by Fidellis Swai, UNHCR, 25 April 2003
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MBEKWENI, South Africa (UNHCR) – At first glance, Mbekweni – a remote
township of 70,000 people in the heart of the wine-producing Paarl Valley about
100 km from Cape Town – seems like an intoxicating place to live. But for the
350 refugees settled in Mbkeweni, which means "place of respect" in the local
Xosa language, life is no bed of roses.
Like their counterparts in other parts of South Africa, the refugees in Mbekweni
had come to the "golden land" with great expectations of a better life, but have
found nothing but great frustrations at a lack of social support in the country.
South Africa hosts 23,000 recognised refugees, many of whom arrived via several
asylum or transit countries. They came expecting to improve their lives
drastically, but are disappointed when they fail to find jobs or access social
services. Doctors, engineers and teachers have had to settle for menial jobs.
While their children's access to primary school has improved, it is much harder
at the secondary and tertiary levels. This year, 220 refugees applied for 13
tertiary scholarships under the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee
Initiative Fund, which is financed by the German government.
Mbekweni's refugees, who originate from Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Somalia, live among the
local community. They face problems because assistance is not institutionalised
and resources from the international community are limited. Many have tried to
cope by doing petty trade, selling sundries such as sweets, cigarettes and
matches by the roadside. A lucky few have found casual employment as security
guards and car washers.
But the situation started to change when the Catholic Welfare and Development
organisation set up the Mbekweni Advice Office for Refugees, where refugees can
receive skills training, and counselling on HIV/AIDS and domestic violence. The
office also oversees the Refugee Project, which encourages refugee families to
be self-reliant and fully integrated into society. The project also helps raise
funds and contributions in kind to provide for their basic needs of food,
clothes and housing.
Under the leadership of Brice Ounga, himself a refugee, many of the refugees are
coping, albeit with some difficulties. Ounga arrived at Mbekweni in 1999 from
Congo Brazzaville. His linguistic gift has helped him gather his fellow refugees
together.
"I speak English, French, Lingala, Kicongo, Xosa and Portuguese," he said. "This
has helped me to reach out to the local population as well as the refugees."
When the refugees first arrived at Mbekweni, the Refugee Project assisted them
with basic needs – obtaining food from a soup kitchen and finding them cheap
housing, sometimes in exchange for a few hours of gardening or cleaning cars.
The project's longer-term aim is to improve relations between refugees and the
local community. It organises activities ranging from an electrical workshop for
repairing household appliances, to a sewing project and language lessons for
both refugees and locals alike.
Ounga and his colleagues also maintain close contacts with local institutions
like the police, schools, clinics and religious organisations. "This helps them
understand who is a refugee, and hopefully they will appreciate refugees'
conditions and rights and accept them as human beings," says Ounga. The effort
has paid off, with the University of Cape Town's law clinic providing the
refugees with legal counselling and assistance.
In turn, refugees are encouraged to participate in local community activities,
taking part in a national tree planting event and a recent march against crime
alongside their hosts.
One of the Refugee Project's beneficiaries is a Somali family that has been in
South Africa since 1996. In 1999, the father went to Britain, leaving his wife,
Ambo Mohamed, to take care of their nine children. Attempts at reunification
have been unsuccessful, and the family depends mainly on the Catholic Welfare
and Development organisation and donations from good Samaritans.
All the children attend school in Mbekweni. One of them, Muna, has performed so
well in her pre-college exams that she is being sought by two of the most
prominent universities in the country – the University of Cape Town and the
University of Western Cape.
"I am taking one year off as a 'cooling off' period before I start my medical
studies," she says shyly. "I have not yet decided which university to attend,
but I shall decide soon."
Her mother Ambo adds, "I am thankful to South Africa for allowing us to stay,
and UNHCR for co-ordinating all this assistance. I am thankful to Allah who has
always been with us in these circumstances, and I look forward to the day when I
shall be with my husband, and the children with their father."
But it is not smooth sailing for everyone here. Matondo is an Angolan woman
married to someone from the DRC. They met at Mbekweni four years ago and have
two children now. Like most of their peers in the area, they are still waiting
for their refugee status determination. Matondo is not considering repatriation
to Angola because of her husband. She is unemployed and does not know what to
do.
Delays in refugee status determination are one of the main challenges faced by
asylum seekers in South Africa. In the last two years, UNHCR has trained 40
lawyers to help the South African Department of Home Affairs clear its backlog
of cases. But it piled up again after many of the lawyers left for greener
pastures. There are now some 52,000 cases awaiting status determination in South
Africa.
Despite the good work of programmes like the Refugee Project, many asylum
seekers and refugees in South Africa remain in need of assistance. The refugees
in Mbekweni, "the place of respect", deserve some respect, as do their
counterparts in other parts of the country.
By Fidellis Swai
UNHCR Regional Office for Southern Africa
Story date: 25 Apr 2003