2 - Gauge Your Gratitude The make-shift structures constructed from numerous materials ranging from cardboard, plastic and ground sheeting to blankets, tent frames and rope, line the perimeter of the Cape Town Central Methodist Church. Regardless of scorching heat, rain or cold this is known as home to hundreds of men, women and children since October 2019. For them, living in these conditions with no water or ablution facilities far outweigh the violence, ridicule, animosity and fear they are subjected to when living in and amongst native South Africans in the locations / townships. Many locals may be very quick to judge what they consider an eyesore and the reasons behind it; however, role reverse and ask yourself what you would do to keep you and your family safe? What would you do if you were not welcome in a country you have lived in for years and where your children were born?

3 - Social Togetherness A large majority of the children are under the age of 5/6. They have experienced things that many adults of our time might never. These early years, often referred to as preschool years, mark an incredibly crucial time in a child’s life when physical, emotional and social development takes place. One wonders how this will all manifest later on and to what extent the psychological damage will be. There are many who fall into the pre-teen and teen years too. These children have witnessed xenophobic attacks, clashes with police, lived on the street and have had no ablution facilities, electricity or water for months. For a moment, close your eyes and live their reality. How could this not have serious negative consequences not only now but later on in life too?

4 - Raw Reality Maria (3 years old) has lived with her family on the sidewalk for months during the protest. According to the refugees, they are prohibited from using the public toilet in Greenmarket Square. They are also refused entry by stores with ablution facilities. This is the result and therefore, using a packet, the only practical solution.

5 - Mommy Matters How could one expect Maria or her brother Anelka (5 months old) to understand the animosity and xenophobia directed towards their family and the refugees as a whole? For years foreign nationals have been blamed for the social and economic issues in the country. It is time for the South African government to take responsibility and protect those who have been used as the scapegoat for a poorly run cabinet whose decision making has been questionable at the best of times.

6 - Food For The Soul As I approach sisters, Maria (3 years old) and Dayana (5 years old), they instinctively begin to dance. They are hearing music still playing through my headphones which are wrapped around my neck. A short reprieve from the seriousness of the protest and a moment of soul food for all three of us.

7 - Power Napping Whilst Amir (1 year 6 months) sleeps peacefully, his parents are feeling everything but peace of mind. Before living on the sidewalk with the rest of the protestors, the Congolese family previously stayed in Langa, a township in Cape Town. Amir's dad, Aristotle, who has lived in South Africa for over 8 years explains that it was too dangerous to continue living there. He has been robbed and his shop was burnt down. He says he fears for his family's safety. "It is not safe, I am afraid to even walk anywhere”. He continues, "I also can't get my papers from Home Affairs, so now I also can't get a job”.

8 - Barbie Blessed Blessing (7 years old) immediately peels her banana delivered by Gift of the Givers and begins feeding her “baby”. We are forced to ask ourselves, is this the natural maternal instinct at work? Or is this image more haunting as this role-play possibly portrays Blessing's own hunger and how the food shortage has affected her psychologically?

9 - Hanging Out It is said that children adapt to situations far better than adults, however, one will only know the true effects of Blessing’s (7 years old) and Dayana’s (5 years old) experiences in time to come.

10 - I Am Only 3 Maria is too young to understand the Greenmarket Square Refugee Sit-in or why she is not considered a citizen if she was born in South Africa.

11 - Tight The sidewalk has not only been their home, it has also been their playground. Some close bonds have been formed amongst these refugee children. Although their parents may originate from different African countries, these children all have one thing in common, they were born in South Africa yet are still not considered South African citizens.

12 - Two By Two Rosie (24 years old) is close to giving birth to her second child. She already knows the struggle she will face at Home Affairs regarding applying for any legal documentation for her newborn. Her first child, Amir, was born in South Africa, yet at 18 months old still has no papers.

13 - Lookout For Loide Loide (18 years old) is the first of Mamma 7’s children whom I met when I went to Greenmarket Square on the 30th January 2020. From our first encounter to date, this young woman continues to show qualities of being a born leader. I believe she will use her personal life experiences to offer support and guidance to other young people who too have been subjected to trauma.

