South Africa – In a quiet area of Bronkhorstspruit, located between Pretoria and Emalahleni, at least twenty refugee children, aged one month to twenty-one years, face a harsh reality. Their laughter and dreams are stifled by their current living conditions. For years, their families have sought asylum, hoping to resettle outside South Africa. However, time has turned their once bright aspirations into haunting shadows.
This forgotten camp has two run down classrooms and a tent that houses 16 families, each carrying the weight of shattered dreams. Among them are young children whose futures depend on education that feels out of reach.
“Not going to school is painful for us because we see other kids learning,” says Victoria Kifoto. “We feel stuck in one place and it hurts. Please come and help us.”
Since fleeing violence and xenophobia in 2019, these families have been living in limbo, dreaming of a better life they often associate with the “American dream.” But as the days turn into years, their dreams seem distant, leaving their children in a cycle of despair without schooling.
Johnson, one of the refugees, said the situation is very dire.
“We’ve been here for over two years, waiting and hoping. We came in 2022, and now we live in fear of snakes and other dangers. Please, for the sake of human rights, help us.”He said
Life in the camp is a daily struggle. There is no running water, and families share water with local wildlife.
“Sometimes we have to drink water that animals have used because there is no clean water here,” he explains. “The UNHCR promised help, but we feel forgotten.”
These refugees were evicted from outside the Pretoria offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2022, on which an eviction order was granted by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in August the eviction was finally carried out.
Some families are yet to be reunited after being separated during the eviction.
Speaking to Jesus Perez Sanchez, Senior Protection Officer, at The UN Refugee Agency, he says they have offered to relocate these refugees either back to their home countries or to communities in South Africa, but many refused, fearing persecution and xenophobia.
” It’s a group that is very known to us, they spent time camping at our offices here, so they have been previously to the Lindela repatriation Centre, without any charges they just decided to stay there. One of the things that we offered them is the intergration package in South Africa that will allow us to pay rent for them for a period of three months, but unfortunately they were not willing to consider reintegration”. Said Sanchez
“We want to leave South Africa because it is traumatising. We endure constant pressure to return to places we fled,” says Johnson.
As parents express their concerns at the camp, their hopes are crushed by bureaucracy and unmet promises. For children like Mary Kongolo, the dream of returning to school fades each day.
“I left school when I was twelve and I am now eighteen without any education. I feel hurt knowing other children go to school ,” she says.
The refugees have also received some support from the University of Pretoria and the University of South Africa, but they remain focused on resettlement outside South Africa.
“We have had two years of trying to have dialogue with the group at the farm. There are opportunities for social integration, some of them have worked out well, They only want to be resettled outside South Africa,” underlining the complexities of the situation said Lance Thomas, for Centre for Faith and community at the University of Pretoria.
Those who oversee their case at the UNHCR say they have exhausted all options to assist these families but ultimately have been met with persistent refusal.
” They only insist that they want UNHCR support to travel to Canada, US which does not work that way, there are specific vulnerability criteria and also we rely on the criteria that the resettlement countries establish” Said Sanchez
Food security is another serious issue in the camp. Families have planted a small vegetable garden but still struggle to feed their children. Some young men resort to catching frogs from nearby ponds as a source of food. Young girls endure harsh conditions, fetching firewood and water from faraway places.
“The conditions here are terrible. We often suffer from hunger and lack resources,”Mary Kangolo adds. “We need help because we’re worried about our future. It doesn’t look good.”
But amidst their challenges, the heartbreak that truly resonates is the impact on the children, the lost years, the broken dreams. “Every child has a right to go to school,” a representative from the UNHCR solemnly notes. Yet for these children their parents’ “American dream” has shattered their dreams and right to education.”
According to UNICEF, every child has the right to an education, yet these children’s dreams remain unfulfilled. The UNHCR representative pointed out the heart-breaking impact of these circumstances, where children are losing valuable years of education and the chance for a better future.
The UNHCR has noted that shifting policies, especially those under the Trump administration, have led to funding cuts for refugee programs, leaving many families with shattered hopes.
For these refugees, they find themselves trapped between two harsh choices: accepting relocation within South Africa or continuing to pursue an elusive American dream. And for the children, what they truly want is the simple right to go to school, to have hope, and ultimately, to dream again.
*This piece was written by Bongani Siziba
