Johannesburg - Ten temporary places of safety will be allocated for displaced foreign nationals in Gauteng, the provincial government said on Thursday.
Briefing the media on the outcome of the Gauteng executive council meeting in Johannesburg, acting Gauteng premier Paul Mashatile said a task team led by the department of social services and MECs had been established and assigned to investigate and also identify locations for temporary shelters.
The executive council has recommended that the Premier declare the "current situation a provincial disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act".
This would enable government to spend additional resources required to assist the victims.
Mashatile said a process of "harmonising the situation" would begin and Gauteng would consider measures of relief and integration, adding that a budget would be set aside to provide aid for the displaced foreigners.
However, there was no set figure.
Integration 'a process'
"This (violence) was unforeseen and was therefore unbudgeted for ... There's no bulk figure, we'll know when we go on ... we need to look at all the needs," Mashatile said.
He said that integration was not an event but a process that required community leaders and organisations to work together.
More than 120 people have been reintegrated in Zandspruit in Roodepoort, he added.
Health MEC Brian Hlongwa said there would be no permanent refugee sites - but rather the displaced would be reintegrated back into communities.
A multi-disciplinary approach was needed when integrating foreigners back into communities, he said.
Fifty-six people were killed since the start of xenophobic clashes earlier this month and about 16 000 people were currently residing in police stations, churches and community centres. Some have opted to return to their home countries.
Mashatile acknowledged that there was a huge backlog on housing, however, blaming foreigners for lack of housing, poverty and unemployment was an exaggeration.
"Most foreigners don't live in houses and most don't work ... I don't know which jobs they're taking."
Mashatile said the council would receive a report back from the task team on preferred sites where temporary shelter was to be erected.
Providing relief
Referring to a reported hunger strike by a group of mostly Somalis and Ethiopians at an emergency relief camp in Akasia, north of Tshwane, Mashatile said there was nothing government could do.
"Government is providing relief for everyone and if people are boycotting aid, they are doing it voluntarily," said Mashatile.
The group at the camp in Akasia demanded that all relief be provided by United Nations relief organisations and refused aid from the South African government.
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Briefing the media on the outcome of the Gauteng executive council meeting in Johannesburg, acting Gauteng premier Paul Mashatile said a task team led by the department of social services and MECs had been established and assigned to investigate and also identify locations for temporary shelters.
The executive council has recommended that the Premier declare the "current situation a provincial disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act".
This would enable government to spend additional resources required to assist the victims.
Mashatile said a process of "harmonising the situation" would begin and Gauteng would consider measures of relief and integration, adding that a budget would be set aside to provide aid for the displaced foreigners.
However, there was no set figure.
Integration 'a process'
"This (violence) was unforeseen and was therefore unbudgeted for ... There's no bulk figure, we'll know when we go on ... we need to look at all the needs," Mashatile said.
He said that integration was not an event but a process that required community leaders and organisations to work together.
More than 120 people have been reintegrated in Zandspruit in Roodepoort, he added.
Health MEC Brian Hlongwa said there would be no permanent refugee sites - but rather the displaced would be reintegrated back into communities.
A multi-disciplinary approach was needed when integrating foreigners back into communities, he said.
Fifty-six people were killed since the start of xenophobic clashes earlier this month and about 16 000 people were currently residing in police stations, churches and community centres. Some have opted to return to their home countries.
Mashatile acknowledged that there was a huge backlog on housing, however, blaming foreigners for lack of housing, poverty and unemployment was an exaggeration.
"Most foreigners don't live in houses and most don't work ... I don't know which jobs they're taking."
Mashatile said the council would receive a report back from the task team on preferred sites where temporary shelter was to be erected.
Providing relief
Referring to a reported hunger strike by a group of mostly Somalis and Ethiopians at an emergency relief camp in Akasia, north of Tshwane, Mashatile said there was nothing government could do.
"Government is providing relief for everyone and if people are boycotting aid, they are doing it voluntarily," said Mashatile.
The group at the camp in Akasia demanded that all relief be provided by United Nations relief organisations and refused aid from the South African government.
www.news24.com
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