Peace and Global Solidarity |
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By Annette St. Amour, IHM Mob violence targeting refugees in South Africa has turned into a national crisis. Xenophobic incidents have been reported in every province in the country since September 2007. Sister Annette St. Amour, IHM, who ministers as a diocesan catechetical coordinator in South Africa, wrote a synopsis of the urgent problem. World Refugee Day was commemorated on June 20, 2008, one month following the explosion of xenophobic attacks in urban centers in South Africa. Many voices advocate unity among all African brothers and sisters. The government calls for reintegration of refugees back into communities from which they fled by the end of July. The experience of many African immigrants leads them to resist such prospects. An increasing number of tragic incidents have occurred in various regions of the country over the past two years. In May, 62 people were killed in mob violence and approximately 42,000 refugees, migrant workers, asylum seekers and illegal immigrants were displaced from their homes, many from informal settlements in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. In response, the refugees received a tremendous outpouring of emergency supplies of food, blankets and other necessities through churches and the public. In Durban, St. Vincent DePaul groups and the Red Cross mobilized to feed the 700 who fled to a local police station and the 479 sheltered in the Cathedral Parish Hall. A month later, several thousand have returned to their home countries, particularly those from Mozambique. The Cathedral Hall in Durban continues to house about 80 refugees. In Johannesburg, the bishop called an emergency meeting to plan a response to the crisis in the diocese and issued some very strong statements to communities where attacks took place. The influx of immigrants into the country has escalated to 128,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. The U.N. High Commission for Refugees reported the largest group in 2007 came from neighboring Zimbabwe, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi and Somalia. The majority are economic migrants. This, is in addition to the many refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and Mozambique who have been in the country for years. They have known resentment and harassment over a long time. Alphonse, and friend and a documented refugee from Rwanda, arrived in South Africa 11 years ago. Now married to a South African, he has worked to educate himself, to create a position earning a living and to support his widowed mother and family in Rwanda. A change in South African law prevents him and other refugees from obtaining permanent residence or citizenship. Every two years he needs to renew his refugee status. In February, Alphonse and his family moved to a new home in a black township in the Durban area so they could integrate into an African community. He was threatened and found his dog tortured with the warning that this would happen to him if he did not get out. Immediately Alphonse and his family moved, leaving their new home and feeling discouraged knowing they cannot go back. Why are these incidents happening? As always, the answer is complex. The Institute of Race Relations refers to poor and ineffective governance in response to unmet expectations of the poor in need of housing, sanitation, water and employment. An immediate cause in many cases of xenophobia seems to be jealousy. Foreigners are perceived to be taking jobs and to be more successful. In fact, few refugees are given employment. Many create their own jobs. The UNHCR reports, "Often violence has followed mass protests against inadequate government services." The present conflict in Zimbabwe has brought nearly a million to cross the border into South Africa, mostly young males with no access to documentation. They experience exploitation in their jobs. Our own local experience in Durban at the Cathedral bear this out. The majority are young Zimbabwean males who have fled to avoid political coercion and to find work to help their families at home survive. South Africa does have the most dynamic economy on the continent. Yet, the gap between the wealthy and the poor increases. Almost half of the population is confronted with poverty, hunger and frustration from unmet promises. South Africa has come a long way from the dark days of apartheid. Yet, it is wounded and frustrated. There is a long way to go to achieve the maturity of a nation that can truly reach out to its brothers and sisters in need of refuge. Much healing is needed among the refugees and poor of Africa.
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