One of the leaders of the foreign nationals living in the Central Methodist Church in Cape Town is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
JP Balous was arrested on New Year’s day on eight charges of assault and was granted R2 000, 10 days later.
The assault allegedly happened during a discord between opposing groups of foreign nationals who had been staying at the church since October 2019.
Balous has been at the forefront of a bid by around 600 men, women and children to get the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to relocate them to another country.
They cited risks to their personal safety in South Africa as the reason for their demand.
On this video below, the High Court in Cape Town allows the city to remove foreign nationals living in the CBD:
Meanwhile, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) says the current refugee crisis is not only a South African problem, but a continental one which requires the intervention of the African Union (AU).
UDM Chief Whip Nqabayomzi Kwankwa has called on the government to pressurise the continental body to help resolve the crisis in Cape Town.
“It’s an African problem, because people are afraid to go back to their countries, because the AU keeps on shielding despotic regimes in Africa without dealing with them or holding them to account.”
“And because people are afraid of going back to their own countries, then that is made a problem of South Africa instead of it being debated and the resolutions being found at an AU level. South Africa must continue to pressure the AU to do something about this problem, which continues to embarrass us internationally and to portray our country in a negative light.”
Chaos broke out in the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Friday after police officers tried to execute a warrant of arrest against refugee leader JP Balous. He and some of his supporters were taken into custody after they fought with court officials to free him. Story coming soon. pic.twitter.com/ZXBgZ5HY68
— Aron Hyman (@aron_hyman) March 6, 2020
Court postponed until the 10th January for JP Balous the Burundian ( one of theRefugee’s leader at Methodist Church cape town )
Most of the refugees who are sleeping outside the Church are fearing attacks from JP balous people. Refugees are still waiting for the UNHCR to help pic.twitter.com/tdYD2NKRqG— To save a life (@Merly67750001) January 3, 2020
