Ask, Seek & Knock

COVID-19 brought the world to its knees. Imagine your experience of this pandemic compounded with further trauma. What if you had been witness to xenophobic attacks and clashes with police? What if your entire family slept on the street in makeshift homes through all four seasons? What if you had no access to ablution facilities or running water? How would 2020 be remembered in your adult mind?

Hundreds of children have lived this reality for 18 months.

The protest, known as the Greenmarket Square Refugee Sit-in, began in October 2019. Over 600 hundred refugees, majority originating from DRC, Kenya, Somalia and Burundi, sought assistance from the South African Government to relocate to a country of safety.

On 1st March 2020, a Western Cape High Court ruling was actioned enabling municipal by-laws to be enforced. Greenmarket Square was surrounded by over 100 law enforcement officers. Instructed to vacate the area and with no place to go, the refugees remained in the CBD, facing clashes with police. Ironically they resettled outside CT Central Police Station, where they remained even after SA went into full COVID-19 lockdown on 27th March 2020. Temporary shelter was eventually provided in marquee tents.

On 19th April 2021, an ultimatum was given. The choice; reintegration with 3 months paid rent and food or a ticket back to their country of origin, effectively deportation.

Covering the protest was my initial objective, however, I found myself drawn to the children, majority born in South Africa yet until recently, prevented from obtaining citizenship due to the foreign nationality of their parents. I intend to follow the journey of a few of the minors in hope of raising awareness of the psychological and social damages caused, focusing specifically on the impact of trauma and its effects on childhood behaviour and development.

“How will their experiences shape the adults they are to become?”