AFTER eight weeks of living out in the open on Che Guevara Road, the scores of refugees seeking shelter at the gates of the Durban Refugee Reception Centre say that reintegration into communities is near impossible for them as they have nowhere else to go.

The displaced refugees from the DRC, Burundi, and other African nations fled their homes in eThekwini out of fear and found themselves making camp on the pavement near the Refugee Centre in May. Entering another week of being in limbo, the refugees’ spokesperson, Bishop Raphael Bahebwa, said they can’t leave.

“If we leave here, where will we go?” he asked. “We have nowhere to go. We have no jobs or homes to go back to. Nobody wants to live like this but the situation is forcing us to be here.”

Prior to and after the June 30 mass anti-illegal immigration protest, the group of refugees was told to return to their communities and integrate themselves as they were not found to be at risk.

Also Read: Refugee group claims abandonment, returns to Che Guevara Rd

“We also want to go back and start living again but we can’t afford rent due to being unemployed. All we are asking for is assistance from government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) who are meant to assist us in times like this,” said Bahebwa.

“We are refugees and under the UNHCR and we have papers saying that we can live in South Africa. Our lives are here as we cannot go back to our home countries.”

The group of men, women, and children have been receiving humanitarian aid from non-profit organisations Gift of the Givers, SA Palestine Movement, and local churches.  

“We are appealing to the UN to intervene on our behalf. All we need is shelter so that we can get back on our feet because most of us no longer have jobs and homes to go back to,” said Bahebwa.

Also Read: Durban refugees mark World Refugee Day with plea for shelter

Political analyst and co-founder of the SA Palestine Movement, Dr Lubna Nadvi, also appealed for assistance for the refugees who have been sleeping on the pavement for more than five weeks.

“They are unable to go back to their countries,” said Nadvi. “As a civil organisation, we mobilised within our community to try to get them the support that they need.”

This includes food, clothing and recognition from authorities. “They have been marginalised and isolated for too long,” said Nadvi.

For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here