Just as I had predicted, the aftermath of the xenophobia attacks is not going to be pretty. Residents gathered near the place displaced foreigners are having a camp setup for them and these residents were very vocal and were making their feelings known that they do not want the displaced foreigners to be staying near them. Some of the residents went as far as saying that they will burn the camp down! Aren’t we going to see the xenophobia attacks all over again?

About 380 tents from the United Nations have been setup in an open field in the south of Johannesburg to accommodate the displaced foreigners. There is also an Eskom generator at the camp to supply about 1 200 displaced foreigners with electricity. What is really making the local residents angry is that the government did not consult them about setting up the camp in the middle of their neighbourhood. There is also a lot of noise about how quickly this camp has been setup for foreigners whilst the government can not provide housing or electricity quick enough for local South Africans in need. Residents are also concerned that the levels of crime in their neighbourhood will now go up due to the setup of this camp.

There are many pros and cons about this raging debate; on one hand, one has to feel for the residents but on the other hand should we as South Africans not be be giving the foreigners a chance? Hopefully the setup of such camps is not the long term solution and these camps will not be in the neighbourhoods for long. So why can’t we just be patient and wait for a solution to be reached instead of threatening to chase them away and burning down the camps? Some would argue that waiting for the government to act could take forever. They had said that these camps would only be in place for two months and then they will try reintegrating the foreigners into the communities they left. But what if this reintegration is not possible and the foreigners are not welcome back into the communities, then what?