The registration of Zimbabwean refugees living at the Central Methodist Church has been completed, the Gauteng local government department said on Wednesday.
”Currently, we have registered the people [staying at the church] to get their profile. Once we have the profile we can determine their needs,” said spokesperson Lebogang Tladinyane.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which organised the registration, provided tokens for those who would be eligible for relocation, 2 563 in all.
Senior registering officer Andrew Hopkins said only 1 800 of those had come forward for registration. He could not say why there was a shortfall of about 800 people, but speculated that those who did not register may not be interested in relocation.
However, he said it seemed that of the 1 800 who did register, most were interested in moving.
Central Methodist Church bishop Paul Verryn said that many of the refugees living in the church might want to leave.
”There are quite a few who would want something better,” said Verryn.
But Verryn added: ”Tthere will be a lot of people who want to stay.”
Tladinyane said the relocation would involve those both living in the church and in the streets around it.
Verryn said the tokens were distributed by having all the Zimbabwean refugees, including those living on the streets, join those already inside the church to be given tokens as they exited.
The 800 who did not register would be given another opportunity to do so at a future date.
Tladinyane said those refugees identified in their profiles as the most vulnerable, such as unaccompanied children or people with disabilities, would be the first to be moved to one of six buildings around Johannesburg.
”The priority of the government is to restore order in the area,” he said.
The government was still reviewing whether the buildings could accommodate the refugees and what renovations might be needed in preparation for habitation. Tladinyane said he could not yet announce the available buildings until the review was complete.
However, Verryn said it was his understanding that the buildings would also be able to accommodate 300 people, far fewer than the 1 800 who had registered.
”The big question is what happens in three months’ time,” said Verryn. According to the bishop, the buildings marked for habitation by refugees would only have leases for three months, after which their fate, and that of the refugees they would house, was unknown. — Sapa