African Xenophobia

[Che -Guevara]

Muizenberg, a little seaside suburb south of Cape Town, has earned the nickname "Matongue", after a neighbourhood in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

Cape Town is home to 35,000 refugees, and Muizenberg has become home to the city's largest concentration of Congolese: several thousand, it is believed.

 

Listening to their stories of xenophobia and administrative bungling, it becomes clear that South Africa - a country that sees itself as Africa's leader in the human rights field - does very little for refugees.

 

In Don Pepe, one of the old buildings where refugees live, people sleep on mattresses, 10 in a room measuring only two by three metres.

 

"This is suffering," says one of the young men there. Aged 26, he has been in South Africa for five years, and has still not obtained the card he needs to be recognised officially as a refugee.

 

This week, Cape Town hosted a conference bringing to promote dialogue between refugees and South Africans.

 

"In some cases we are considered lower than animals," said Roland, who after four years in South Africa has only a temporary permit that has to be renewed every two months and which does not give the right to employment.

 

Documents

 

Okei Leandre from Ivory Coast is one of those who has obtained a refugee card, but is still frustrated.

 

"All these documents make no sense," he told the conference, which was attended by officials from the Home Affairs department, the representatives of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille, and charities.

 

There is a need for strong pressure on these dictatorial and corrupt regimes that create the conditions that make refugees - and that is just as much the responsibility of the South African government

 

Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille

"I have my refugee status, and yet I can't open a bank account with this card."

 

Francois Nganga, from the Pool region of Congo, pleaded for understanding.

 

"Do something to make South Africans understand that they are our brothers," said Mr Nganga, whose home region has been the scene of fierce conflict between government forces and the "Ninja" rebels.

 

Mayor Zille acknowledged the need to combat "intolerable" levels of xenophobia that exist in South Africa.

 

"Many refugees bring valuable skills and vibrant cultural diversity to our city," she told the BBC.

 

"Some also start businesses and create jobs."

 

Art

 

In the foyer of the Cape Town Civic Centre, there was an exhibition of art by refugees.

 

Two of the artists, Roch Armed Mikala, 25, from Congo and Steve Bandoma, 26, from DR Congo, said they hoped the exhibition would help them "to get out of the ghetto we are living in and to find a market for our work".

 

Roch is hoping that the exhibition will help him find a market for his art

Back in the conference room, two young refugees told their stories.

 

Naomi Kayembe fled from DR Congo with her parents to escape armed conflict, while Florence Joanez left Angola during the long civil war there.

 

Both speak excellent English, and not the French and Portuguese that are the official languages of their respective home countries.

 

Yet they say "we are not accepted by our South African schoolmates, who call us foreigners."

 

South Africa has chosen not to build camps to isolate refugees and asylum seekers from wider society.

 

But this does not mean that refugees are treated fairly, says Loren Landau of the University of Johannesburg, who conducted a study on the situation of refugees in South Africa that was released this week.

 

'System failure'

 

In an article published in the South African press, Mr Landau describes the dysfunctionality of the system and argues that with just under 150,000 refugees, South Africa is doing worse than other countries with the same level of wealth.

 

 

Refugees in Muizenberg endure squalid living conditions

He cites "people sleeping outside offices just to file an application; security guards and translators demanding money simply to walk through the door; long delays and lost files; police abuse; and denial of key social services, including life-saving medical care".

 

Yet according to South Africa's 1998 Refugees Act, refugees have the same rights as citizens apart from the right to vote.

 

They are entitled to employment, education, and basic services like housing and health.

 

Mayor Zille - a member of the opposition Democratic Alliance - believes that just as foreign countries put pressure on South Africa to end apartheid, there should be firmer action against oppressive regimes elsewhere in Africa that are driving refugees southwards.

 

"There is a need for strong pressure on these dictatorial and corrupt regimes that create the conditions that make refugees - and that is just as much the responsibility of the South African government."

