Govt Officials And Foreign Nationals To Meet Again In CT

CAPE TOWN – Foreigners – among them refugees – living at Church In The City Centre will meet with Cape Town City bosses again on Thursday before heading back to court on Friday.

On Tuesday, they met to discuss their options for alternative accommodation with municipal officials, home affairs officials and the police.

On Monday, the Western Cape High Court heard an application for an urgent interdict against the foreign nationals who’ve been living in and around the church.

For more than two months, foreign nationals have staged a sit-in protest in the city centre demanding that the UN Refugee Agency help them out of the country.

They called for help to leave South Africa as they feared xenophobic tensions.

After being told to leave the church weeks ago, refugee leader Papy Sukumi told Eyewitness News they would only move if they were provided alternative accommodation.

While some people are sleeping inside the church, many have also made makeshift homes on the pavement outside the church using black and white plastic sheets to protect them against the cold in the evening.

Several children can also be seen playing board games on the floor while their parents cook hot meals.

Sukumi said the church has limited space and they’ve been forced to move outside.

“We’ll be talking about temporary accommodation, how long it’s going to take because on Friday, we must go to court and give the decision.”

The refugees remain hopeful a solution will be found.

EWN