No rainbow after the storm

A visiting South African friend’s immediate reaction upon meeting a Rwandan with family in South Africa was to ask if they were ok. An awkward silence…the answer was yes. A sigh  of relief. But for thousands of others relief is yet to come. The violence has subsided and more than 1,000 people have been arrested but tens of thousands have been left destitute and homeless. Victims of the xenophobic violence have been moved to camps. Safe from mobs but their future is uncertain. The makeshift camps are without blankets to fend off the cold and hot water. Many are sick and children are not going to school.