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South Africa + 3 more

South Africa: Violence against foreigners Situation Report No. 6

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HIGHLIGHTS

- The total number of displaced people has slightly reduced to 13,872, representing a reduction of 5 percent since the last situation report (21 June 2008).

- More than 680 people were moved to a new site near Boksburg on 24 June 2008 after soil tests revealed high levels of heavy metal contaminants at the Wadeville Center of Safe Shelter (CoSS).

- Church representatives in Ethekwini (Durban), Kwa-Zulu Natal Province have asked the municipal authorities there to provide the displaced with new shelters and take responsibility for their assistance as the churches own capacity to respond is exhausted.

- An inter-agency team of UN agencies, NGOs and the Red Cross Movement facilitated a SPHERE training in Cape Town for government authorities. The consolidation and reintegration process continues in this province.

SITUATION - NATIONAL

Gauteng Province

The displaced population remains stable at 6,586 in 13 sites, according to provincial authorities.

On 23 June 2008, the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (P-DMC) relocated more than 680 people from the Wadeville CoSS to a new site in the nearby area of Boksburg. The new site, named the Strijdom Park CoSS, is still within the Ekhuruleni Municipality and has accommodated all of the displaced population from Wadeville, which is now closed.

The move was prompted by the results of ground tests that showed high levels of heavy metal contaminants in the soil at the original site. According to the P-DMC, the relocation went smoothly and was completed in one day. One hundred and fifty tents have been erected and 60 toilets put in place at the new site. Mediation efforts were activated by the P-DMC with the local resident community and private security contractors are at the site. Formal registration by the Department of Home Affairs is to follow soon.

The Klerksoord site in Tshwane Municipality is being expanded to accommodate displaced people from two other ad hoc shelters in the municipality (Stanza Bopape Community Centre/Mamelodi and Malas Centre), and will host a total population of 1,400 people.


Table 1 - Location, number of sites and displaced population as of 27 June 2008
Province
Municipality
Sites Population displaced
Gauteng Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, West Rand, Sedberg, Tshwane, Metsweding
13
6,586
Western Cape City of Cape Town, Cape Winelands, Eden, Overberg
70
6,746
Kwa-Zulu Natal Durban
11
540
TOTAL
94
13,872
Source: DMCs from GP, WC and KZN.


Western Cape Province

According to the P-DMC, there are 6,746 IDPs remaining in 70 sites. The decrease in the number of IDPs is attributable in part to reintegration and repatriation efforts, as well as improved data collection at the P-DMC.

According to UNICEF, the humanitarian situation in two large tented sites in the Cape Town Municipality remains a major concern. The Soetwater and Blue Waters cites are located on the beach and are as a result subject to continuous heavy and cold winter winds at this time of the year. Dozens of tents collapsed in the heavy winds on 16 June 2008. UNICEF is advocating to the Provincial Department of Health and municipal authorities for the relocation of 40 infants and their mothers from Blue Waters to a safer location in community halls in the City of Cape Town.

Tension at several sites, including Soetwater and Blue Waters, is increasing due to intolerance between different groups of foreign nationals and anxiety about the planned relocation process. To date, only 44 Zimbabweans have been relocated from these camps and all further movement has been suspended due to the harassment experienced upon arrival at the new site.

Kwa-Zulu Natal

A total of 540 IDPs are reported staying at 11 sites, including four police stations and nine churches, according to municipal authorities. The overall figure includes 55 nationals from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique, who have decided to return to their home country and are awaiting repatriation.

On 25 June 2008, 120 IDPs (mostly Congolese) were left stranded in front of the Glenwood Church in Ethekwini (Durban) before alternative accommodation and care could be found for them. The Municipal – DMC, informed beforehand of the exhausted capacity at the Church, was only able to find emergency alternative accommodation later in the day.