Africa-Press – South-Africa. There was animosity and reluctance among refugees on Friday morning when they were evicted after camping outside the Pretoria offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The sheriff of the court, assisted by a large contingent of police officers, immigration officials and social development department officials, started the eviction operation early on Friday.
After warning the refugees that they would be evicted if they did not leave voluntarily, the sheriff went from shack to shack to engage with those who were living there.
They were given a choice: Either go to the Lindela Repatriation Centre, where they could stay for six months, or leave the area.
If they refused, they would be arrested as per a court order.
While there was angst and hostility, no force was used because they went willingly, although they were reluctant.
However, a number of the refugees refused to go to the centre and said they would leave the area instead, amid the warnings that they would not be provided with shelter if they did not choose to go to the centre.
Several of the refugees likened the centre to a prison and concentration camp.
The group of around 100 refugees and their children have been camping outside of the UNHCR offices since May 2022, demanding asylum in other countries, including Canada and the US, due to the xenophobia they said they experienced in South Africa.
A similar episode played out in 2019, which also led to their eviction. The events in 2019, however, turned chaotic when some of them jumped over the fence and were arrested for trespassing.
According to court documents, the Department of Home Affairs dropped 50 members of the original group back at the UNHCR’s offices. That was when the refugees started living there again.
In April, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ordered that they should be evicted and relocated to the repatriation centre, where they would be provided with living quarters and be allowed to come and go as they pleased.
According to the notice of eviction, anyone who refused to be relocated and stayed in the affected area would be arrested.
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