Camps Set up in Midrand, on Private Property and not Government landPicture courtesy of Radio 702
The South African government has mobilised in order to help out displaced foreign nationals by supplying them with shelter in make-shift camps so that they are catered for while more permanent solutions are found. Some of these make-shift camps are situated very close to residential areas in Midrand and Lyndhurst, close to Johannesburg, and more conflict is brewing around this issue.

Residents of the Midrand suburbs weren’t notified that these camps would be erected in areas overlooking their residences and also being so close to their homes. Needless to say the residents weren’t welcoming to the foreign nationals. One resident was quoted as saying that the residents of these camps were whistling at her while she was busy doing her routine exercises at home and this greatly disturbed her. Other residents are horrified at this new development simply because it devalues their properties and, after all, they weren’t even asked for permission or notified in any way that this was going to occur.

Estate Agents in the area’s affected are also up in arms because, they say, clients are being put off by these camps and they end up not even looking at the houses in some cases as a result their businesses are suffering.

I think a move like this is very dangerous as it only serves to encourage xenophobia. Some of these residents had helped with supporting foreign nationals when the horrible events had occurred and they now feel like they’ve had their faces slapped by the government.

The foreigners themselves are generally taking a liking to their new camps as they say there is more space for them to move around and it is not as crowed as they had been when they were in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. Generally, they play soccer and cards the entire day in these camps.

Oxfam however, has said that these camps are not good enough.

One has to wonder as to what economic benefit these camps will serve in the long term. Is the government also supplying jobs to these foreigners? And how do the foreigners plan to survive when they move to more permanent residence? The residents themselves are beginning to fear an increase in crime in their respective areas, simply because it doesn’t seem like the inhabitants of these camps are doing anything constructive during the day and “idle hands are the devil’s playground.”

I hope that some real solutions come out soon to address this before more fuel is added to the fire.