South Africa: Country Urged to Show Refugees More Tolerance

allAfrica.com: South Africa: Country Urged to Show Refugees More Tolerance

Francis Hweshe

15 June 2009

Cape Town — CONSTANT public education campaigns are critical if South Africa is to avoid a repeat of last year's xenophobic attacks, warns the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' representative in the Western Cape.

Ignorance about refugees and asylum-seekers, said Dr Lawrence Mgbangson, was one of the main causes of xenophobic violence.

Refugee awareness programmes on television and community radios were crucial to combating xenophobia, and fostering tolerance.

In commemoration of World Refugee Month this month, his organisation, together with public groups, had drawn up a programme of activities to be staged across the province, said Mgbangson.

He urged South Africans and the government to work together to "create an atmosphere of tolerance, mutual respect and human rights".

More than 400 refugees in the Western Cape remain in places of safety, following the xenophobic attacks that displaced 20 000 in the province last year.

The refugees have been housed at the Blue Waters and Youngsfield camps.

The City of Cape Town has approached the Cape High Court to evict those living at Blue Waters. The Legal Resource Centre has stepped in to defend some of the refugees. The matter is pending.

Questioned about the progress being made by the UNHCR on relocating the refugees, Mgbangson said they were "moving forward - it's slow but steady".

Negotiations with the Department of Home Affairs, Mgbangson revealed, had led to 200 camp refugees starting the process of obtaining their documents.

Asked about the legal tussle, he said: "We are not against the law. The court will decide."

Mgbangson said conditions at the camp were unsuitable for human habitation.

About 450 blankets had been provided for the refugees to help cushion them from the winter weather.

Regarding any potential recurrence of the xenophobic violence, Mgbangson said he was "optimistic" that it would not happen again, but "conscious that it could happen again".

He said there were more than 11 million displaced people across Africa.

Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan were the major refugee-producing countries.

Wars, political and religious persecutions, famine and droughts were among the contributing factors.