South Africa: Refugees' Protest Outside UNCHR Offices in Cape Town Turns Violent

30 October 2019
allAfrica.com
By Andre van Wyk

Cape Town — Refugees who staged a three-week-long sit-in outside the UN High Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR) offices in Cape Town over fears of xenophobia have been forcefully removed by police, eNCA reports. Law enforcement officers carried several people away and loaded them into armoured vehicles.

The clashes between the officers and the protesters come after the Cape Town Magistrate's Court granted a court order on October 18 following an application by the Waldorf Arcade building's landlord to evict the group.

Over 5000 asylum seekers and refugees camped outside the UNHCR offices requesting the agency to assist them in leaving the country as they felt unsafe. During August and September, a wave of xenophobic violence left 12 people dead when foreign-owned shops and properties in and around Johannesburg were looted and destroyed.

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