 

South African President Thabo Mbeki has spoken of a need for democracy and good governance in Africa.

 

Yet on a recent tour of central Africa he appeared on platforms with several leaders responsible for situations that are driving refugees towards South Africa.

 

Likewise, he has resisted calls from civil society and from western governments to take a firmer stand against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, whose regime's violations of human rights have been repeatedly denounced

[ElPunto]

Interesting article - I think the xenophobia has more to do with fear that refugees will crowd out the millions of poor, black South Africans rather than any fundamental hostility to other Africans.

[Maf Kees]

Which reminds me of a black South African being asked on the news what he thinks about the refugees. All he said was: "They are very very dark! Very very dark people". Ironically the South African himself was almost darkblue himself. Seriously you couldn't see the shape of his face.

[Che -Guevara]

I do think that there is no general hostility towards other Africans, but lack of action from the goverment regarding protection of refugees is quite astonishing. I know Somali family that lived in South Africa, and from their account of situation there, people live in constant fear.

 

P.S. It is worthy mentioning though that South Africans themselves constitute the most victims of crimes there.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Meeqaa lagu dilaa dalkaas Koonfur Afrika. Inta Soomaali ku dhimatay the last couple years lama sheegi karo, yet wali waa u socdaan.

 

The ruling party, African National Congress, ayaa u roonaa Soomaalida, especially waaguu Mandela xukumi jiray, oo sharci deganaansho iyo wax kale la siin jiray, stillna la siiyaa, though it isn't the way it used to be.

 

Then tukaamo, baqaaro iyo ganacsi badan oo yar yar ee furteen. Then kuwii Galbeedka deganaa ayaa tagay, oo bilaabay ganacsi waa weyn, sida inay ka keenaan goods from Thailand iyo hoteelo waa weyn ee dhisteen.

 

It was only about time madoowgii awalba midab takoor iyo wax kale lagu heyn jiray ee bilaabaan xaasidnimo iyo wax kale. My brother-in-law's brother ayaa Mareykanka ka tagay, bilooyin markuu joogayna a group uu ku jiray was attacked, one being killed and asagana dhowr bilood uu coma ku jiray. Hada waaba Eebbe mahadiis, kistoo iska fiyoow, kuna soo noqday Mareykanka. Iskaba dhaafay ganacsigii uu rabay.

 

Yet many Soomaalis waa u socdaan to that region, including Mosanbiik iyo Saambiya, oo isku sheegayaan jano ayaa ku jirnaa, albeit public insecurity ee ku nool yihiin, oo hub ku dhex heystaan tukaamadooda iyo other ganacsi ee lee yihiin.

[BOB]

Hola Majita,

 

 

There's a crime problem every where in the world but unfortunately South African crime and AIDS figures ans stats are exaggerated thanks to the white owned media who are hell bent to give S.A a negative image by spreading vicious lies.

 

Let me give you a simple example... would they still continue to live here in their millions if S.A was as bad as they are claiming it to be and do you think i would still be here after almost 10 years knowing how FULEEY yours truly is.. yeah..you heard me right..almost a decade and never been a victim of any crime and i wouldn't leave here simply because S.A has always been good to me.. Alxamdulillaah and so are my friends and the other thousands of somalis who live around this LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.

 

As for the rest..you don't need me to explain to you why they are spreading lies about the country that has and still continue to be good to them. use your imagination!

 

 

The mayor of Cape Town Ms Helen Zille belongs to a party called Democratic Alliance...i have never seen a more negative party than DA and all they are interested is to attack the goverment without ever offering any solution.

 

personally speaking i don't like DA one bit and here are my two reasons.

 

1- its formed and run by JEWS..

2- its leader Toni Leon is a hardline Jew who hates ISLAM with passion and openly supports Israel.

 

 

About the Somali deaths...Well, is there a place on earth where Somalis could live forever?

