People in pain -- please help

What is it about the situation in Zimbabwe that has produced one of the most severe cases of stick-your-head-in-the-sand-itis that one can imagine? Watching a video on the online New York Times on the refugees streaming into South Africa got me into such a state that tears were running down my cheeks.

Of course, as part of dramatic reporting techniques, some of the shots were probably staged. But nevertheless, the woman who had just scraped under the fence into South Africa and was now filmed walking along the road to Messina with one plastic packet of her possessions, got to me.

I wept for her and the hopelessness of her plight. The unemployment figures in South Africa for its citizens are high. Stats SA maintains it’s 23%. It’s probably more likely to be double that. The exact numbers are not known, as many South Africans do not claim unemployment benefits and fall outside the scope of surveys.

So many eke out a living in any way they can. They might sell a few bananas and oranges from rickety tables, stand guard over cars in shopping malls or flog those ubiquitous plastic clothes hangers at traffic lights.

South Africans are blessed with a fairly well developed sense of black humour. A joke that made the rounds a few years ago said that you know when you are in Johannesburg when you can buy anything at the traffic lights. Visitors are amazed at the goods available. Instant shopping. I used to get my windscreen washed once a week, at a set of traffic lights at the top of a freeway off-ramp, by Godfrey. He had a ’shop sign’ up that said www.godfrey.co.za.

Fleeing into this environment in the hope that you can find employment and shelter is beyond hopeless. One can only shudder at what has made this woman walk for hours in the heat, clutching one packet. How much worse must it be where she is coming from? According to The New York Times article, it is estimated that about 1 000 people cross over into South Africa every day.

To those who might want to argue that Zimbabweans think of South Africa as a land of milk and honey, I would like to ask what personal circumstances would make them walk into another country, scraping through barbed wire fences, even possibly facing crocodiles in the river separating the countries? How desperate would you have to be to do that?

I have some personal experience. My family went across the border from East Germany to West Germany in the late 1940s. My brother-in-law, as a young boy, walked with his family from the German areas of Russia after the Second World War. My father saw the refugees at the Dresden railway station and adjourning park just days before they were bombed.

Through all these personal histories of family members, one thing came through loud and clear. They and we, only left our homes because we absolutely had to. And as with the Zimbabwean refugees, we left everything behind. In our case, my parents tried to give away as much as they could to those staying behind, without raising suspicion.

What the difference was though, was that some provision, as much as could be done after the war, was made for refugees. People were accommodated and helped as much as was possible. Governments took note of refugees and did something about it.

Regrettably this cannot be said for the way any of the countries around Zimbabwe are reacting to this flood of desperate people. It’s as if it is not happening. A report I read a few months ago estimated that there are two million Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa alone.

I would imagine that Zimbabweans living in the north would head towards northern neighbours rather. In other words, how many displaced and desperate people are being ignored by the Southern African countries? Millions. All totally overlooked, except for the few who are sent back by the South African government when caught. That’s almost worse.

Why not call in the United Nations, Oxfam, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and all the other big refugee aid organisations? They will come and help with shelter, food and medication. At least this will shine the spotlight on the problem rather than allowing these poor folk to disappear into abject poverty.

Perhaps everybody in Africa is listening to South African President Thabo Mbeki’s ‘there is no crisis’ statement. Well, not everybody. It was wonderful to see the trade unions take a stand during the recent arms for Zimbabwe drama held in Durban. And the front page of the Independent in the UK screams about genocide in Zimbabwe. So thankfully not everybody is buying into the ‘no crisis’ point of view.

However, while a bunch of people are making some noise and rattling some sabres, people such as the woman who brought me to tears, are walking along dusty roads carrying their worldly possessions in a plastic packet. It makes me want to cry all over again, just thinking of her. Stop focusing on Mugabe and his henchmen and focus on the real issues here, the people. PLEASE!