By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Refugees who have been camping outside the Pretoria offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the past year were finally evicted.
The sheriff of the court, assisted by a large contingent of police officers, immigration officials and social development department officials, started the eviction operation early on Friday.
The eviction follows a ruling by the Pretoria High Court in August 2022, which granted an eviction order with a deadline set for Wednesday.
The application for the eviction order was brought by the metro and some Pretoria homeowners against the refugees, as well as the departments of Home Affairs, Police, Social Development, and the UNHCR.
“There is a court order that says they can either get on the bus and they can go voluntarily to Lindela Repatriation Centre but most of them spent more than three years in Lindela and it is really a terrible place to stay in,” said human rights lawyer Louise du Plessis.
The refugees are refusing to return to their country of origin and they do not want to live in South Africa, but the UNHCR says this is not possible.
“If they don’t leave, they can be arrested, and the children will be taken away and separated from their parents but most of them are now packing up and leaving on their own. I don’t know where they are going to sleep tonight,” added Du Plessis.
She said the refugees prefer staying outside the UN offices, rather than the Lindela repatriation centre.
“My colleagues that are dealing with Lindela and most of these women were in Lindela for three years. They are aware of the conditions of Lindela, and they prefer this kind of displacement rather than staying in Lindela.
“What happened here today is not good for anybody and I think even the police are traumatised. These people are already extremely traumatised because of the fear of living on the streets, in Lindela or even in prison. We are dealing with people with serious mental health issues.”
Laura Padoan, spokesperson for the UNHCR said, “We are relieved that the operation being carried out today by the authorities following last week’s order of the High Court has thus far been carried out peacefully.”
Padoan said those removed were being taken to Lindela. Efforts would be made to keep parents and children together and that food, sanitation, and medical facilities would be provided. She said if those taken to Lindela wished to reintegrate into the community or to return voluntarily to their countries of origin, UNHCR staff would assist. She said 15 people from the group had taken this option.
A similar episode played out in 2019, which also led to their eviction. The events in 2019, however, turned chaotic when some of them jumped over the fence and were arrested for trespassing.