[LISTEN] Police in Tshwane under attack as volatile refugee stalemate escalates

The Police's Brigadier Mathapelo Peters says police in Tshwane are under attack with stones and other projectiles being thrown at them. 

"They've attacked the police with stones and pelted other dangerous weapons at the police," says Peters. 

Listen to Peters below: 

The police are outside the United National High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Tshwane where a group of foreign-nationals attempted to enter the premises on Thursday. 

They have been camped out on the sidewalk for weeks, wanting to leave South Africa following a spate of xenophobic attacks in the country. 

This week, the Pretoria High Court ruled they had to be removed within three days. 

[WATCH] Tshwane refugees say UN needs to take responsibility for them

Peter says the police are meant to affect arrests related to the trespassing on Thursday into the UN premises but have been unable to do so. 

In addition, she notes that there are a number of children at the scene where police are being attacked with, among others, knives being thrown at them. 

"We are at this stage careful in terms of how we respond to that. For instance, we have not been able to fire rubber bullets, like we would have done at another scene, because of the presence of children."

Listen to Peters below: