Testimonies of people displaced by xenophobic violence in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in April 2015.

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Testimonies of Displaced People in Camps Durban KwaZulu Natal
This document contains testimonies from residents in displacement camps in KwaZulu Natal from
14-23 April 2015 as collected by fieldworkers of Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières,

2. 2
Kirumba KyubwaKirumba KyubwaKirumba KyubwaKirumba Kyubwa –––– DeDeDeDemocraticmocraticmocraticmocratic
Republic of CongoRepublic of CongoRepublic of CongoRepublic of Congo
After fleeing conflict in his Democratic
Republic of Congo some 14 years ago,
Kirumba Kyubwa (35) now finds himself
among hundreds of Congolese citizens who
have sought refuge in one of 3 tented camps
in Durban, South Africa. He says he watched
an armed mob loot his business and threaten
to kill him. Like several other Congolese, he
doesn’t believe that re-integration is possible,
and wants assistance to return home as soon
as possible.
Kirumba’s Testimony:Kirumba’s Testimony:Kirumba’s Testimony:Kirumba’s Testimony:
“Some of us want to go back to our own countries. At least we can die there, and our parents
can bury our bodies. If we stay and get killed here in South Africa, who is going to pay to take
our bodies there?”
“The South African government says it’s a war situation in Congo, that’s why we cannot go
home. But they forget that South Africa is in a war situation for foreigners like us. What kind
of safety can they guarantee if the community doesn’t want us?
“In 2008 I was victimized, in 2009 I was victimized, in 2014 I was victimized, in 2015 I was
victimized. Even the police tell us South Africa is not safe for us, so it’s better that we should
be allowed to go home.
“I can’t even walk in the street now, I have to stay inside a car, and get the police to take me
to see my wife and children. What kind of a life is that? We are not free here.
“I am a salon owner. The thugs came with sticks, pangas (machetes), and they looted my
business. When I went back to check after one week, the owner had put someone else in there.
We can see we are not welcome here. It’s better we go home now.”
Picture: ©Greg Lomas

3. 3
Roger BitamaRoger BitamaRoger BitamaRoger Bitama –––– DeDeDeDemocraticmocraticmocraticmocratic
Republic of CongoRepublic of CongoRepublic of CongoRepublic of Congo
Roger Bitama has lived in South Africa since
2001, after fleeing violence in the Bukavu
region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On 31 March, as usual, he was selling jeans,
shoes and leather jackets – “everything that
goes on the human body” – in downtown
Isipingo when he was attacked by a group of
young men wielding pangas (machetes) and
bottles. Everyone who saw him being attacked
that day thought he had been killed.
Roger’s Testimony:Roger’s Testimony:Roger’s Testimony:Roger’s Testimony:
“It was about 11 o’clock in the morning on 31 March. I was walking near my shop in Isipingo
when about 20 guys attacked me. They were quite young, 17 to 25 years old; nobody was over
30 years that I saw. I fell to the ground and they kicked me in my face and on my body. They
wanted to stab me and I thought I was going to die, but some old ladies shouted at them to
leave me alone, not to kill me, because they know me from around there for a long time. The
guys ran away. My shirt was full of blood and I was dizzy, but I got up and I ran away. Further
down the road some other guys also attacked me. This time it was some older men who told
them not to kill me. Again the youngsters ran away and left me lying there.
“After that some guys stopped in a kombi van, told me to get in and lie down on the back seat
so I would not be seen by the thugs. I did as I was told, but later the driver began driving very
slowly. One of the others in the van came and told me to take off my shoes. I was surprised to
see they were robbing me. I gave them my shoes, my jacket full of blood. I thought they would
definitely kill me, but they dropped me off somewhere I can’t remember. I found a place in the
bush near a bridge, and I slept there for maybe four hours.
“When I woke up I saw some women walking past. They saw all the blood on me, and asked
me what had happened. I told them and said I needed to go home to KwaMakhutha. I wasn’t
sure I could trust them, but one of them gave me R10 ($0.82/€0.76) for transport, so I went
with them. They showed me the road where someone in a car gave me a lift, and I managed
to get to my house. I stayed there for four days by myself, using hot water and some small
medicine I had there to fix myself a little bit.
“When the swelling on my face went down, I went to the hospital. I was in a lot of pain, but they
found that luckily nothing was broken. Then I came here. My friends all thought I was dead,
so they were happy to see me. Later somebody told me those thugs looted the container where
I keep all my stock, and stole everything. My wife died nine months ago, and left me with two
children: a boy of nine years old and a daughter of three. They are staying with others until my
life gets better.”
Picture: ©Greg Lomas

