The children who arrived alone – refugee youth react to South Africa’s current climate.
As xenophobic tensions spill over in South Africa and the media shuttles between the voices of perpetrators and victims, some young migrants feel under represented. Mike, who fled the Democractic Republic of Congo as a 10-year-old with his two younger brothers, considers South Africa his home. As a 23-year-old law student, Mike sees his career path intertwining with the future of Africa, where he believes a pan-African identity is “one of the greatest inspirations the rest of the world can draw from us. It would be a great shame if we lost that.” Sindisiwe Moyo, whose organisation recently published a report on children migrating to South Africa, reflects on the findings, how they are related to what is occurring in the country today and how it affects refugee youth.
Lotte Manicom is the assistant advocacy officer at Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town.