Re-integration of Internally Displaced People on track

By Henry Booysen
11 June 2008

On Tuesday at the Disaster Management Centre at Tygerberg Hospital the Director-General of provincial government Ms Virginia Peterson said that although there thousands of foreigners have been displaced due to xenophobic violence many have already been reintegrated

She explained that the Province has a three step plan to deal with the Internally Displaced People (IDPs).

“The Province’s plan to deal with the disaster is to ensure safety and security, humanitarian relief and reintegration,” says Peterson.

At the briefing the Director-General said that there are 75 safety sites in the Western Cape of which 6 are mega sites.

According to Peterson the Soetwater site which is regarded as a mega site has been condemned by many organisations such as the Human Rights Commission and the Black Sash organisation where they are saying the site is “unacceptable”.

Head of Provincial Disaster Management Centre Dr Hildegarde Fast elaborated that the reintegration of foreign nationals has taken place.

Fast said that of the 22 000 foreigners that were displaced, 15 000 are still displaced within the Cape Metropole and 500 extra outside (Vredenburg and Saldanha).

“More than 5000 foreign nationals have already been reintegrated into their host communities, many taking place voluntarily,” said Fast.

Questions were raised to Director- General Peterson on the how long would government take to reintegrate the foreign nationals, of which she responded, “that it is never the intention of this government to have people displaced for a long time.”