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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Reporter
FOURTEEN Zimbabweans who were displaced during the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa are still living at Chatsworth Camp in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.The group is part of those that declined to be voluntarily repatriated by the government last month.

Zimbabwe’s Consul-General to South Africa, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro said the 14 Zimbabweans were among a group of more than 500 foreigners from other countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Burundi who are yet to be reintegrated into the local community.

“We’ve 14 Zimbabweans who were affected by xenophobia and they’re still staying at Chatsworth Camp in Durban after they turned down the government’s offer to repatriate them in April. In fact, they’re part of a group of more than 500 foreigners mostly from Burundi and DRC who are still living at the camp for fear of a recurrence of the attacks,” said Mukonoweshuro.

The Mercury, a Durban paper, reported on Tuesday that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) had stepped in to assist the camp with “reintegration packages”.

The paper quoted EThekwini Municipality mayor James Nxumalo, saying there was a growing number of the xenophobic attacks victims at Chatsworth Camp. He attributed the increase to R2,000 cash vouchers being offered by the UNHCR.

“Initially the number had decreased to 260 people, but we’ve been told that the number has increased to 600 after intervention from the United Nations. We know that the UN has been offering vouchers of about R2,000 per family and that’s the reason why the numbers have increased. We know the vouchers have attracted other members of the community as well as other foreign nationals back to the camp,” said Nxumalo.

EThekwini Municipality’s deputy manager for Community and Emergency Services, Musa Gumede said the city was having difficulties with the remaining group of foreigners.

“There are running battles with our officials almost on a daily basis. We hope that the centre will close down soon. We’ll be meeting with the national government on Thursday (today) because they want to know why the shelter is still open because most of the areas have calmed down,” said Gumede.

The government evacuated more than 700 displaced Zimbabwean migrants from South Africa at the height of the xenophobic attacks.

The victims were transported in hired transport via Beitbridge Border Post where they were handed over to the Civil Protection Unit for further transportation to their respective homes. Last month’s wave of xenophobic attacks left seven people dead, several others injured among them Zimbabweans, and thousands displaced from their homes.

The violence flared up in the Durban area before spreading to parts of Johannesburg after Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini allegedly likened foreigners to lice and said that they should pack up and leave the country, but he later claimed that he was misquoted.