JOHANNESBURG (AFP) — Elder statesmen who were refused entry to assess Zimbabwe's humanitarian situation aired concerns on Sunday about the crisis facing the southern African country and the toll on its children.
"The crisis in Zimbabwe is very dire, I am very touched about the stories told by these young children here," said former US president Jimmy Carter, who sat in front of a group of child refugees alongside former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and rights activist Graca Machel, the wife of ex-South African president Nelson Mandela.
The children are among hundreds of Zimbabweans who have fled their strife-torn country and found shelter in a church here. Some of the refugees are orphaned children as young as 8, who crossed the border on their own.
"The deteriorating political situation has left children vulnerable and disrupted their lives," Machel said.
The children, most of whom carry no legal identity papers, told stories about their dangerous journeys across the Limpopo river in search of a better life.
Nor are their troubles over. Some fear a deadly outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe may heighten prejudice among some South Africans against the roughly three million Zimbabweans believed to be living here.
"I am afraid that outbreak may heighten anxiety about foreigners," said Paul Verryn, a local bishop.
In May, South Africa was gripped by a wave of xenophobic violence which left over 60 people dead, most of them from Zimbabwe.
The Elders are scheduled to meet with South Africa's president Kgalema Motlanthe on Tuesday.
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