Refugee camps should be set up near the border to house and feed Zimbabweans fleeing their country, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday.
”If government takes its humanitarian duties seriously, [the Department of] Home Affairs will immediately begin to investigate setting up refugee camps in order to assist the people from Zimbabwe who so desperately need our help,” the DA’s Mark Lowe said.
He said as the political situation in Zimbabwe deteriorated, more refugees were expected to arrive in South Africa.
It is estimated that three million Zimbabweans are in South Africa illegally.
Lowe said the Lindela Repatriation Centre was not helping to curb immigration as the centre lacked the capacity to deal with the huge numbers of people coming through its gates.
”Home affairs should be considering all the various options open to them, and they should be consulting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the best possible means to assist those fleeing from Zimbabwe.
”They must be fed and sheltered until the situation improves,” Lowe said.
International resources should be mobilised to assist in the care of Zimbabweans in South Africa, he said. — Sapa