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Week of misery over as Gael reunited with family

HARROWING EXPERIENCE: Gael Kabondo Pic. Vathiswa Ruselo. 28/05/08. © Sowetan.
HARROWING EXPERIENCE: Gael Kabondo Pic. Vathiswa Ruselo. 28/05/08. © Sowetan.

Namhla Tshisela

Namhla Tshisela

A week of misery has come to an end for 11-year-old Gael Kabondo.

Sowetan reported on Tuesday that Kabondo was separated from his parents nine days ago when they were forcibly removed from their home in Malvern, Johannesburg, after xenophobic violence erupted.

He has since been reunited with his family, thanks to Sowetan.

His elder brother, Eric, fetched him from Cleveland police station after seeing his picture in the newspaper.

His experience at the police station is one he would rather forget.

"I don't want to see the place again. An option is to leave South Africa. I wouldn't want to live in Zimbabwe, Zambia or China. I just don't like those places," he said.

He will remain at home until his parents think it safe for him to return to school.

"Maybe I will go to another school, but for now my father doesn't think it's safe for me to go back. I miss art class," he said.

Meanwhile, Cleveland police station signals an uncertain future for Danny Ngombha from the DRC. With nothing more than the clothes on her back, Ngombha is about to give birth to her first child in squalid conditions at the station.

"God has protected me so far from all the bad things that have happened," said Ngombha, pictured below.

She said she will name her child Rapha, which means God the healer in Hebrew.

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