Refugees in limbo after eviction from outside UN

The Central Methodist Church on Cape Town’s Greenmarket Square is overflowing with refugees after they were evicted from the Waldorf Arcade on Wednesday.

They had been camped outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), demanding to be moved to other countries because of xenophobia in SA.

Men, women and children crowd every pew, aisle and corner. Suitcases are stacked, and people step over one another to walk through the space.

Refugee leader Jean Pierre Balous from the Congo, told spectators outside the church: “I was a target. If I’m standing here in front of you, that means God wants to save your lives. We will speak louder and clearer that the government of South Africa does not protect refugees.

“We are not giving up our fight. And we will leave South Africa.”

Balous is angered that some of the organisations aiding the refugees had said they were no longer welcome “to be here”.

Privately, he added: “I’m feeling very painful.”

He showed his scraped knee from being dragged to a police truck on Wednesday before being taken to Cape Town Central police station.

“They took everyone’s cellphones, wallets. They impounded all the cars. They took belongings, documents, everything,” he said.

He also said over 50 refugees were kept in one cell and that there were assaults behind bars.

But SA police service spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potwela denied this. She said she was in the police station until 8pm the refugees had been processed and released.

The UNHCR has said it is following the developments.

“UNHCR appeals to refugees and asylum seekers involved in the protests in Cape Town and Pretoria to respect the laws of the country. We also call upon them to return peacefully to their residences... UNHCR and its partners stand ready to provide assistance to those in need.”

Meanwhile Cape activists have started a collection for the refugees. Items such as children’s medication, basic first aid equipment, nappies, wet wipes and clothes can be dropped off at the old Woodstock Hospital or St George’s Cathedral.

– Republished from GroundUp.org.za

Picture: Jacques Nelles HOMESICK. Heritier Mutiaka from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the 620 refugees from various African countries camping outside the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Pretoria, yesterday. The increasing group of foreign nationals have been there for more than three weeks, wanting to be moved out of the country for fear of xenophobic violence.