Greenmarket Square refugee sit-in

Last updated

Greenmarket Square refugee sit-in
Part of Xenophobia in South Africa
Greenmarket Square Refugee sitin protest Dec 2019.jpg
Protestors outside the entrance to the Cape Town Central Methodist Church during the Greenmarket Square refugee sit-in. A police RG-12 Nyala can be seen blocking the entrance to the church following an altercation between two factions of protestors in late December 2019.
Date8 October 2019 – 2 April 2020
(5 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Greenmarket Square, Cape Town, South Africa
Caused by
Statusforcibly relocated
Parties
South African based foreign asylum seekers and refugees
Lead figures

Participants

  • Jean-Pierre Balous [1] [2]
  • Papy Sukami [3]
  • 250 - 624 total protestors
Protestors in mid-January 2020 occupying the area outside the Old Townhouse across the road from the Central Methodist Church which was occupied inside and outside by the protestors following their October 2019 eviction from the Waldorf Arcade. Greenmarket Refugee sitin 14 Jan 2020.jpg
Protestors in mid-January 2020 occupying the area outside the Old Townhouse across the road from the Central Methodist Church which was occupied inside and outside by the protestors following their October 2019 eviction from the Waldorf Arcade.

The Greenmarket Square refugee sit-in was a sit-in protest by a group of refugees for the purpose of getting relocated to a country outside of South Africa in response to xenophobia in the country. It lasted from 8 October 2019 when protestors first occupied the Waldorf Arcade to 2 April 2020 when the last group of protestors were evicted from the Central Methodist Mission church. [4] The protestors demanded that UNHCR assist them with being relocated to a third country outside of South Africa and other than their country of origin. [5] [6] At its height the protest grew to include about 624 protestors, including 65 undocumented refugees, according to a lawyer for the South African Department of Home Affairs. [7]

Contents

South African police enforcing a court ordered eviction of protestors from the Waldorf Arcade on 30 October 2019. The protestors can be seen rejecting police calls and repeated warnings for them to voluntarily disperse. When police entered the Arcade protestors can be seen throwing projectiles and boiling milk at the police. Following the eviction the protest moved to the Central Methodist Mission.

Timeline

Pretoria UNHCR sit-in

The sit-in started when around 250 protestors [8] encamped outside the Cape Town offices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on 8 October 2019, [6] a month after the xenophobic motivated 2019 Johannesburg riots took place. [5] [8] [9] A simultaneous protest by around 700 foreign refugees [10] was also staged outside the UNHCR offices in Pretoria but were forcibly evicted on 17 November 2019 after protestors attempted to storm the UNHCR offices [11] resulting in the arrest of 182 men, and temporary detention of 224 women and 169 children. [10]

Waldorf Arcade sit-in

Initially starting at the UNHCR offices at the Waldorf Arcade [12] [13] on the east side of Greenmarket Square the sit-in moved to the Central Methodist Mission church on the square's west side after protesters were evicted on 30 October 2019. Rev Alan Storey offered the church as sanctuary to the protestors. [14] [15] The eviction of the protestors was controversial for the way in which it was implemented by South African Police. [13]

Central Methodist Church sit-in

By 25 November around fifty of the protestors had accepted offers to be resettled in other parts of South Africa. [16] The protestors again rejected a 27 January 2020 offer by the City of Cape Town to be resettled in Cape Town stating that they did not want to be sent back to the communities that they were trying to escape from. [17] The City of Cape Town has argued that the refugees have furnished no evidence that they are homeless and that many of them have homes in the city. [18]

By early December 2019 the Central Methodist Mission had stated on their blog that they had asked the refugees to leave the church. [19] In the same month the City of Cape Town sought a court order granting them powers to arrest protestors for violating municipal by-laws. [20] The court found that the city had to ensure that the human rights of protestors be protected before any penalties for infringing by-laws could be implemented. [21]

By January 2020 concerns were increasingly raised about acts of violence between factions of protestors, sanitary conditions, as well as fire safety and overcrowding inside the Central Methodist Church. [22] [19] The long-term, continued presence of the protestors has had a serious negative impact on surrounding businesses, many of whom cater to tourists that visit the square. [9] [23] This negative economic impact also included market stall traders located on the square who saw a serious decrease in business. [24] Surrounding businesses set up a Crisis Committee to stem loss of profits and business closures after the Burger King restaurant closed resulting in job losses for 15 people.[ citation needed ]

