“Hopefully They’ll Get Help”: Zimbabwean Nationals Sleep on Epping Streets After Shelter Closure

• A video captured hundreds of Zimbabwean nationals sleeping on the streets of Epping, Cape Town, after being displaced by immigrant protests
• Musician and entertainer Mistopher Ncube shared the footage on Facebook, saying he would only rest once everyone was helped back to Zimbabwe
• Viewers were divided, with some expressing deep sympathy and others saying the people had been warned the area was closed

Large groups of Zimbabwean nationals were filmed sleeping on the streets of Epping, Cape Town, on the morning of 5 July 2026, after the closure of the local repatriation centre by the Western Cape government. This followed the completion of a provincial operation aimed at processing and transporting undocumented foreign nationals back to their home countries. T

Cape Town streets become a shelter

The footage, which was shared on Facebook by Mistopher Ncube, showed scores of people displaced in the open air on the ground following targeted anti-immigrant protests in the area. The scenes in Epping showed men, women and children huddled together on open ground, with little visible shelter from the winter cold. Cape Town's July temperatures regularly drop to nearly freezing overnight, raising concerns about the well-being of those sleeping outside.

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Watch the Facebook reel below:

Viewers split over what they saw

Reactions to the video were deeply divided. Many viewers were moved by the sight of families, including children, spending the night outdoors in the cold.

User @Cameron Carlene September said:

"If I were near, I would have given you food and water; I would have kept you warm as many as I possibly could."

User @Rue Bantoo added:

"So sad."

User @Portia G. Nhliziyo asked:

"Where do we donate?"

User @Tashinga Tashie Dengezi said:

"Hopefully they will get help."

Others, however, were less sympathetic about the circumstances.

User @Nana Billy wrote:

"They were told the place is closed. They are there at their own risk."

User @Nicholas Benkele commented:

"Do not worry, Sir Wicknell Chivayo is coming to your rescue."

3 Brielfy News articles about immigrant protests

• A Johannesburg man went around his neighbourhood checking which spaza shops were still open during the "mabahambe" protests and ordered them to close.
• A group of foreign nationals were escorted out of KwaZulu-Natal after community members were told that there were no keys to open the door at the neighbourhood home.
• A Ghanaian repatriate showed off severe physical scars he alleged to have sustained during immigration protests in Mzansi, sparking a massive online debate.

Source: Briefly News