a rugby field after being driven out of the informal settlements there earlier this year.
Local farm workers had accused the group, mostly Zimbabweans, of stealing their jobs.
As of Thursday, the De Doorns site will be the only remaining safety site in the province.
- Cape Argus
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