Refugees at De Doorns were still camped out on a sports field a week after the xenophobic attacks, SA Human Rights Commission's Western Cape manager said on Wednesday.
The situation was still volatile and reintegration into the community would be difficult, Leonardo Goosen said.
Talks with community leaders had been put on hold since the arrest of 23 locals last week, he said. They were arrested for their alleged involvement in confrontations between locals and foreign workers.
Goosen said the refugees, being housed in tents, were being given two meals a day and extra toilets and water had been supplied. Despite this the situation was not ideal, he said.
Continues Below ↓
More than 3 000 people, mostly Zimbabweans, evacuated shacks in De Doorns last week when locals claimed they were robbing them of jobs on farms in the area.
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) in a statement on Wednesday condemned the actions of those who had sought to attack and blame Zimbabwean migrant workers and refugees for the poverty they face.
"Victimising another section of the oppressed is not the way to build class unity."
It felt that foreign workers should join labour unions.
"Join a union like so many migrant workers have already, seek out union membership, build organisations in your community, use the law where you can, but also refuse to be cowed by the bullies in our community," Samwu said. - Sapa
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
