Violence, sexual abuse, harassment, appalling living conditions and a serious lack of essential healthcare. These things define the desperate lives of thousands of Zimbabweans in South Africa. Today, humanitarian aid agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), launches its new report, No refuge, access denied: Medical and humanitarian needs of Zimbabweans in South Africa.
This slideshow includes photos and testimonies from MSF staff in South Africa.
“We see thousands of sick, wounded, psychologically scarred, and marginalised Zimbabweans in both Johannesburg and Musina every month. They come to us because they have nowhere else to turn,” says Dr Eric Goemaere, medical coordinator for MSF in South Africa. “Many of those who reach us have chronic diseases, such as HIV and TB and severe violence-related injuries, most often from rape and sexual assault experienced while crossing the border from Zimbabwe, but also in South Africa itself. Consultations in our Johannesburg clinic have almost tripled in the last year, a telling sign of the extent to which Zimbabweans are consistently denied access to even the most basic healthcare services necessary for their survival.”
Click here to download the full report
Click here to read the full press release from MSF