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8 charged for violating refugee eviction
On Monday, eight individuals are set to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for violating a court order during the eviction of approximately 100 refugees who had been camping outside the United Nations office in Brooklyn since 2019. After a recent court order compelling the government to remove them, the group was evicted on Friday morning as reported by the SABC News.
Most of them chose to seek alternative housing, while a few were taken to the Lindela Refugee Centre.
Also Read: Refugees face imminent eviction as law enforcement officials gather at Pretoria’s UN High Commission
Over the weekend, the remaining refugees were accommodated at a farm in Bronkhorstspruit, outside Pretoria.
In the meantime, the Department of Social Development has announced that it is now responsible for the refugees’ children. According to Lumka Oliphant, the spokesperson for Social Development, two women were arrested during the eviction raid and they had three children with them who were aged 3, 5, and 10. As incarcerating children is not acceptable, Social Development took responsibility for the children, processed them, and placed them under their care.
Photo: Facebook / @UNHCR Southern Africa
