Video: No Refuge - Zimbabweans in South Africa
"It is almost impossible to know the precise figures but what is clear to us is that this is currently an extraordinary exodus from a country not in open conflict." - Rachel Cohen, MSF Head of Mission in South Africa
MSF is calling on the government of South Africa and United Nations (UN) agencies to urgently address the specific humanitarian needs of vulnerable Zimbabweans falling through the cracks of South African society.
MSF increases role as Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak crosses into South Africa
"Every day thousands of Zimbabweans cross the Limpopo River to reach South Africa, risking their lives in order to flee the situation in Zimbabwe," said Rachel Cohen, MSF Head of Mission in South Africa. "Along with local authorities, we will need to be particularly vigilant in the coming days and weeks – during the Christmas holidays there is typically a marked increase in people crossing over the border, and the approaching rainy season can increase the risk of cholera."
Targets of xenophobia ousted from camps in South Africa
© Henrik Glette/MSF
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"Humanitarian aid must be provided to meet the needs of vulnerable people," said Rachel Cohen, Head of Mission for MSF in South Africa. "Under no circumstances should it be used to coerce them to leave the camps when they have nowhere to go."
IAR 2007: South Africa: Why we are here
MSF introduced an integrated TB /HIV clinic in the country in 2003.
© Benedicte Kurzen / Eve
In South Africa it is estimated by the UN that over 5.5 million people are HIV positive and about a million are in urgent need of anti-retroviral treatment (ART), half of whom are still waiting. Tuberculosis (TB), including drug-resistant TB , is the leading cause of illness and death among those living with HIV . At the same time, South Africa has become the leading destination in the region for migrants fleeing economic and political chaos in neighbouring countries in search of jobs and safety.
MSF responds to outbreaks of violence in Johannesburg, South Africa
© Bonile Bam/The Star
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"We have been treating gunshot wounds, head traumas, wounds resulting from beatings, lacerations, burns and other violence-related injuries," said Dr. Eric Goemaere, MSF Medical Coordinator in South Africa.
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