Pretoria Court postpones case against 180 refugees

The prosecution of 183 foreigners who are charged with trespassing following a sit-in they staged at the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) in Pretoria has been postponed to Thursday to allow for more of them to make their first appearance.

READ: Refugees Removed From UNHCR Offices In Pretoria

Only 33 of the 183 foreigners appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate Court today following their arrest by South African police.

The group chanted “No more South Africa” and “Xenophobia” as they left the court to return to prison until their next appearance.

Mathapelo Peters, Brigadier at the South African Police Services (SAPS) said the men among the foreigners camping outside the UNHCR office in Pretoria jumped over the fence and surrounded the office Thursday last week which prompted SAPS and Tshwane Metro Police to detain them for breaking the law.

Those that are here illegally will face deportation

“We are working with other stakeholder departments like the Department of Home Affairs and Social Development. Home Affairs is verifying the stay in the country of those who have been arrested. Those that are here illegally will face deportation while those who have legal documents to be here will face the law for their trespassing act.”

Meanwhile, in Cape Town another group of refugees who are housed at the Central Methodist Church after they were removed by the police from their occupation of the UNHCR offices in that city.

Violence broke out inside the church on Friday after the refugees refused to leave the church three weeks after they were allowed to move there.

Alan Storey, Reverend at the Central Methodist Church says the refugees will need to find another place to stay by Friday this week in an address to them during the weekend.

“By Friday I have asked you to leave the church. I ask you to vacate the church. I did not say two weeks, I ask you simply to leave.”

The church says the risks posed by the limited ablution facilities are among the challenges which have made their continued stay untenable.