HOMELESS people living in the rundown Zimbabwean consulate in Cape Town have defended their stay, saying they are safeguarding it from further vandalism.

About 20 South Africans, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans have taken shelter in the abandoned building.

Sowetan exposed the condition of the building after it emerged last week that the Department of Home Affairs had no idea the building had been abandoned by the Zimbabwean government months ago.

Last week, the department was still referring undocumented Zimbabweans to the consulate, telling them they could get travel documents there.

Zimbabwean Julius Moyo, 28, told Sowetan he felt at home living in the building.

"It's better than in the townships. We are preventing it from further vandalism. We chase away criminals who want to strip down the house. If I had been here for longer, I could have prevented it from further damage. The Zimbabwe government should find someone to look after it because criminals are destroying this property," Moyo said.

The father of three, whose family is back home, said he had been living in the building for two weeks after spending a months living under bridges.

Moyo, who is a truck driver, said that if he got a job, he would find a better place to rent.

"This is a bad place, it's stinking here, you can easily get infected by diseases here," he said.

Claude Massango, 29, from Mozambique, has been living there for two months. He said he did not know who owned the building.

"This is the first time in my life that I have lived like this. It's not safe but its better to be here because if you sleep outside people think you are mad.

"I can't enjoy this life. It's hard. But we live together in peace because we are all suffering," said Massango.

He said he was a professional bricklayer with years of experience and had worked in Gauteng and Eastern Cape.