We continue on our mission to help those staying in the Desmond Tutu Hall and find a sustainable solution to their displacement problems.
Today there was a community meeting in Khayelitsha run by the Police High Commission. The leaders and many other members of the Foreigners Committee attended the meeting and reported mixed results. Many of the non-government organizations and community members were not in attendance due to unsuccessful efforts to publicize the meeting. Members of the High Commission, some area city councilors as well as members of the religious community were present. They put forth a message of celebration to welcome the foreigners back into the community. Despite this interesting turn of events, there were few plans to implement reintegration or legal documentation of the foreigners. This leaves the residents of the Desmond Tutu Hall with more questions than answers, especially about the possibility of resident permits, which they believed would be available at the meeting.
We took a survey to access the needs of the people in Desmond Tutu Hall. Most of the refugees, who are from Zimbabwe, wish to stay in South Africa. They want assistance to rebuild their lives and businesses. Ikamva continues to supply small necessary foodstuffs and other items. We are excited for the arrival of mattresses tomorrow.
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