By Tizita Belachew | VOA
Johannesburg — Yilma Shoa Taye, a representative of 94 Ethiopians, reports they have been evicted from the Ebenezer Care Center where they have been sheltered for two months.
He says Sister Shelley expelled them from the care center when their UNCHR funding ran out and a tribal leader in the community said neighbors would slaughter the more than 119 refugees in her compound.
The day after VOA reported 94 Ethiopian refugees found homeless and defenseless outside the gates of the Ebenezer Care Center, help arrived.
Amnesty International called the South African police, who provided 24-hour protection for the 94 Ethiopian refugees and a dozen others who had been expelled from the center. A member of the city council sought renewal of UNCHR funding and requested they be readmitted to the center. Yilma reports that President Jacob Zuma has been on the radio denouncing threats of violence against refugees.
12 thoughts on “South Africa: Ethiopian refugees in peril”
I used to feel sorry for refugees, however after working with new comers in support chapters, I say “go back to your country and fight those people who made your life miserable, like join eppf, or ginbot 7…don’t cry foul in some body’s country. Leave go back home and fight.
Wud Ethiopians,
This shows that Ethiopia and its people are left without friends in need.
Ethiopian struggle against appartheid more than any one else, fought for the black african from nationally and internationally.
Many south african youth got university and other higher education in Ethiopia, most of ANC leader were trained in Ethiopia, ANC leaders got free travel documents on all flights on Ethiopian Air Lines free untill the their liberation/independence from Appartheid.
Today these africans turned the enemy of Ethiopians. It is sad. I worked with ANC in Scandinavia so hard that I have been hunted by the neo-nazis which represented apparthed. I am sorry for these black africans who forgot Ethiopia who saved them
We shall learn for the future.
Ethiopia prevails.
I agree with esayas, they and we need to make our country a better place. instead of facing the problem at home we run away from it. Refugeeism is no solution.
It is really disheartening to see how the masses in that country degenerated into barbaric killers. The liberation they legitimately gained was supposed to open the door to opportunities for them to improve their living condition and on the way to prosperity. In stead they squandered this golden opportunity to continue to live in filth and utter poverty. They had become wrongfully disappointed with their own false expectation from ANC after the demise of apartheid. That false expectation arose from the false propaganda they used to be preached upon for decades. Modern housing for the poor, equal opportunity for all, free press, jobs for everyone etc… These promises are the right things to do for the public. But they were just promises so wild that they have driven the poor to insanity and barbaric acts against each other and refugees. In some of the recent interviews, the poor is asking for housing from the government free of charge with no strings attached. They are going out to the streets with foul-smelling trash and spreading it all over the roads. And in the meantime, they are looking for poor refugees to burn them alive. Apartheid has turned these poor hoodlums into barbaric creatures. Where did they get the guts and savagery to burn another human being alive and joyfully watch the gruesome macabre? The scream they hear from the victim is just another harmonious music to their ears. They forgot that some of these people they are killing now were the ones who stood shoulder to shoulder with ANC and other anti-apartheid group during the dark days of ruthless segregation. Those leftist thugs gave those empty promises and the poor now wants them delivered and everyone of them. And the government ain’t and can’t. They should be told and taught over and over again how to keep themselves and neighborhood clean. I am afraid, with recession coming down on that country with its full weight, it may descend into chaos and utter anarchy. May God Save The Refugees!!!!
Esayas and Gudeta, where do you live? One of you seems to be living abroad right? So it ok for you but not for the new comers; right?
It’s very easy to ask others to fight, as you enjoy some of the comforts of life in exile.
It’s both painful to hear and unhelpful.
If i faced a grim future in my country I would try abroad, it’s called survival instinct.
I think one has to see it from the south African point of view. In the first place due to degenerative system of apartheid, which went through for generation has inflected such a horrific life being displaced by the white mine owner only to face the same run around by their own leader of the first time, when the economy of the country is really bad.
Now, here are people coming across the boarder as far as Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, which also includes people from Zimbabwe in hundred of thousand. One can see the reason why they have to fight back. Most of these people migrated purely for economical reason rather than political. Some of these women have become hooker, even competing in such field. So one has to understand as why they are fighting back.
Ethiopia is not a failed state as yet according to generally accepted definition. However regardless of perils associated with their travel, when citizens of a country spare no effort to flee their country en mass by any possible means using every avenue available to them.
When they are prepared to go in places from Sudan and Somalia (no state there) to South Africa and anywhere in between them, to Middle East, Malta and Greece. When these hapless citizens prefer not only to tolerate abuse by their hosts but risk possible loss of life than to stay in their own country (mother Ethiopia). In short, anywhere but home!.
Then surely something has been going wrong fundamentally and for sometime.
It is not good enough to accuse of or blame everything on the cruelty or lack of hospitality of host countries. It is obvious that the welcoming attitude,if any, will wear thin with time especially when the host’s resources are meagre or scarse.
What needs to happen is that Ethiopians to learn that rulers are nothing but servants of the people and are hired to do the job assigned to them. To that end, we need to accept required sacrifices, take matters into our own hands, get ride of current rulers, put in place the necessary mechanism and safeguards so that similar regimes can never come to power and install decent and qualified servants. Above all, we should make rulers understand that they are there to do a job for us and if they underperform we will remove them at will.
Anything short of that is a recycling of what we have been through so far and an invitation for more abuse.
@ Esayas
Its easier said than done!!… obviously these refugees left their beloved country in the hope of changing their lives for the better….. I am not in no way condoning this fact…but it is still believed to be a “way out” in the eyes of many… and a lot of the times it has proven to be so…
Fight their own government???… Maybe in theory Yes! (provided they have the means) however in reality i would say ..far-fetched and possibly not a path those facing first hand poverty would choose…….
Let me just say that …if they have the chance of going out there and thrive for a “better future”, that just might sound like the perfect option!!.. You may not have taken a walk in their shoes but Do try to see it from their perspective too!
this has to stop they should help raise money so the refugee center can stay and people won’t die
Helping South Africans during the apartheid system was a moral duty for all civilised people the world over but to think that South Africa ows Africa…its a complete misjudgement of reality. South Africa has its own problem to solve for its nationals. African countries cannot off load its unemployment, housing crisis and economic immigrants to South Africa.
Africans must learn to stand up and solve their problems and not to think that someone, somewhere ows them somthing….This nonsense about support against apartheid was not a long term investment to resolve Africa’s problem by using South Africa.
Ethiopian economic growth is at 9% and South Africa is at 2%..trully who needs help here. Most Ethiopians are even insulting South Africans and practising and cry wolf when South Africans respond in kind.
Most Ethiopians engaged in business are selling counterfeat products and undermining the economy by not paying taxes….South Africa is today losing 49 Billion rands a year through illicit economy practice by these immigrats…..call me xenophobia but reality is that Africans are undermining/sabotaging the economy of South Africa
i totally disagree with thiza have you not observed the poor working habit of south african’s ,alcholic than workholic,over confident no matter what happens how could you shift the blame
Again Yes South Africa are useless as said by Haykel but to who atleast in their own country….pay tax and Ethiopia never supported the ANC as you claim hold your own government to account,,WE ARE TIRED TO HAVE NEARLY 10 MILLION SO CALLED REFUGEES