Central Methodist Church Bishop Paul Verryn has condemned the heavy-handed way in which police arrested up to 1 500 refugees housed at his church in the Johannesburg CBD. The arrests were made during a late-night raid on Wednesday.
The church is seen as a sanctuary for Zimbabwean refugees, and many stay on the premises.
Members of the South African Police Service in Johannesburg, metro police officers, provincial reservists and immigration officers took part in the raid.
The refugees were arrested for being illegal immigrants. More than 500 were released after they showed the authorities their asylum papers.
Verryn said on Thursday that he was verbally abused and shoved by police officers when he asked them why they were breaking down doors and beating up the immigrants.
He questioned why police had to break down doors when he had keys to the doors. ”We can have the doors fixed,” he said, adding that the church had not been desecrated at all. ”The most serious violation is of the people — that is the desecration I find worrying.”
Verryn said one of the police officers told him that the police would return as ”these people are not allowed to stay here”. He said if the raid ”was a statement from the government to the church, then we are at the dawn of a sad era” reminiscent of ”the 1970s”. Some of those who were arrested had their papers in order, while those who didn’t have were still trying to acquire them.
”I saw them assault people as they took them away in their vans,” the bishop said. ”One of them kicked a bottle at me and pushed me. I am able to identify those who pushed me. One of them said I am a disgrace to the church for allowing these people to come in.”
Verryn insisted that the church will continue to be a refuge not only for Zimbabweans but also for South Africans who are without shelter.
On Thursday, the Mail & Guardian spoke to Nicholas C (not his real name), who wore a plaster cast on his ankle. Nicholas, who was walking with the aid of crutches, said he had been pushed down the stairs by a police officer during the raid. ”I won’t be able to work for the next four weeks. What will I eat?” he asked.
Captain Bheki Mavundla, spokesperson for Johannesburg police services, said the raid on the church started at 10pm on Wednesday night and finished at 8am on Thursday morning.
He said it was part of sustainable crime combat operations, which were ”legally authorised to eradicate criminal elements from the district and building”.
”We did the raids in response to public complaints, and the church was raided because complained of muggings. Robbers, after mugging people, run into the church,” he said.
However, Verryn said that if the police had been looking for drugs, guns or any other evidence of crime, he would have been more than willing to assist in apprehending the criminals.
Immigration officers were on Thursday verifying the legality of residence of those who had been arrested. ”They will verify the citizenship of the people and if they can produce the appropriate documentation and it can be verified, they will be released,” said Mavundla.
”It [raids] will continue over time and in future we will get the environmental health services involved to inspect the churchyard. There are more people in the church than the church can hold,” he added.
Some suspects were to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday and Friday, while others were still being processed.
”Bottom line, this here is about crime fighting and our service to society. This is in the interest of the public,” said Mavundla.