14 - Silent Witness Jorgette (16 years old), another of Mamma 7's children, is far older and wiser than her years. She doesn’t say much but she sees everything. Not only is her family dealing with the day to day struggles of the protest, but her brother is one of the 4 refugee teenagers who drowned in November 2019 whilst visiting a Seapoint beach, where it is speculated they wanted to cool down and wash themselves.

15 - Another Day In Limbo No matter where in the world one is born, being a teenager comes with its own set of challenges. Couple this with the daily animosity these refugee children face from local kids, being treated as outsiders as well as living on the street for months, one can only respect these youngsters. They possess a strength and courage that is admirable and inspiring. Adilia (14 years old), like all these children, should be having fun, spending time with friends and going to school. However her reality and that of these other young people is nothing of the sort. She, her sisters, Loide and Jorgette, nor any of the other refugee children and teens have been able to attend school since the protest began.

16 - Pavement Preparations Today it is Loide’s turn to cook for her family. The pebbled sidewalk is her kitchen. These are the conditions in which all the refugees living outside the church prepare meals.

17 - Night In Greenmarket A passing vehicle momentarily sheds some light. Besides living for months without any water or ablution facilities, the refugees living on the sidewalk, have also lived with no electricity.

18 - Documenting You Documenting Me On the 1st March 2020, Dayana and Maria remain close to their mother Sarah and baby brother Anelka as law enforcement, metro and riot police surround Greenmarket Square to begin the eviction process. In this moment, amidst the uncertainty and fear of what is happening, Maria’s actions are a reminder of the influence we as adults have on children, not only through our words but through our actions too. As I photograph Sarah and her children, Maria unexpectedly picks up a small red sports car and uses it as her camera to document me documenting her.

19 - Brave Beauty Dayana tries not to show her fear. Over 100 law enforcement officers, including riot police, begin to surround the refugees. They are told to vacate the area that has been their home for almost 5 months.

20 - Moving Out One is unable to ignore the look of despair on this teenager's face as he and his friend (background left) realise the police are serious about the eviction.

21 - Lurking About Or Lurking Doubt? Protesters are told to pack up and vacate the vicinity immediately, however many do not budge. It is only natural for them to want more details as they have been waiting for months for government to come up with a practical solution and also notify them of where they will be relocated. It is hard to dispute the fact that the South African government mismanaged its primary responsibility in taking care of its own people. The result and subsequent repercussions being animosity and violent xenophobic attacks towards people, who just like you and I, want to feel they have a place to call home, are safe and at peace. To clarify, the image title, "lurking about or lurking doubt?" is in reference to the police.

22 - Enforcing It Moving in groups, these law enforcement officers make sure their presence does not go unnoticed.

23 - Crushed By Crane Irrespective of whether refugees are in the process of dismantling their make-shift homes or returning to collect items left behind because they are unable to vacate with everything at once, if it is in the path of the truck, fitted with a crane, it is literally scooped up as rubbish. Ironically, many law enforcement officers join refugees, civilians and media who have gathered around to watch as the heart-wrenching scene takes place.

24 - Human Rights Run Riot Less than an hour before, the cleanup was in full force. With this section of Burg Street almost completely cleared and whilst hundreds of refugees continue to vacate the remainder of the Greenmarket Square area in the sweltering heat, riot police remain on standby, in the shade.

25 - Words Would Be Wasted The 1st March 2020 was a scorching day. The refugees layered their skin with cabbage leaf pulp to help prevent any sunburn and whilst their skin seemed to glow, the mood and emotion was certainly the opposite. Joy is 11 years old. There are no words that could ever describe the extent of disillusionment, uncertainty, fear and hopelessness felt by the refugees and asylum seekers as a whole, better than the expression on this young man’s face.

26 - Walk On By The refugees have taken with them what was physically possible to carry however anything more than that, they have been forced to leave behind. The truck, crane and cleanup services are not far behind these officers. It will not be long before the entire area is cleared, swept and hosed down to the point that there will be no trace of the refugees ever having been there.