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Victims of xenophobia now in limbo‚ still wary of SA

CROSSFIRE: Narcisa Macamo, 20, with her baby, Lurdes, witnessed the fracas yesterday at the camp for victims of xenophobia in Glenanda, south of Johannesburg. Pic. Antonio Muchave. 17/07/08. © Sowetan.
CROSSFIRE: Narcisa Macamo, 20, with her baby, Lurdes, witnessed the fracas yesterday at the camp for victims of xenophobia in Glenanda, south of Johannesburg. Pic. Antonio Muchave. 17/07/08. © Sowetan.

While the flames of xenophobia have been doused in KwaZulu-Natal for now‚ wary foreign nationals still trapped in refugee camps around Durban face an uncertain future.

Foreign nationals at both Isipingo and Chatsworth camps are divided on whether to remain in South Africa or leave.

Those willing to remain in South Africa have slammed the government’s re-integration process‚ which they say is too slow.

“Conditions are getting worse here because of overcrowding. We have new people who joined the camp when they heard about free transport to Malawi. The government has said nothing about re-integrating us‚” said Daniel Dunia.

Edward Awazi‚ 28‚ of Mangoji in Malawi‚ who arrived at Isipingo camp on Friday‚ wants to leave “loveless” South Africa as soon as he can.

“There’s just no love in South Africa‚” said Awazi.

“If I had my way I would leave now on my own but I’m afraid to even exit the gate here‚” he said.

Awazi said while he appreciated King Goodwill Zwelithini’s call for peace when he convened an imbizo‚ the initiative “came too late”.

Awazi has been living in the country for five. He said he was working at Jeena’s Warehouse in Isipingo‚ the business which was rumoured to have sparked tensions between locals and foreign nationals over jobs.

Jeena’s Warehouse denied last week that they employed foreign nationals‚ saying all employees at the warehouse were locals.

Among those who wished to remain in the country is Alice Ali‚ 33‚ a Zimbabwean national.

She arrived in South Africa in November 2000 and has since had five children with two different men‚ one a South African and another a Malawian.

For the first time in 15 years Ali has found herself stranded with an uncertain future.

She has never had a full time job. But to make ends meet she opened her own textile business in Welbedacht.

“I cannot leave because my life is here now‚ I have kids at school and their grandparents live in South Africa. All I want is for the authorities to get me back to my business‚” said Ali‚ whose two older children attend Meadowlands High School in Montford‚ Chatsworth