“The worst was Thursday night. We didn’t want to go home and it was freezing cold outside,” said a Malawian, who resided in Hermanus for nine years.
“There were also rumours that they were going to go from house to house to see if you are a foreigner.”
According to the Malawian who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of his life, his brother was a victim of xenophobia in Bredasdorp last year. “He and his family lost everything, they had to start from scratch and stayed in a community centre for a long time.”
What stood out for him during the difficult time was that other residents took pity on them. “My family and I sat in the parking area of the Gateway Centre wondering what to do and prayed for a miracle. A good Samaritan arrived to offer us lodging and food,” he said. What also stood out for him was law enforcement’s help and assistance as well as the Overstrand municipality which was immediately on the scene to support them.
He said they are just as fed up with crime and condemned the recent murder of a young woman, “but we all must stand together and stop crime with the help of the police. You can’t fix crime with crime”.
According to him, they are in Hermanus for a better place to live and believe that things will improve.
“We love it here and our family is very happy here. We work hard for our money and are grateful for everyone’s help,” he concluded.
