There appears to be no relief in sight for approximately 48 foreigners who were displaced by last year’s xenophobic violence.

They have been evicted from their place of safety in De Deur on the Vaal because the owner of that property is no longer getting funds from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The UNHCR has suspended sponsorship to five shelters housing immigrants who were relocated from the Klerksoord shelter in Acacia, near Pretoria, in March.

Living in squalor, the group of foreigners refused to be reintegrated for fear of their safety instead they are now sleeping in makeshift shelters in an open field among them women and young children.

On a daily basis the adults hunt for birds to eat, gather firewood or rely on handouts.

Kelly Rowling, a father of an eight-month-old girl used to be a teacher in Pretoria before the xenophobic violence broke out.

He says he feels neglected by the UNHCR and the South African government. His sentiments  are shared by other people he lives with, who no longer feel welcome in South Africa.