Africa’s most industrialized country is a magnet for economic migrants and refugees, but has sporadic episodes of xenophobic violence.
South African police have evicted more than 100 asylum seekers who camped outside the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pretoria for more than three years.
The asylum seekers began living in makeshift tents set up outside UNHCR offices as they asked to be transferred to other countries after a wave of xenophobic violence in 2019.
Pretoria council obtained a high court order last week to remove them, and police did so on Friday.
The court documents said the refugees would be deported and taken to the Lindela Repatriation Center, a temporary detention center for undocumented migrants destined for deportation to their countries of origin.
Dozens of police officers led by the sheriff conducted the eviction with the help of immigration and other agents.
With a megaphone, State Attorney Kobus Meijer warned the residents of the camp that they would be arrested and detained if they resisted removal.
Some families left voluntarily while others protested.
“It’s better for me to die here” because “I’m not going to Lindela,” a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo cried.
UNHCR spokeswoman Laura Padoan told the AFP news agency that “they are asking that we transport them to a refugee camp in another country, but this is beyond our mandate.”
The UNHCR urged authorities to “do this peacefully and treat families humanely, with dignity and respect,” Padoan said.
South Africa has one of the world’s most progressive asylum policies, allowing foreigners to apply for refugee status and work. But human rights groups say the application system is flawed and overdue, leaving many asylum seekers in limbo for years.
As the continent’s most industrialized economy, South Africa is also a magnet for economic migrants.
The situation has sparked resentment among unemployed South Africans and sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence. The violence has been led by right-wing parties and anti-migration militias such as Operation Dudula.