On 17 February 2020 the Western Cape High Court issued a judgement allowing the City of Cape Town to enforce municipal by-laws on protestors located outside of the Central Methodist Mission. The judgment also stated that the City of Cape Town must provide a venue and that the Department of Home Affairs must process the protesting refugees and determine their individual status and verification. [25] The City of Cape Town initially postponed the court-ordered removal of the protestors due to the need to translate the court order into multiple non-South African languages so it could be effectively served to the protesters and so that other requirements of the court order could be met by the City of Cape Town. [26]

Eviction from outside the Methodist Mission

City of Cape Town alderman for safety and security Jean-Pierre Smith stated that the protesters would likely be removed around 1 March. [27] [28] The protestors located outside the Central Methodist Church were subsequently evicted by Cape Town Metropolitan Police on 1 March 2020, [29] [30] while those inside the church were not evicted. Following the second eviction the protestors temporarily relocated to St Mary's Cathedral where they were evicted again and then went on to McKenzie Road Park [31] before moving again to the area outside of the Cape Town Central Police Station. [32] Speaking for the City of Cape Town, Jean-Pierre Smith stated that a total of 781 protestors were recorded during the court mandated processing of refugee applications before evictions could take place. [33] Smith stated that the SAPS had refused to arrest protestors who were in violation of the court order. [34]

In late March the section led by Papy Sukami and now located outside the Central Police station requested that the City of Cape Town provide them accommodation during the period of the government-ordered national shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group remaining in the Central Methodist Church, led by Balous, stated that they would not move in spite of the pandemic until they were provided with alternative accommodation they considered to be dignified and safe. [35]

Eviction from the Methodist Mission

On 2 April 2020 the last group of protestors were evicted from inside the Methodist Mission by SAPS following forcible evacuation orders in compliance with the nationwide lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rumors of possible violent resistance to the eviction proved unfounded as the protestors complied with police instructions to board buses to temporary accommodation provided by the City of Cape Town [4] [36] once the front and rear doors of the church had been broken down by police. [37]

Demands

UNHCR stated that their demands to be moved en masse to a third country were impossible as UNHCR can only process resettlement on a strict individual basis established by receiving countries. [38] A South African NGO that was providing food to the protestors, Gift of the Givers, was told to leave the protestors and stop all charitable activity with them after the organisation's leader publicly stated that the protestors demands for resettlement were "unrealistic." [39] The South African Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, stated that the protestors demands for resettlement to a third country were "impossible" for the South African government to deliver on. [40]

Violence

Following the October eviction from the Waldorf Arcade one of the sit-in leaders was accused of violently assaulting a group of religious leaders, including Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, [41] during a meeting at the Central Methodist Mission. [42]

By late December 2019 the protestors had split into two hostile groups with one side led by Jean-Pierre Balous (based in the Methodist Mission) and another by Papy Sukami (based in the street outside the Methodist Mission). [22] Violent conflict between two factions of protestors resulted in the arrest of three people by police on 29 December. [43] The faction led by Sukami [44] demanded that Balous and his followers leave the church. [45] Sukami was accused by two Congolese journalists of assault and robbery; he denied the accusation [3] but was arrested on charges relating to the event in early January 2020 following the arrest of Balous. [46] Following the violence a restraining order was imposed on Balous requiring him to receive permission from the police before entering the Cape Town City Bowl area. [18] A South African Human Rights Commissioner stated on national TV that Balous made threats against his life following court proceedings. [47]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Police Service</span> National police force of South Africa

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in each province. The nine Provincial Commissioners report directly to the National Commissioner. The head office is in the Wachthuis Building in Pretoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple Rain protest</span>

The Purple Rain Protest, Purple Rain Revolt or Purple Rain Riot was an anti-apartheid protest held in Cape Town on 2 September 1989, four days before South Africa's racially segregated parliament held its elections. A police water cannon with purple dye was turned on thousands of Mass Democratic Movement supporters who poured into the city in an attempt to march on South Africa's Parliament. White office blocks adjacent to Greenmarket Square were sprayed purple four stories high as a protester leapt onto the roof of the water cannon vehicle, seized the nozzle and attempted to turn the jet away from the crowds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in South Africa</span> Overview of crime in South Africa

Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries South Africa has notably high rates of violent crime and has a reputation for consistently having one of the highest murder rates in the world. The country also experiences high rates of organised crime relative to other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenmarket Square</span> Historical square in old Cape Town, South Africa

Greenmarket Square is a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town, South Africa. The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xenophobia in South Africa</span> Attacks against foreigners in South Africa

Prior to 1994, immigrants from elsewhere faced discrimination and even violence in South Africa due competition for scarce economic opportunities. After majority rule in 1994, contrary to expectations, the incidence of xenophobia increased. Between 2000 and March 2008, at least 7 people died in what were identified as xenophobic attacks. In May 2008, a series of attacks left 12 people dead; although 10 of those killed were South African citizens. The attacks were partly motivated by xenophobia. In 2015, another nationwide spike in xenophobic attacks against immigrants in general prompted a number of foreign governments to begin repatriating their citizens. A Pew Research poll conducted in 2018 showed that 62% of South Africans viewed immigrants as a burden on society by taking jobs and social benefits and that 61% of South Africans thought that immigrants were more responsible for crime than other groups. Based on various police reports 60% of suspects arrested for violent crimes in Gauteng South Africa are illegal immigrants, between 2015 and 2016. The number of foreign nationals who have been arrested by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) between 2016 and 2019 sit at 7841. Between 2010 and 2017 the illegal immigrant community in South Africa increased from 2 million people to 4 million people. The proportion of South Africa's total population that is foreign born increased from 2.8% in 2005 to 7% in 2019, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration, in spite of widespread xenophobia in the country. This made South Africa the largest recipient of immigrants on the African continent in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Steenhuisen</span> Leader of the Opposition in South Africa since 2019

John Henry Steenhuisen is a South African politician who has served as the twentieth leader of the Opposition since October 2019 and has been the leader of the Democratic Alliance since November 2020, having served as the interim leader for one year from November 2019. He was chief whip of the official opposition from May 2014 until October 2019.

The Constitution of South Africa protects all basic political freedoms. However, there have been many incidents of political repression, dating back to at least 2002, as well as threats of future repression in violation of this constitution leading some analysts, civil society organisations and popular movements to conclude that there is a new climate of political repression or a decline in political tolerance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mmusi Maimane</span> South African politician

Mmusi Aloysias Maimane is a South African politician, businessman, and leader of Build One South Africa, a political party. Maimane is also the former Leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) political party from 10 May 2015 to 23 October 2019, and the former Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of South Africa from 29 May 2014 to 24 October 2019. He is the former leader of the DA in the Johannesburg City Council and the DA National Spokesperson. In 2011, he was elected to be the DA's Johannesburg mayoral candidate in the 2011 municipal elections. In that election, Maimane helped to grow the party's voter base, but was not elected mayor. Thereafter he served as Leader of the Official Opposition on the Johannesburg City Council until May 2014. In addition to his political career, he is also a pastor and elder at Liberty Church. He formed the One South Africa Movement in 2020. Mmusi Maimane launched this new political party on 24 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic Freedom Fighters</span> Far-left political party in South Africa

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African Marxist–Leninist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) President Julius Malema, and his allies, in 2013. Malema is President of the EFF, heading the Central Command Team which serves as the central structure of the party. It is currently the third-largest party in both houses of the South African Parliament. The party is also the official opposition in three of South Africa's nine provincial legislatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FeesMustFall</span> 2015–2016 student movement in South Africa

#FeesMustFall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa. The goals of the movement were to stop increases in student fees as well as to increase government funding of universities. Protests started at the University of Witwatersrand and spread to the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University before rapidly spreading to other universities across the country. Although initially enjoying significant public support the protest movement started to lose public sympathy when the protests started turning violent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 South African general election</span>

General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Winde</span> 8th Premier of the Western Cape (born 1965)

Alan Richard Winde is a South African politician and businessman. He is the 8th and current Premier of the Western Cape, having held the position since 2019. He has been a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament since 1999. Winde is a member of the Democratic Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Davison</span> South African scientist and author (born 1962)

Sean Davison is a New Zealand-born South African scientist and author. In 2010 he was arrested in New Zealand and charged with the attempted murder of his terminally-ill mother, Dr. Patricia Ferguson. As a result of his arrest and High Court trial, he became an international campaigner for changes to the law regarding assisted dying under legally-defined criteria. He is the founder and director of the pro-euthanasia organisation Dignity South Africa and served for five years as president of the World Federation of Right-to-Die Societies. Both organisations support the decriminalisation of voluntary euthanasia.

The 2019 service delivery protests refers to a series of protests and civil disturbances taking place across urban areas of South Africa related to poor service delivery that started in Alexandra on 3 April 2019.

The 2019 Johannesburg riots occurred in the South African city of Johannesburg from 1–5 September 2019, leading to the deaths of at least seven people. The riots were xenophobic in nature, targeting foreign nationals from other African countries. Retaliatory actions by rioters in other African nations was taken against South African brands. The South African Institute of Race Relations stated that the riots were similar in nature and origin to the 2008 xenophobic riots that also occurred in Johannesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrol Boyes</span> South-African teacher turned artist and businesswoman

Carrol Boyes was a South African artist, businesswoman, and former teacher, best known as the founder of the Carrol Boyes Kitchen and eating utensil design company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work</span> Trade union in South Africa

The Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work is a South Africa-based civil society coalition that advocates for the full decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa. The coalition was formed in August 2015 and consists of a membership of over 70 organisations including individual activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, sex workers, and academics.

The Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), translated from isiXhosa: Dare to Know, is a South African non-profit advocacy organisation established in 2011 to advocate for affordable housing in well-located urban spaces. The organisation does this by conducting policy research, community organisation, public advocacy, litigation, and the provision of legal services. Most of the organisation's activities focus on communities within the City of Cape Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 South African National Shutdown</span> Protest In response to the South African Energy Crisis

The 2023 South African National Shutdown was a protest held by the political party Economic Freedom Fighters on 20 March 2023, the day before Human Rights Day. The EFF called for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa and an end to load-shedding. The leader of the EFF, Julius Malema, warned businesses countrywide to close their doors or risk being looted by them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Methodist Church, Cape Town</span> Church in Cape Town, South Africa

The Central Methodist Church, also known as the Central Methodist Mission or Metropolitan Methodist Church, is a large and historically important Methodist church located on Greenmarket Square in Cape Town, South Africa. The church has played a significant role in the growth of Methodism in South Africa. In 1988, the Metropolitan Church merged with Buitenkant Street Church, forming the Central Methodist Mission.