4. 4
Kasai and Coco RivengaKasai and Coco RivengaKasai and Coco RivengaKasai and Coco Rivenga ––––
Democratic Republic of CongoDemocratic Republic of CongoDemocratic Republic of CongoDemocratic Republic of Congo
Kasai Rivenga (39) and his wife Coco (34) with
their young daughters Aimee and Dorothea
in the tented camp where they sought refuge
from a wave of xenophobic violence that
broke out in Durban, South Africa. They came
to South Africa from the Democratic
Republic of Congo 14 years ago, fleeing the
civil war that swept through the Bukavu
region of their country and which continues
in the eastern parts today. Along with many
others in the camp, they have little idea what
their future holds
Kasai’s Testimony:Kasai’s Testimony:Kasai’s Testimony:Kasai’s Testimony:
“We came to South Africa 14 years ago, after experiencing civil war in our country. On 31
March our business was attacked. We heard them coming with loud noises, making threats,
beating up foreigners. We ran over the road to hide in the shopping mall, and we watched
them looting and burning our business. We couldn’t stay there because the owners at the
shopping mall were also closing up. Then the police came and took us to the police station
with other foreigners. All of us were very scared because our children were still at school
during this time, but the police helped us to get them. We were at the police station for about
two hours. Then they brought us here to the Isipingo Camp.”
“With our business we have put two of Coco’s brothers into university. We also have our own
two daughters, plus we have been taking care of her aunt and sick uncle, and my own brother.
With our business destroyed, we’ve got no money to pay the rent or buy food for ourselves. We
are living like refugees in this camp, standing in long queues and sleeping on the ground. At
night it rains into the tent, and last week they killed two snakes behind the kitchen. Our
children are crying to go back to school, to be with their friends, but what can we tell them?”
“We are very uncertain, confused. It seems to us like every South African is now our enemy:
the shopkeeper, your neighbour, your landlord. But this xenophobia didn’t start last week. At
the schools the teachers are discriminating against our children, shouting at them if they take
longer to learn some English. In the taxi we are afraid to answer the phone because somebody
will hear our language and make rude comments about “kwerekwere” (foreigners). And when
they destroy our business like they did, it is like we have no future at all in this country. We
have to start again from zero, but we know they can do it again at any time. It is very traumatic.”
“This is not the first time this is happening. We have been living with this xenophobia thing
for many years. The South African government can talk about re-integration, but we cannot
trust them. If we go back to our place now, people will say to us: ‘Hey, why did you not go
back home? We saw all others going home. Did you kill somebody in DRC.’ Then it will start
again.”
Picture: ©Greg Lomas

