Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa

The World
The World

PV says about 1,500 Zimbabweans are living in his election right now. (Presumably for these people, life has been difficult for some time because of the economic situation in Zimbabwe. Why are they coming now?) Most of the people have been intimidated and threatened and are afraid and they think they could be killed. (Is this because of a particular event?) Numbers have doubled since the elections. (The journey must be difficult.) Yes, I think it is. Police in the area where most probably cross hunt for refugees as if they were hunting for animals and so people are traumatized. (How are conditions in your shelter?) They’re not perfect. There are two toilets for men and two for women. The conditions are very sparse. It’s a struggle to keep the place clean. So there are four toilets for four hundred people. (How are you feeding them?) Many find food at a reasonable rate in the city, and we have a soup kitchen that supports itself and feeds about 300-400 a day. (In Johannesburg itself about a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. it sounds like these refugees are intermingling with the local population, but the South African police accuses these refugees of causing a rise in crime. Is that true?) There’s a strong prejudice that has been brought up against foreign nationals in this country. (How do you deal with your work?) the injustice angers me and they’ve been intimidated and humiliated and that angers me.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.