South Africa

At least 6 people arrested during refugee evictions in Pretoria

JOHANNESBURG – At least six people have been arrested during the eviction of refugees and asylum seekers outside the United Nations offices in Pretoria.

The acting Tshwane MMC for Community Safety, Kingsley Wakelin, said the group was arrested on suspicion of being undocumented immigrants.

Since the early hours of Friday, police executed a court eviction notice on over 100 people who camped outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees offices since last year.

Tshwane Executive Mayor Cilliers Brink said the city had a duty to enforce its bylaws as stated in the court eviction notice.

In Pics | 'No one will hear our cries': refugees in Pretoria evicted

"The role of Tshwane, including the metro police is to assist this operation and to remove the unlawful structures that are on the sidewalk which is the City of Tshwane.”

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Brink said he understood that many refugees and asylum seekers were unhappy with being relocated to the Lindela Repatriation Centre.

“The court order must be followed. When applying his mind, the judge considered all the relevant factors.”

Brink said the quality of the Lindela Repatriation Centre was a separate matter – which the city and other government departments were looking into over the next days.

[WATCH] Since 4am this morning, SA Police Service have been evicting over a hundred asylum seekers that have been camped outside the United Nations offices in Pretoria for about a year. TCG

Video: Jacques Nelles pic.twitter.com/rTisp2evgh

' EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) April 21, 2023

Artmotion S.Africa

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