5. 5
Fabian MuhateFabian MuhateFabian MuhateFabian Muhate ---- MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique
Fabian Muhate (28) sits on the stands of the
Isipingo sports field which has become a
temporary refuge for hundreds of foreign
nationals fleeing xenophobic violence in
Durban, South Africa. Muhate, a builder by
trade, repeats the all too common tale of
being chased from his home by a gang of
armed men, then returning the following day
to find his most valuable belongings gone. But
his greatest sadness is reserved for a friend
whom he visits in hospital every day.
Vilanculos Azarias, also from Mozambique,
was allegedly attacked with a hammer, and
suffered serious and perhaps permanent
debilitating injury.
Fabian’s Testimony:Fabian’s Testimony:Fabian’s Testimony:Fabian’s Testimony:
“I came to South Africa from Mozambique with my uncle in 1999. He died in 2003 and I had
nowhere to go, so I decided to build a life for myself here in South Africa. I learned how to
become a builder, I met a girl at a hair salon, a girl from my country. We got married and we
had two children. Three weeks ago they came to my house. I put my wife and children into the
bedroom; we put the lights off and hid next to the bed not making noise. The guys were
shouting outside, then they threw a big stone through the window. I didn’t want them to burn
my house, so I opened the door for them. When they came inside, they asked us: “When are
you leaving? You must leave now. You are a foreigner.” We ran to stay at a friend’s house. The
next day I went back to look at my house. I saw everything was gone: our clothes, TV, laptop
computer, two cellphones, my toolbox, my grinder, also our money from under the bed. We
were lucky they didn’t beat us. My friend told us we couldn’t stay with him because it wasn’t
safe, maybe they could come back. We heard about Isipingo Camp, so now we are here since
three weeks.”
“Every day I go to visit my friend in Mushiyeni Memorial Hospital. His name is Vilanculos
Azarias and he was beaten over the head with a hammer. I didn’t see it myself, but his
neighbours told me what happened. They said it was about 20 guys. They also looted and
burned his house. He was in a coma for more than a week, but I can see he is getting better
now: he can open one eye. He can’t talk and he can’t go to the toilet. He wears a nappy. He
used to work at a bakery in Umlazi and I know he’s got a wife and children in Mozambique. I
went to the police station to open a case about it. I call the police station every day, but they
say they are still trying to find someone to investigate. There are many who were beaten like
my friend, but they won’t come forward to say it’s xenophobia. They are too scared. Me, I just
pray to God He will take us out of this bad situation.”
“I don’t have a house in Mozambique, I don’t have a family there. My life is here, but even now
I don’t feel safe.”
“I don’t know the people who did this to me. They are people who came from somewhere else.
I don’t trust my neighbours, even though I have been living there for many years. I don’t tell
them anything about what happened to me because you don’t know. They will pretend to feel
Picture: ©Greg Lomas

6. 6
sympathy for you, but when you go away they will say many things. They will even bring some
guys from outside to come attack your house and take your things. They will bring them and
show them where you live. They say: ‘He’s a foreigner, go and loot his house, and we will share
it among ourselves.’ This is what I know from speaking to others who have also been
attacked.”
“In this situation, you cannot see very well what is going to happen, so you just have to trust in
God.”
“I’m not scared for myself. I can risk my life because I trust in God, but I’m scared for what
could happen to my family. Family is everything, you know?”
“Living in this situation is not good, you know, especially for a child. It is cold at night, the wind
blows and sometimes it is raining. The tents are overcrowded and the children are getting
sick. We are just praying for a solution.”

7. 7
MSF Activity UpdateMSF Activity UpdateMSF Activity UpdateMSF Activity Update –––– Xenophobic Violence ResponseXenophobic Violence ResponseXenophobic Violence ResponseXenophobic Violence Response
21 April 201521 April 201521 April 201521 April 2015
A medical team from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been responding to the health
needs of displaced people for nearly a week now since violent xenophobic attacks in the
KwaZulu Natal (KZN) province. The team provides basic medical care following needs
assessments at three displacement camps, housing more than 5,000 people around the
coastal city of Durban. A second team will soon conduct similar assessments in the
Ekurhuleni region near Johannesburg.
The team of six in KZN started work on Tuesday, 14 April. They are focused on immediately
providing for the unmet medical and humanitarian needs of fearful migrants and refugees
who have fled their homes during the violence. People in the camps are predominantly from
Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The MSF team is actively providing
medical and water sanitation services to
three camps (Isipingo, Chatsworth and
Phoenix) coordinating closely with the
provincial Department of Health (DoH) to
ensure regular mobile clinics twice
weekly for consultations and treatment;
ensuring referrals to hospitals and
providing medication for chronic
conditions like HIV and TB. The team’s
objective is to provide support where gaps
in the response are identified: for medical care, water and
sanitation services, help for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and improved
camp management
“We have seen children with diarrhea, fever, skin diseases and a case of pneumonia. We
have also treated men who had been badly injured in the violence but had not tried to get
care because they were too scared to go to hospital, or leave the camps with assistance,”
says Dr Gemma Arellano, MSF emergency team leader in KwaZulu Natal.
“In Chatsworth Camp, one man suffered fractured ribs in an attack 14 days ago, but he was
too scared to seek help. Despite the pain, even today, he does not want to go a hospital for
fear of being targeted again,” says Arellano. “In Phoenix Camp, we treated a man who had
multiple arm fractures. Only three hours earlier, he had been severely beaten by a mob of 15
men. They threw him into the river after the attack, but he managed to survive. We have
seen pockets of violence targeting individuals,” says Arellano.
The number of displaced people in each camp is based on estimates by our team since camp
managers were not able to do routine population registrations initially. The MSF team
Picture: ©Greg Lomas

