Durban pavement camps expose refugee shelter crisis

Scores of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and other African nations are facing an indefinite crisis on the streets of Durban, after being forced to camp on pavements outside the city’s Refugee Reception Centre, reports Berea Mail.

For eight weeks, the displaced families have been living out in the open on Che Guevara Road, which stretches through the suburbs of Bulwer and Berea. They warn that reintegration into local communities is virtually impossible because they have nowhere else to go.

The displaced families fled their homes in eThekwini out of fear in May, finding themselves stranded on the pavement near the centre. Entering another week in limbo, the refugees’ spokesperson, Bishop Raphael Bahebwa, said the group simply cannot move.

“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 following the June 30 mass anti-illegal immigration protest, the group was instructed to return to their communities and integrate themselves, as authorities deemed them not to be at risk.

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

The group of men, women, and children have been receiving humanitarian aid from non-profit organisations including Gift of the Givers, the 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 or homes to go back to,” said Bahebwa.

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 over 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.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.