Refugee camps: Gauteng will wait for court ruling

The Gauteng government will wait for a Constitutional Court ruling before it starts breaking down shelters for xenophobia refugees, a spokesperson said on Friday.

“The matter is now before the Constitutional Court. We will await the ruling from the Constitutional Court before we close the shelters,” said Thabo Masebe.

“But remember, most of the people who are in the shelters do not have any legal status in the country and the Constitutional Court will not rule on their legality.

It is merely a decision on whether it would grant an interdict against the closures.”

Masebe said the Home Affairs Department will deal with those who are in the country illegally. “Whether today or another today, they will be dealt with. Home affairs would have to decide on the matter.”

The Constitutional Court is expected to issue directions “very soon” on the fate of people living in camps for people displaced by xenophobic violence, a legal adviser said on Thursday.

“There was a meeting at the Constitutional Court today [Thursday] between all the parties and we hope and expect the directions will come out very soon,” said Stuart Wilson, one of the lawyers working on the application to keep the camps open.

The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, along with the Wits Law Clinic, unsuccessfully applied to the Pretoria High Court to keep the camps open until a “proper” reintegration plan was produced, so they approached the Constitutional Court for relief.—Sapa