Cape Town refugees removed from Green Market Square
Hundreds of refugees were removed from the Green Market Square in Cape Town on Sunday.
The refugees, who had been living in the Methodist Church, want to be resettled to other countries which they believe would be safer for them.
READ: Court orders refugees to comply with Cape Town by-laws
The city was granted a court order last week to legally remove the refugees occupying several streets in the city centre due to the group’s non-compliance with municipal by-laws.
The city’s JP Smith says they will not be providing alternative accommodation for the refugees.
“For the city it is not financially viable and the precedent that it would set in opening the door legally for 160 to 170 thousand other refugees in the city to claim the same right whilst we are also struggling to provide for South Africans.
“We have encouraged them to return to their homes that they occupied in October last year.”
Smith denies that there were any clashes between the police and refugees on Sunday.
“I saw a headline, I think on Etv, that said there was a clash. There was in fact no clash but there was some agitation and anger and understandably so, but everyone was removed from the scene without conflict.“