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Refugee camps are being set up in South Africa to try and cope with the foreign migrant workers who fled a recent wave of anti-immigrant violence.
At best this will offer only temporary relief but it will not solve the problem of xenophobia that ignited the violence. Aid agencies doubt that the South African government has the capability to run the camps which initially at least will house more than 70,000 people.
The camps are meant to be a stop-gap measure but they are already beginning to look more and more like permanent fixtures. Of course the refugees can not go back to their burnt-out homes in the townships, in the present climate that would be tantamount to a death sentence.
The onus therefore must be on the South African government to make sure the camps are safe and secure. But it must also launch a campaign in the townships to educate its citizens on the benefits that foreign workers bring to an economy.
The government's response to the violence was hesitant and muddled. It must be more direct and focused in dealing with the problem now for if it festers it could exact an even greater toll.
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