Cops, residents, foreign nationals at an impasse
THE disgruntled Brooklyn and Waterkloof residents and other stakeholders could once again not come to an agreement regarding the foreign nationals camping out in front of the UN building in Brooklyn.
At the same time, a representative of the refugees said they were prepared to die in front of it.
Aline Bukuru, from the DRC, who attended yesterday’s urgent application in the high court in Pretoria with a handful of other foreign nationals, said they were ready for whatever came their way.
“We are ready for any court decision. We are sad, but we say it’s better that we die here in front of the UN Commission for Refugees so that the whole world can know what is happening.”
Judge Natvarlal Ranchod on Tuesday asked the legal team of the Brooklyn and Eastern Areas Citizens Association and the Waterkloof Homeowners’ Association to consult the City of Tshwane and Department of Home Affairs to come up with a practical solution to the problems.
The parties were back in court yesterday and it was expected that they would have found a way to work together in finding a solution for the problems.
But the parties told Judge Ranchod that they could not see eye to eye regarding the order they wanted the court to make.
The homeowners want an interim interdict preventing the foreign nationals from camping outside the UN building from 5pm to 8am.
They also want to prevent them from erecting shelters or tents in the area, from cooking there, making noise and polluting the area, including defecating on the pavements.
A handful of foreign nationals started camping outside the building from October 8, but the number has now grown to about 400.
The homeowners want Home Affairs to identify the individuals and ascertain who are legally in the country and who are not.
They also want a list of the names to be provided to them.
They further want the city to act against the foreign nationals for contravening the by-laws, such as sleeping there, doing their washing and cooking.