Zimbabwean refugees sheltering in the Central Methodist Church, Johannesburg. (Photo Courtesy Sokwanele)

Human rights groups in South Africa have slammed this weekend's arrest of more than 300 people, mainly Zimbabwean exiles, taking shelter at Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church.

Police swarmed the church premises in the early hours of Saturday morning following numerous complaints from businesses in the area about 'vagrants'. The majority of those who were arrested were Zimbabwean refugees, and included a number of women, children and people who were seriously ill.

Amongst them were a 58-year-old South African women who is blind and deaf, a South African man suffering from acute psychosis, a pregnant woman and over 10 children. 344 people in total were hauled away during the raid that reportedly saw police officials launch an unmotivated attack on the exiles camped outside the church premises.

According to bystanders from the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, who work at the Church, police forcibly pushed many people to the ground while some were even threatened with electric stun guns.

Police officials said that the women and children would be released with warnings, while all the men would be detained, unless they could fork out a R300 admittance of guilt fine. But no one was released and the whole group was forced to appear on vagrancy and loitering charges in court on Monday. Lawyers for Human Rights and the Legal Resources Centre have both slammed the arrests and detention of the exiles, with lawyers expressing outrage that they were denied access to the arrested group.

"The only crime they committed is to be destitute without shelter," said Lawyers for Human Rights spokesman Jacob Van Garderen. "In addition several people were arrested who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which again shows the arbitrariness of the arrests and the police operation."

The charges against the exiles were dropped in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Monday, which van Garderen said, "strengthens our conviction that homeless people are being targeted just because they are homeless and vulnerable."

The Church is a safe haven for an estimated 4000 exiles, mainly from Zimbabwe, who have fled their homes seeking safety and job opportunities in South Africa. Most Zimbabweans seeking refuge at the Church fled the country during last year's violent post election upheaval, while many have fled the economic collapse of the country. But with few job opportunities and a lingering xenophobic attitude prevailing in South Africa, most Zimbabwean exiles have remained at the Church, where they receive food and medical attention.

The Church therefore has been hosting numbers well beyond its capacity, with thousands of exiles sleeping on the surrounding streets. Local businesses have reacted with outrage, even going as far as to take the church's Bishop, Paul Verryn, to court over what they said was a 'safety' threat. The exiles have been accused of thefts and muggings, while the unsanitary conditions outside the church are being blamed for a drop in business trade in the area.

Earlier this year Gauteng local government MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, lashed out at Bishop Verryn, for 'exposing' the exiles to more danger by allowing them to stay at the church. She pledged to seek out alternative accommodation for the thousands of exiles, with the help of NGOs. But to date, little has been done to change the situation and with up to 200 new exiles arriving per day, the church has remained overcrowded and a target for South Africa's police force.