SAHRC condemns violent attack at church sheltering foreigners

That’s how Pastor Alan Storey described the scene at the Methodist Church in Cape Town after an Anglican archbishop and several others were injured in scuffles where hundreds of foreigners had sought shelter. The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, was among a group of clergymen and human rights officials who were trying to address the foreigners, many of whom claim to be asylum-seekers. Storey said he had asked them to vacate the church because “it is completely overcrowded, it’s not a safe environment. If there was a fire we would be left with people dead.

But the situation deteriorated when Storey handed the microphone to a Congolese clergyman who was due to address the crowd. The Congolese priest was greeted with howls of protest before a woman climbed onto the stage and grabbed the microphone from him. Then a group of people started slapping and punching him.

“Then the others came for us,” Chris Nissen, a senior official at South Africa Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), told AFP. To attack the archbishop is not only criminal, it’s not only disrespectful but it’s also ungrateful,” said Nissen, who was also injured. More than half a dozen people received head and face injuries and had to go to hospital for X-rays, said another rights official.

Storey described the scene as “pandemonium”, adding: “The whole delegation was attacked”. The SAHRC condemned “the violent attack and assault” and called on the police to arrest the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, refugees who’ve been camping at the UN Refugee Agency’s offices in Pretoria for weeks have now been removed. It happened during a joint operation that included police and Home Affairs. The refugees have now been taken to various police stations. They were demanding the UNHCR help them move to other countries following xenophobic violence here.

In other news – Ramaphosa hails BRICS’ commitment to multilateralism

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded a working visit to Brasilia in Brazil where he participated in the 11th BRICS Summit, the presidency said on Friday.

At the conclusion of his visit, Ramaphosa stressed that the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa have affirmed their shared commitment to a strong multilateral system that is properly governed. Read more

Source: eNCA