South Africa to close camps for foreigners displaced by violence

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

JOHANNESBURG, (AFP) — South African authorities will close camps Friday that have housed thousands of foreigners displaced by xenophobic violence, in a move that has drawn concern they could face more attacks when they return home.

Authorities last month gave some 3,000 foreigners at six camps in Gauteng province, which includes the economic capital Johannesburg, a deadline of August 15 to leave. Some of them have since then left the camps.

The remaining camps in other parts of the country that housed 4,200 others were due to be shut over the following weeks.

Humanitarian organisations have argued that the government had not spelled out a plan to reintegrate them into the communities they had fled.

Camps were set up after anti-immigrant violence...