Police dispersed a group of Zimbabwean asylum seekers outside the Department of Home Affairs refugee offices in Cape Town on Monday.
The group of about 100 Zimbabweans were protesting against the department’s reluctance to issue them with refugee-status documents.
Police confronted the demonstrators shortly after they started toyi-toying outside the offices, ordering them to disperse as they did not have a permit.
The group’s leader, Braam Hanekom, said the group wanted to highlight the service problems being encountered by the 2 000 Zimbabwean asylum seekers in Cape Town.
”The majority of the refugees have been battling to get documents for more than 10 years and this is despite the fact that they are genuine asylum seekers escaping from persecution back home.”
Hanekom said the group would now apply for permission to demonstrate.
The crowd dispersed without any incident. — Sapa