References

  1. ↑ Frame, New. "NEW FRAME: Refugee leader accused of misleading protesters". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Cape Town refugees accuse world of being 'hypocrites'". www.iol.co.za. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 Meyer, Dan (19 November 2019). "Congolese journalists accuse refugee leader Papy Sukami of assault". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 Stent, James (2 April 2020). "Police end five-month long occupation of Cape Town church". GroundUp News. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 Palm, Kaylynn. "'We need to leave this country': Foreign nationals in CT call on UN for help". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 Washinyira, Tariro (8 October 2019). "Refugees accuse UNHCR of incompetence". GroundUp News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Shoba, Sandisiwe. "Displaced Migrants: High Court Judge calls for 'amicable solution' to Cape Town refugee crisis". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Dozens of foreigners camp outside UN offices, want to leave South Africa". News24. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  9. 1 2 "A tourist-spot church turned refugee camp". BBC News. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  10. 1 2 Krige, Jamaine; Panchia, Yeshiel (17 November 2019). "South Africa: Monthlong UNHCR sit-in ends in violent eviction". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  11. ↑ Mitchley, Alex (14 November 2019). "Police called in as refugees jump UNHCR walls in Pretoria". News24. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "WATCH: Refugees vow to continue CBD sit-in until resettlement by UNHCR". www.iol.co.za. Cape Times. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  13. 1 2 Yauger, Madison (30 October 2019). "Chaos in Cape Town as refugees evicted from city centre protest". GroundUp News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  14. ↑ Yauger, Madison (7 November 2019). "Refugee leaders refuse help from civil society organisations". GroundUp News. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  15. ↑ Evans, Jenni (30 October 2019). "Cape Town church provides refuge to foreign nationals violently moved by cops". News24. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Ponder, Jamaica; Meyer, Dan (25 November 2019). "Some refugees camped at Cape Town church have relocated elsewhere in SA". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  17. ↑ Nowicki, Lucas (27 January 2020). "Greenmarket Square refugees reject City of Cape Town's offer of reintegration". GroundUp News. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  18. 1 2 Shoba, Sandisiwe (28 January 2020). "FOREIGN NATIONALS: COURT HEARING: Methodist church refugees are not 'homeless', says City of Cape Town". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  19. 1 2 Shoba, Sandisiwe; Mafolo, Karabo (16 January 2020). "A REFLECTION: Things Fall Apart in the church of refugees". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  20. ↑ Evans, Jenni (3 December 2019). "Court papers served on foreign nationals seeking refuge in Methodist church". News24. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  21. ↑ Shoba, Sandisiwe (16 December 2019). "CHURCH REFUGE: City of Cape Town vs Refugees: A tussle between human rights and 'rule of law'". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  22. 1 2 Nowicki, Lucas (10 January 2020). "Greenmarket Square refugees have split into "two hostile groups"". GroundUp News. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  23. ↑ "Business crisis committee speaks on Cape Town refugee situation". eNCA. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  24. ↑ Washinyira, Tariro (20 February 2020). "Greenmarket Square traders want protesting refugees removed". GroundUp. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  25. ↑ Shoba, Sandisiwe (17 February 2020). "NEWSFLASH: City wins in High Court bid to enforce by-law to curb activities of Greenmarket Square refugees". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  26. ↑ Wolf, Raphael (19 February 2020). "Greenmarket Square refugee removal operation suspended". Cape Times . Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  27. ↑ "Cape Town refugees likely to be removed this weekend". eNCA. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  28. ↑ "Day Zero for Cape Town refugees". eNCA. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  29. ↑ Alexander, Anthony Molyneaux Esa (1 March 2020). "WATCH | Officers remove refugees' illegal structures in Cape Town CBD". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  30. ↑ Hendricks, Ashraf (1 March 2020). "GROUNDUP: City of Cape Town acts against Greenmarket Square refugee protesters". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  31. ↑ Palm, Kaylynn (2 March 2020). "Public order police deployed to remove foreign nationals from CT park". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  32. ↑ Palm, Kaylynn (3 March 2020). "CT refugees take cover at a local police station". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  33. ↑ Smith, Jean-Pierre (5 March 2020). "City of Cape Town briefs the media on refugee situation". eNCA. 5:50.
  34. ↑ Smith, Jean-Pierre (5 March 2020). "City of Cape Town briefs the media on refugee situation". eNCA.
  35. ↑ "Refugees holed up in Cape Town church appeal for shelter during lockdown". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  36. ↑ Williams, Murray (3 April 2020). "New home for hundreds of Cape Town refugees". News24. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  37. ↑ "South African cops storm Cape Town church to expel migrants". AP News. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  38. ↑ Carte Blanche, Refugees in Greenmarket Square, M-Net, 2:27, retrieved 20 January 2020
  39. ↑ Palm, Kaylynn. "Gift of the Givers withdraws services from refugees after being told to leave". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  40. ↑ "High Court to decide fate of Cape refugees". ENCA. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  41. ↑ Masweneng, Kgaugelo (15 November 2019). "Archbishop Thabo Makgoba attacked in refugee chaos at church in Cape Town". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  42. ↑ "NEW FRAME: Refugee leader accused of misleading protesters". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  43. ↑ Brandt, Kevin (30 December 2019). "3 men arrested following violence at CT church housing foreign nationals". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  44. ↑ Evans, Jenni (30 December 2019). "Tension mounts amid refugee leadership tussle at Cape Town church". News24. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  45. ↑ Palm, Kaylynn (30 December 2019). "Tensions high after refugees turn on leader at CT church". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  46. ↑ Nombembe, Philani (9 January 2020). "Politics behind refugee leader Papy Sukami's arrest, says lawyer". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  47. ↑ SAHRC commissioner threatened by refugee leader , retrieved 3 February 2020, eNCA News, 30 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.