After weeks of protests, and foreigners camping outside the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices at Waldorf Arcade in Cape Town, chaos erupted when the asylum seekers were violently removed by police.
Dramatic scenes played out in the CBD on Wednesday as police and hundreds of refugees clashed in St Georges Mall.
Chaos erupted when the asylum seekers were violently removed by police on Wednesday. Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency(ANA)
Refugees had blocked the entrance of the UNHCR offices, forcing cops to use water cannons and stun grenades to remove the crowd.
More than 5000 refugees and asylum seekers have been camping at the UN offices demanding the agency to take them out of the country, as they felt unsafe in South Africa.
More than 5000 refugees and asylum seekers have been camping at the UN offices demanding the agency to take them out of the country, as they felt unsafe. Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency(ANA)
The violent clash comes after a court order was granted on October 18 at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court following an application by the building landlord to evict the group
Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency(ANA)
Earlier this week safety and security mayoral member JP Smith said the matter was completely in the hands of SAPS and the Department of Home Affairs.
“The owner of the property there has applied for a court interdict the interdict will likely be affected at some point by the South African Police,” he said.