Who said Somalis die in S.A more than anywhere else in the world anyway? YES they are murdered just like any other race here in S.A but so does those Somalis living overseas. but did you know Somalis murder just as much if not more?

 

You guys only hear about the unfortunate deaths of the somali brothers and not the non-somali that died of the somali bullet and i am yet to hear of an incident where only the Somali died, NEVER! so next time you hear about a somali death, spare a thought for the nameless that died with the maryooleyga.

 

Somalis are not angels and they still murder each other for whatever reason but we always hear that the murder was motivated by GREED..DAMN!

 

Let's just say we are blessed with the most troublesome Somalis you'll ever find in anywhere in the world and they commit all sorts of hideous crimes..from arm robbery and drug dealing to hijacking...it's unfortunate that most of the time those who die happen to be new to the country and INNOCENT small business owners and not those good for nothing crooks.

 

 

PS. Dont believe everything you read!

 

Nkosi Kakulu.

 

 

Peace,Love & Unity.

[Che -Guevara]

Does self-imposed isolation and lack of unified/organized Somali community contribute the xenophobic attacks agianst Somalis in South Africe?

 

What's state of the Somali communities in the diasporo?

 

Somalis are 'suffering brunt of xenophobia'

 

By Karen Breytenbach

 

Somali refugees are among the Africans most vulnerable to crime and xenophobia in South African townships, largely due to unpopularity created by social isolation , refugee organisations have said.

 

 

Besides frequent attacks and armed robberies this year, Somalis have been murdered in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Mossel Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Swellendam and Port Elizabeth.

 

Despite frequent xenophobic violence, Cape Town is considered an example to other cities on how to treat refugees, said Marivic Garcia, a social worker with the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) in Johannesburg.

 

Somali refugees who live in Khayelitsha told the Cape Times on behalf of their community that they were safe nowhere in the country. Two or three of their countrymen were being murdered in Khayelitsha every month, they added.

 

"We are grateful to the government for our refugee status, but we also need their protection. We have no voice, we need help," said Mohamed Samoron Aden.

 

 

His friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had been attacked three times in Khayelitsha, forcing him to move around.

 

"We report it to the police, but it doesn't help," he said.

 

About 150 small shops in Khayelitsha are run by protective clusters of Somalis.

 

"We live in groups of ten or 15 and help each other to start businesses. The locals target us, thinking we have money," he said.

 

Erica Jacobs of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence said Africans in general are stereotyped as criminals or takers of jobs and opportunities meant for locals.

 

"Members of syndicates are here for economic gain, while the Somalis are entirely different; they are political refugees," she said.

 

Garcia said their self-imposed isolation did little to dispel misperceptions.

 

"Somalis don't make the effort to integrate or make friends like other Africans, which makes them more misunderstood.

 

"Talk to the person next to you in the mosque, reach out," she said.

 

CSVR researcher Francis Spencer said the media had a role to play in raising the issue.

 

Cape Town Refugee Centre director Christina Henda said they planned to go into communities with other stakeholders to educate locals and raise awareness on refugee issues, but faced a lack of staff and resources.

 

"We're worried about xenophobia," she said.

 

On Somali entrepreneurship, Garcia said: "They haven't had a government for decades and their country is a war zone.

 

"They've had to learn to be resourceful and assertive, and some interpret this as aggression or arrogance."

 

In SA their resourcefulness springs from limited access to employment.

 

"It's a constant battle to get their skills recognised. Many flee overnight and come here without papers.

 

"There are other ways of verifying their education," she said.

 

Refugees from across the continent lacked adequate support from the SA government and the police, while their states were good to apartheid exiles, said William Kerfoot, an attorney with the Legal Resource Centre, specialising in refugee cases.

 

"Another problem is that home affairs is understaffed, and the staff dealing with refugees are often undertrained," he said.

 

Refugees also lack adequate support from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, said Spencer.

 

This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Times on August 07, 2006

 

Soure: Cape Times, Aug 7, 2006