Removal of Brooklyn refugees and asylum-seekers moved to Friday

The eviction of refugees and asylum-seekers from Waterkloof Road, Brooklyn will go ahead despite a slight delay again.

“I’m pleased to announce that we have finally reached consensus on the operational plan for the eviction of the refugees with all role players,” said ward 56 councillor Jarad Frimmel in a statement.

“The only setback we have is that the date has been pushed back again, but the eviction will proceed on Friday.”

The 28 women, 15 men and 55 children are originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda and other areas.

They were due to be sent to the Lindela repatriation centre in Krugersdorp on April 19.

For more than 10 months, they have been living in make-shift shelters which have become an eyesore to homeowners and businesses.

This was as they have been using the sidewalk as a cooking space while close-by corners and shops were at times used as lavatories.

This is the third attempt at their removal.

Most recently, they were served notice by the high court of South Africa, in Pretoria, on April 13 that they face eviction and relocation to Lindela.

If they failed to comply, they will be forcefully removed through the execution of arrest.

The refugees have been camped outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pretoria for over 10 months now after returning from the repatriation centre.

They had been sent there in 2019 by authorities after violence broke out.

Laura Padoan, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, told Rekord that the agency understood that an eviction would be executed on Friday, but could not confirm this as definitive.

Padoan said the agency was in continuous dialogue with the Tshwane metro, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Social Security, South African Police Service and Lawyers for Human Rights for a peaceful, humane and dignified removal of the group.

Padoan said the UNHCR welcomed the move as the group had not been living in safe conditions.

“We are particularly concerned for the well-being of the children. Of particular concern is that they have been exposed to unsafe living conditions and heavy rains and are not attending school.

“Our key concern at this stage is that the removal action takes place safely and peacefully, respecting the refugees’ dignity,” she said

The court order further required that the refugees be allowed decent conditions at Lindela.

“Families must be kept together and they can come and go at will.”

She said the UNHCR will keep in contact with officials to follow up with any refugees in Lindela who were willing to voluntarily repatriate to areas where it is safe for them to return.

She said other options for reintegration into communities would also be looked into.

“The circumstances of each of the families are different. We understand that recent requests have not been for resettlement but rather to go to other countries in Southern Africa.

“We understand that the group is concerned about going to Lindela, but the situation of living on the streets is not sustainable.”

The group, however, told Rekord that they were refusing to leave the curbs of Waterkloof Road, Pienaar and Fehrsen streets for Lindela.

The group said they would rather be arrested if need be.

One of the protesters, Lukombo Kiese, said the recent judgment ordering them to move was an “injustice”.

“We did not ask to be sent to Canada, Europe or America as stated by the UNHRC in documents. We have asked to reside in camps (host communities) elsewhere.

“This decision is unfair. The government courts are taking the side of residents in Brooklyn.”

Kiese said the court order disregarded their lives because of poor living conditions at Lindela.

“We need our children to be at school. We need a centre with electricity and adequate healthcare.”

She said children who were sent back to Lindela, did not attend school.

“Lindela is never a solution. We want to leave South Africa, not be sent back to that centre.”

The group were among the 500 refugees who, along with their children, illegally gained access to the UNHCR in November 2019.

Twenty-four police officers were injured and six rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

This led to the Brooklyn police station registering a case of trespassing against the group.

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