Cape Town - Both refugee groups – those outside and those inside the Central Methodist Church – on Monday attended a meeting with the City of Cape Town, police and Department of Home Affairs to resolve a months-long wrangle.
Several months ago the refugees occupied the ground floor of the Waldorf Arcade in St George's Mall, which houses the local office of the UN High Commissioner of Refugees, demanding the agency move them to a First World country.
Monday’s meeting followed the arrest of two rival refugee leaders, JP Balous and Papy Sukami.
Sukami was allegedly arrested at the weekend for robbery, but there was no more information provided by police on the cause and the day of his arrest.
This came three days after the arrest of Balous and a week after Sukami’s supporters rose up against Balous.
Sukami appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Monday. The case was postponed and he remained in custody.
Balous was also remanded in custody after appearing in court on Friday and was expected to reappear this week.
On Monday, Aline Bukuru, founder of Women and Children Concern (WCC) and leader of the refugee protest in Pretoria, led supporters of Balous to the meeting while the rest of refugees who stood with Sukami remained on the opposite side of the road.
After three hours of meeting at the central police station, neither the City, SAPS or the Home Affairs provided any comment about it.
Hafiz Mohammed, a leader of the Balous group, said they had discussed temporary shelter for all refugees and for how long it would be, which was where disagreements emerged.
“Home Affairs said it needed more than a week to sort out the documentation,” said Mohammed, while the initial proposal from the City was five days. They have been told to wait for the City’s feedback tomorrow.
Sukami spokesperson Crispin Mongwe said the meeting was not disappointing but not fruitful either. “We did not reach our target. Our safety is our priority. We are expecting more at the next meeting.”
While one faction was still staying in the church, the other was now living on the street.
@TheCapeArgus