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| Cape Board and WPZC members protest against xenophobia outside St. George’s Cathedral |
The spate of xenophobic violence that started in Gauteng spread to Cape Town in the week of 19 May and resulted in almost 20 000 foreign nationals being displaced.
The SA Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape Council) co-ordinated refugee relief efforts over a period of months, specifically in relation to what became known as ‘the Caledon Square Group’, as well as efforts directed more generally towards refugee relief in the general Cape Town area.
The Board has an outreach portfolio, chaired by Li Boiskin, and it sent out an appeal amongst the Jewish community for financial aid to allow the Board to carry out relief efforts directed at victims of the xenophobic attacks and violence. A few hundred thousand rand was raised, supplemented by a further substantial contribution from Investec channelled through our National office, and to date almost all the funds have been utilised.
The Caledon Square Group
The ‘Caledon Square Group’ of refugees was in a sense ‘adopted’ by our community when the TAC made approaches to Jewish community organisations to help a group of around 180 people who at that exact moment were out on the street outside Caledon Street Police Station in freezing cold and wet conditions, just after the xenophobic attacks had broken out in the last week of May.
Over the months an incredible group of volunteers, working in the main under the guidance and leadership of Board member, Viv Anstey, worked with the Caledon Group. They have worked in close co-operation with the TAC and also networked with the Cape Town Refugee Centre, Department of Health, Provincial Dept of Social Development, UNHCR, Aids Law Project, UCT Law Clinic, Provincial Premier’s office, CCID and many individuals who have shared expertise and advice.
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| Orly Levetan and Linda Ambor at Cape Town International Airport with three of 20 Burundi foreign nationals that the Jewish community helped repatriate. |
After many months of offering ‘on the ground’ support, including housing, feeding, legal and medical assistance and more, they were able to assist the majority of the group to attempt to reintegrate, providing a stipend and support on the ground. In addition, they helped facilitate the repatriation of 20 Burundi nationals, including acting as a conduit for certain overseas donor funds that were raised by a group of volunteers for that purpose.
The more general relief efforts included: the collection of foodstuffs and basic essentials for distribution in the ‘refugee camps’; responding to calls for items in desperate short supply from time to time, e.g. collection of nappies, baby food etc from members of the Jewish Community for distribution in the refugee camps and the provision of a massive supply of e-pap that was used to supplement the food supply line that at times was meagre.
The efforts of the Cape Board were recognised by an invitation to attend a seminar in Pretoria, hosted by the Human Sciences Research Council and the British Consul General, to review and discuss the crisis and its aftermath. Viv Anstey attended and took part in this forum.
The harsh reality is that the provincial and city authorities have struggled to come to grips with the situation. Furthermore, there is so much poverty and there are severe shortages of housing and basic services to contend with in terms of the ‘local’ population.
“We hope and pray that as many as possible of those we have worked with will find the strength to move on with their lives, but the reality is that for many this is going to be a great struggle against difficult odds.”
