Deteriorating
economic conditions over the last two years have had an increasingly
devastating impact on the general population of Zimbabwe. Vulnerable
people, already struggling to make ends meet, have been hit hardest.
Some Zimbabweans have sought better livelihood opportunities and
living conditions across the borders of South Africa and other neighboring
countries. In particular in South Africa, the number of people crossing
the border was initially not considered to be significant, however,
since June and July of 2007 the number of people leaving Zimbabwe
has dramatically intensified, numbering in the thousands every month.
Several factors have hastened the situation for people inside Zimbabwe.
These include the impact of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, the effect
that restructuring the agricultural sector has had on overall food
security, and a massive unemployment rate, with some 80 percent
of the population considered to be living under the poverty line.
In September 2007, the inflation rate exceeded 7,000 percent. The
country also saw one of the worst harvests in recent times, with
the year officially designated as “Drought Year” by the government.
ACT member, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa Development
Services - South Africa (ELCSA-DS), in coordination with the
Lutheran Communion of Southern Africa (LUCSA), has been monitoring
the situation as it developed over the past few months, and undertook
an initial assessment of the situation in North West, Gauteng and
Limpopo provinces.
ELCSA-DS reports
that one of the complexities of the emergency is that Zimbabweans
are often integrated within South African communities, making their
needs and identities hard to determine. However, with the help of host communities, Zimbabwean community
networks and the churches themselves, vulnerable Zimbabweans were
identified in the following areas:
North West province,
total number of Zimbabweans by village:
Mafekeng:
457 persons
Mmabatho:
495 persons
Zeerust:
1,159 persons
Limpopo province,
total number of Zimbabweans by village:
Musina:
1,526 persons
Louis Trichardt: 817 persons
Vhembe: 938 persons
Gauteng province,
total number of Zimbabweans by village:
Pretoria:
510 persons
Krugersdorp
on the West Rand: 350 persons
During their
initial assessment, ELCSA-DS found that some Zimbabweans are housed
in the back yards of overcrowded homes and that some are expected
to pay rent. Others are sleeping under trees next to roads or on
open fields on farms with no cover or protection. In urban areas,
many are sleeping at the railway station or on the street. Also,
the Methodist church in Johannesburg is housing some the those without
housing.
ELCSA-DS will
continue to assess, through local churches and some of the established
Zimbabwean community networks, and begin planning an appropriate humanitarian
response. The potential response will primarily be focused on particularly
vulnerable women and children. Initial assistance could include food
packages, non-food items and basic sanitation and hygiene requirements.
A Rapid Response
Fund Request or ACT appeal will likely be submitted to the ACT Coordinating
Office (CO) in the coming days.
