Nearly three weeks after the first outbreak of violence against foreign nationals in Johannesburg, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues to provide medical assistance to displaced people throughout the city. MSF has also launched new activities in response to the unrest in Cape Town last week.

The violence, which first erupted in Alexandra township on May 11, quickly spread throughout Johannesburg and to other parts of South Africa, including Western Cape Province. According to UNHCR, approximately 100,000 people have been displaced.

Following the attacks in Johannesburg, MSF has been providing medical assistance to people who have sought refuge in police stations, community halls and churches. After assessing 20 different locations, MSF mobile teams have now established a regular presence in 15 sites. The team has done more than 2,500 consultations, distributed 1,800 blankets, provided hygiene kits and plastic sheeting for shelter in the locations where the conditions are most dire. As time passes, the situation of the displaced people in makeshift shelters becomes increasingly precarious.

“Some people are still sleeping outside, sanitation is inadequate, hygiene conditions are deteriorating,” said Bianca Tolboom, an MSF nurse. “Our patients are telling us they feel trapped and that everyone is failing to protect them. They have already been traumatized by violence and displacement and the uncertainty about their future exacerbates the trauma.”

In Cape Town, an emergency team responded to medical needs and provided blankets and food at five sites sheltering more than 1,000 people following the attacks. MSF’s response has since concentrated in Khayelitsha, a large township where MSF has been providing HIV and tuberculosis (TB) care and treatment since 1999. There, MSF is supporting the provision of basic primary healthcare and assisting with referrals to existing health facilities, in collaboration with the city and provincial departments of health.

The recent violence in South Africa has targeted foreign nationals from numerous countries. However, due to their lack of legal status, Zimbabweans in South Africa are in a particularly precarious situation. “Zimbabweans who have fled their own country have nowhere to turn,” said Rachel Cohen, MSF head of mission in South Africa. “We have worked with this group in Johannesburg and Musina, at the border with Zimbabwe, since 2007, and in our experience many Zimbabweans do not seek assistance due to fear of deportation. This has a serious impact on access to healthcare for the most vulnerable, particularly in light of the recent violence.”

MSF has been present in South Africa since 1999, providing comprehensive HIV and TB care in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Since December 2007, MSF has also been working in central Johannesburg and Musina, in Limpopo Province, to provide Zimbabweans seeking refuge in South Africa with access to medical care. Following the recent violence and unrest, an additional emergency team composed of six international and 30 national staff has reinforced the existing team.

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