From a distance they look like the work of children. Little white figures, little tents for playtime. Definitely not long term accommodation for adults and families. This is what the site for displaced people looks like in Midrand. Word isn’t out to how long exactly these people will be expected to stay at the sites and what the plan is for them.

There are claims of poor sanitary conditions, and lack of supplies, in addition nights are getting colder and one can imagine how the displaced experience them in their tents.

The aftermath of the first few outbreaks are still being dealt with now in terms of burying the deceased, and the special courts being set up to deal with the perpetrators. On Sunday the 1st of June it was estimated that about 530 people had been arrested, and held in custody. Sadly enough though corruption will always be part of South Africa’s officials, it is claimed that certain volunteers and senior officials were stealing food and clothes that had been donated to the refugees. One refugee was quoted as saying “we eat soup everyday while officials are eating the meat and taking it home”, however the municipality in the Ekhuruleni area allegedly dealing with the claims.

One really saddening story is the one of a man named Sipho Madondo who was shot dead because he wouldn’t take part in the xenophobic attacks, a mob arrived at his house shouting for Sipho to release the foreigners and when he went out and told them he did not want to take part in the attacks he was shot 3 times. It reminds me of the biblical story where 2 strangers arrive at a mans house and ask for shelter, a mob arrives at the house after seeing these foreigners and demand that they be brought out, in the biblical story however the strangers turn out to be angels who then assist their host. Sipho’s wife, who was obviously very angry, said “Sipho died in my arms. He died like a dog, a helpless dog.”. Sipho had no angels that night, he deserves to be with them though if such really do exist.