The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has made it clear that it does not have the financial capacity to help Grahamstown residents displaced during a spate of xenophobic looting last month with start-up capital. However, the organisation has offered to assist the families, in collaboration with the municipality, in facilitating the reintegration process.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has made it clear that it does not have the financial capacity to help Grahamstown residents displaced during a spate of xenophobic looting last month with start-up capital. However, the organisation has offered to assist the families, in collaboration with the municipality, in facilitating the reintegration process.
The organisation will provide R1 000 cash for accommodation purposes to each of the affected individuals and R500 for food a month, for two months.
They will also provide hygiene packs for everyone.
Mayor Nomhle Gaga said Makana Municpality had invited the UNHCR to assist in the reintegration process.
Speaking at a meeting in the in the City Hall in Grahamstown on Monday 23 November, head of the UNHCR Cape Town Field Office Patrick Kawuma Male said their organisation caters only for people who have refugee and asylum seeker status.
He said they are not in a position to assist anyone who is in the country for other reasons other than being asylum seekers or refugees.
Male said the Cape Town Refugee Centre had identified the most vulnerable people to assist. According to Male the UHCR has identified 108 people who qualify for UNHCR assistance.
Speaking at the meeting, Male said they were there to listen to all those affected by what had happened, and to hear what their biggest challenges were.
Makana Municipality had invited the organisation to the meeting, to assist in the reintegration process.
Male said they had received the first written communication from Makana on 8 November, but had been made aware of what was happening from the onset.
Male welcomed the input of civil organisations, the police, Makana Municipality and other government stakeholders in the reintegration process.
Makana's Social Services Director Mandisi Planga provided a brief background into what had led to the current situation.
Planga said the incidents of looting had started on 21 October. More than 500 families and individuals had been displaced and had to be housed in a safe zone a few kilometres outside Grahamstown.
Planga said the owner of the facility had initially accommodated the displaced families free of charge, before the municipality took over payment for accommodating them.
Many of those had since gone back to their homes, and had reopened their shops. Some shop owners had closed shop on Thursday 19 September, however, due to a rumour of more looting.
The municipality had initially said they would only be able to pay for the families to stay at the facility until Friday, 20 November, but have since extended the deadline to Wednesday, 25 November.
Both Planga and Gaga encouraged the shop owners to go back into the community, stating that it was safe for them to do so.
During a night vigil outside the city hall on Wednesday 18 November, leader of the Bangladeshis among the group, Ronnie Ullah, said those who had lost everything in the looting had to start again from scratch.
"Every shopkeeper needs at least R40 000 to R50 000 to re-establish themselves," he said. "We're asking for start-up funds."
Most of the displaced people support themselves and their families through their spaza shops, which are often attached to township homes.
The shopkeepers usually live on the premises with their families.
Printed A4 signs the group held up at the protest on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning read, "The premier of Eastern Cape Province must act now and provide kick-start funds to all the displaced business owners who lost their stock and assets as a result of xenophobic looting and attacks on 21 October 2015 in Grahamstown" and "The Mayor of Cacadu Municipality must act now and provide decent and healthy food parcels to all the displaced business owners and families who lost their stock and assets as a result of xenophobic looting and attacks on 21 October 2015 in Grahamstown".
Councillors and officials on the crisis joint operations committee, as well as representatives of the Red Cross, the Anti-Xenophobia Group and other civil society groups attended the meeting at the city hall today, 23 November.
anele@grocotts.co.za
