Are Eastern Cape pupils refugees in Western Cape?

Informal settlement -Western Cape refugee camp

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille publicly labelled  Eastern Cape pupils studying in Western Cape schools and universities 'refugees'. For many years Eastern Cape people flock to the Western Cape for various reasons like education.  They come to Western Cape to seek educational asylum.

For a better understanding of the article I will First define the word "refugee". According to Sono (2012) the word originates from Latin, Middle French and Middle English - "Refugium", meaning protection from danger or distress. Therefore, "refuge"is a home for destitute or in distress people. furthermore, The term "refugee" is often used to include displaced people who may fall outside their country (place) of origin.

With the above definition there is nothing wrong calling people from other provinces refugees because when they are in another province they are not in their place of origin. Thus Western Cape becomes home for them during their time of displacement, provides them shelter and equip them with quality education which they cannot get in their home of origin. However, in a country like South Africa which has diverse cultures and with an apartheid background, it is unwelcome to label pupils from another race with such a word as it restarts healed wounds.

Concurrently, it is also politically  an insult calling people from the same country even if they are from different provinces refugees. for a fact, South Africa belongs to all South Africans whether Black or White, Indian or Coloured they share the same sentiments for the country. Estern Cape pupils can never be refugees in Western Cape. Its their home Town too.