Some Zimbabwean refugees who have been freed after South African Police arrested 1,500 people at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, have revealed that the police are forcing them to hand over money and cell phones for their release. Most of the arrested were released Thursday without any charges, while an estimated 300-500 Zimbabweans are being held at Lindela Detention Centre. Immigration officers at Lindela have also been accused of forcing bribes to release detainees.

As we reported, heavily armed police stormed the church compound that shelters Zimbabwean refugees, asylum seekers and homeless people. With no search warrant they claimed they were looking for guns and drugs, but they found none.

Lawyers for the church have since discovered that the order for the raid was given by the Provincial Police Commissioner. They are considering an urgent High Court application challenging the validity of the search and the unlawful detention of refugees.

Bishop Paul Verryn who runs the church, said the remaining detainees were due in court on Friday. But they had not yet appeared as of late Friday afternoon. It is feared that they may be facing deportation from Lindela back to Zimbabwe.

Regarding the bribes, Verryn said he was aware of two specific cases. One was a church resident who returned from the police station saying he was starving because he had used all his money to pay the police for his release. Another was a woman whose property had been taken by the police, who claimed it was stolen. She said that when she produced documents proving she was the owner, the police took them from her and threatened to rip them up if she did not pay.

The Bishop said it is deeply disturbing when defenders of the law cross moral barriers. It shows that the society's boundaries have collapsed. Verryn said he was not too concerned about the damage done to the church building itself because that can be repaired. But the damage done to the spirit of the people who were victimised in a church, that is supposed to be a safe haven, will take a long, long time to repair.