8. 8
reports that buses have started to arrive to repatriate people back to Malawi, Mozambique
and Zimbabwe.
PhoenixPhoenixPhoenixPhoenix CampCampCampCamp (situated(situated(situated(situated aboutaboutaboutabout 26km26km26km26km northnorthnorthnorth ofofofof Durban)Durban)Durban)Durban)
Phoenix Camp is growing rapidly – and currently hosts an estimated 2,500 people, including
600 people who have been moved from other camps.
MSF is assisting by providing water and sanitation management, installing a 1,500 litre
water tank to increase the clean water supply from only two shared taps.
The team is also determining the medical needs of camp residents based on medical
profiling when people are registered. The team is focusing on preventing risk of waterborne
disease by supplying soap and water as well as buckets for washing. They are also focused
on the needs of pregnant women, and children under five years-old.
Medical needs for people with HIV and TB are also being monitored and the DoH will be re-
establishing access to ARV medication inside the camp.
ChatsworthChatsworthChatsworthChatsworth CampCampCampCamp (situated(situated(situated(situated aboutaboutaboutabout 20km20km20km20km northnorthnorthnorth ofofofof Durban)Durban)Durban)Durban)
There are currently an estimated 3,500 people in Chatsworth camp which is filled to
capacity. Around 20% of the camp population consists of children under five-years-old who
are particularly vulnerable.
MSF will be supplying mobile clinic
services in the camp supplementing the
DoH services. The MSF medical team will
also coordinate closely regarding
nutritional screenings and since many of
the children may not have been
vaccinated against measles, an
immunization campaign will be done
soon.
IsipingoIsipingoIsipingoIsipingo CampCampCampCamp (situated(situated(situated(situated aboutaboutaboutabout 21km21km21km21km southsouthsouthsouth ofofofof Durban)Durban)Durban)Durban)
Isipingo Camp was the first camp established and is home to approximately 400 people. The
primary problems identified in the initial assessment were related to access to primary
healthcare and psychosocial needs.
MSFMSFMSFMSF urgesurgesurgesurges reintegrationreintegrationreintegrationreintegration –––– don’tdon’tdon’tdon’t protractprotractprotractprotract campscampscampscamps
MSF does not support a protracted situation of displacement camps for foreign nationals.
“MSF urges that community reconciliation between the displaced and South Africans should
commence immediately to de-escalate the tensions and reduce fears. This could allow
displaced people to safely return to their homes, if they wish, and ensure that reintegration
back into South African society can begin. The South African authorities have the capacity to
Picture: ©Greg Lomas

9. 9
respond to the current emergency but reconciliation and reintegration efforts must not fall
by the wayside,” says Andrew Mews, MSF head of mission for South Africa and Lesotho.
AdditionalAdditionalAdditionalAdditional MSFMSFMSFMSF responsesresponsesresponsesresponses
MSF remains concerned about rising tensions and our teams in other South African cities
(Johannesburg, Rustenburg and Cape Town) are monitoring the situation and collaborating
with civil society groups and communities to denounce the violence and urge for
reconciliation activities.
In Johannesburg, MSF is assembling a second team tasked with conducting medical
assessments in the coming days in Ekurhuleni and elsewhere where displaced people have
sought safety.
MSF commends the courage with which the majority of South Africans are standing up
against xenophobia through the actions of faith-based organisations, civil society groups and
individuals mobilizing support to stop the violence and show solidarity with displaced foreign
nationals.
In Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, three of the six southern African countries where
MSF currently runs routine HIV and TB projects, our teams there are on stand-by in case
local governments express a need for support as some of their nationals start arriving after
repatriation actions.
ABOUTABOUTABOUTABOUT MSFMSFMSFMSF SOUTHERNSOUTHERNSOUTHERNSOUTHERN AFRICAAFRICAAFRICAAFRICA
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is works to provide medical assistance in six countries in
Southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa),
focused on HIV and TB care. Our emergency response in KwaZulu Natal, and possibly
Gauteng, in the wake of xenophobic violence, grows from our regular programmes.