Relief camps to be closed by early November

By Mikhaila Crowie
14 October 2008

The City of Cape Town says plans to close relief camps across the city are running as planned.

The City plans the either reintegrate or deport more than 2000 displaced foreign nationals by early November.

Officials have reiterated the Harmony Park site will be shut down this Friday.

A few hundred foreigners have already been moved out and reintegrated into local communities.

The City’s Pieter Cronje said the three remaining safety sites in the metropolitan area of Cape Town-namely Harmony Park, Youngsfield and Bluewaters- will be closed by the end of the month.

“We have now reached the final stage of the fallout after the xenophobic violence in May this year.”

Cronje said the City has started with the removal of people from the Harmony Park site.

“Over 300 people have moved over the weekend. This process is continuing, then Youngsfield will follow and then finally the two sites at Bluewaters.”

Cronje continued by saying that everybody will be accommodated and the City has investigated reports of foreigners being attacked since being reintegrated into their communities.

“We’ve also had investigations by the South African Police Services into reports of intimidation and attacks on foreigners returning to their communities and so far none of these reports have been substantiated.”