At a transit camp for foreign nationals in Newcastle, a Zimbabwean mother of four speaks up about the effects of the escalating xenophobic sentiment in South Africa on innocent children.

“My children and I are here legally, but they are being teased and intimidated at their schools. When they walk in the corridors during their lunch break, the other children call out, ‘makwerekwere hamba’, and they are treated like criminals,” she said.

“They want to go to Zimbabwe. They have been threatened here and they are afraid, but there are five of us and the trip to Zimbabwe is expensive, I can’t afford it, so I must wait for the busses to come pick us up. Hopefully, they will come soon, so my children will be safe.”

Hundreds of foreign nationals from throughout northern KwaZulu Natal, pleaded with authorities to help them find a safe way to return to their countries of origin last week.

Among them, both documented and undocumented immigrants said they feared for their lives amid escalating threats of violence in their communities.

Many were either fired by their employers or evicted by their landlords who worried about damage to their properties, as well as physical harm to themselves.

Some business owners said they were trying to avoid the hefty fines they would face if they were caught harbouring undocumented immigrants.

The foreign nationals travelled from as far as Vryheid, Ulundi and Paulpietersburg, to seek refuge in Newcastle, where a temporary transit site was established to facilitate their return with their respective embassies.

Families flee fear and uncertainty

More than 30 Malawian nationals were the first to arrive in Newcastle on Friday (June 19), sleeping for four nights in a public park, while representatives approached the local authorities for urgent assistance to facilitate a way back to Malawi.

A spokesperson for the group said they were desperate to leave after a voicenote was circulated on social media warning that any foreign national who remained after the March and March deadline of June 30, would be ‘taught a lesson’.

“They told us that they are going to beat us and even kill us. We need to protect our kids,” he said. “We fled from our country to find a better life in South Africa, but we found hatred and murder instead. We didn’t expect this. Now, we want to go home,”

“I would like to say to all those who are being violent towards foreign nationals to think first about the human being they are hurting before doing these things,” he pleaded.

The group of Malawians were relocated to a place of safety in Newcastle on Tuesday (June 23), and transported privately to Durban and Pietermartizburg on Wednesday (June 24), where they were processed by Immigration before being repatriated.

On Wednesday (June 24), nearly 200 Zimbabwean nationals arrived in Newcastle seeking refuge and assistance to return home, including 43 women and 89 children.

Blessing Maputira, who spoke in behalf of the group says he is a documented foreign national who would rather live in poverty in Zimbabwe than die in South Africa.

“We understand that those who enter the country illegally are committing a crime but I urge South Africans to remember that they are still human beings who were forced by poverty and starvation in their country to come here and seek a better life,” said Maputira.

“Each and every person here today, is still traumatised by the violence that took place during the July unrest and many have witnessed xenophobic attacks in their own communities. Nobody knows what the future holds and we do not want to be killed here. We would rather go back now than have to be transported back to Zimbabwe in a coffin. So we decided, let’s go home rather than be killed in a foreign land where nobody at home will know if you are still alive or not.”

He pleaded, “Don’t be bribed by political parties. This agenda has nothing to do with foreign nationals. Ask who is funding the movement, and take the time to understand the impact of foreign nationals leaving, on the economy of the country. We are not saying that you shouldn’t tackle crime or deal with the issue of undocumented foreign nationals, but we are saying, please remember that foreign nationals are still human beings, whether they are legal or illegal. You can’t kill someone for selling a broom in the street to put food on the table. Let’s tackle the issues and still maintain our humanity.”

While law-enforcement was on high alert last week to protect the communities they serve from possible outbreaks of violence, a March and March protest held in Newcastle on Saturday (June 27), led by Nkosikhona (Phakel’umthakathi) Ndabandaba, proceeded in a peaceful and orderly manner, despite hundreds of supporters taking to the streets demanding that illegal immigrants return to their home countries before the June 30 deadline.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel