Cape Town - Asylum seekers living along a pavement in Bellville who were evicted from Paint City last year have asked to be relocated to a safer place after a taxi injured a woman.
It has been five months since the group of around 150 people were evicted from the shelter.
They have been living on Robert Sobukwe Drive, outside the shelter, since October.
The asylum-seekers first illegally occupied the Methodist Church on Greenmarket Square in 2019, and around 600 were then placed in Bellville.
The shelter was established under the Disaster Management Act regulations.
According to the evictees, two people have been injured and one shelter destroyed by a vehicle since they moved on to the pavement.
On Friday, Aysha Ndikumala, 28, was hit by a speeding taxi while trying to save her 4-year-old son.
“There were children walking across the road.
“They were on their way to the shop.
“Suddenly, this speeding taxi came and I went to save them and the driver hit me instead.
“If I had not run to them they would have been crushed by the taxi.” Ndikumala’s legs were injured. “I didn’t file a case because the eyewitnesses who took photos had to delete them after receiving threats.
“I didn’t want to go to the police station without evidence even though the nurses at the hospital advised that I do.”
Another asylum-seeker, Dutamo Azazh, said they wanted to be moved off the pavement.
“We want the government to move us from here.
“Our children are not safe. “Every time the taxis and other types of vehicles speed past they can kill a lot of people here.
“The first time there was a guy who was hit by a car and a truck destroyed our shelters and then this happened, we are in danger all the time.”
He said they also received no basic services.
“It’s Ramadaan, there’s no toilet, shower, or water, we need to use water.
“We hope that something will be done soon.”
Western Cape commissioner for the SA Human Rights Commission, Chris Nissen, said the people responsible for the situation had to step in.
“We ask them to come in, it’s very dangerous for them to live there, the Paint City is growing by the day there were a few people at first and then there were fights, some were kicked out and they were not meant to be there permanently.
“Many of the refugees go home to their places they had before they were moved there.
“They need to make a decision, there’s nothing we can do but they need to go back to the communities or be moved to places where they will be safe.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za
Cape Argus