Chaos in city as asylum seekers clash with police

Fee bearing image – Cape Town – 141127 – Foreign nationals gathered at the Cape Town Refugee Centre and started vandalising public property from the CTICC to Cape Town Station. Refugees trew stones at police and burned rubbish bins. Reporter: Siyavuya Mzantsi. Photographer: Armand Hough

Fee bearing image – Cape Town – 141127 – Foreign nationals gathered at the Cape Town Refugee Centre and started vandalising public property from the CTICC to Cape Town Station. Refugees trew stones at police and burned rubbish bins. Reporter: Siyavuya Mzantsi. Photographer: Armand Hough

Published Nov 28, 2014

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Siyavuya Mzantsi

MAYHEM broke out in the CBD yesterday as hundreds of asylum seekers clashed with police and set alight bins – bringing traffic to a standstill.

The chaos erupted outside Customs House on the Foreshore – a regional Home Affairs building dealing with asylum-seeker and refugee applications – because of confusion over the application for permits.

Asylum seekers said Home Affairs officials told them their permits would not be renewed in Cape Town if they were not registered at the local office.

The office shut its doors as the clashes continued outside.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said one person was injured and three were arrested.

The group of about 700 asylum seekers pelted police with stones while police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. After a long stand off the police chased the group out of the CBD.

Ali Issa, from Burundi, said the South African government needed to intervene.

“We need the government to help us because this problem has been going (on) for a very long time. It’s not the first time we are being treated like this, like we are not human beings,” he said.

“We are confused about this whole process because they told us to come here to renew our permits. Now they are telling us to go back to where we registered first, in Musina, Johannesburg or Pretoria. Some of us do not even have the money to travel.

“Now it is going to be more difficult because if police catch you driving without your permit, they will arrest you… We never wanted to fight with the police. Now we feel we are being treated like animals. No one explained what is happening.”

Varimundu Massood, another Burundian, said when he went to the Home Affairs office people were frustrated, angry and wanted to get inside. “I came here to replace my papers because I lost them after someone broke into my house. They told us that we could no longer register here.

“I don’t know what to do but going back to Pretoria is not an option now because I don’t have the money.”

Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publishing yesterday.

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