Police evict aslylum seekers camped outside Pretoria’s UNHRC offices for a year

Police on Friday evicted over a hundred asylum seekers who have been camped outside the United Nations Human Rights Council offices in Pretoria.

This was part of an eviction order granted to the Tshwane municipality by the Pretoria High Court on Thursday.

Eyewitness News understands the asylum seekers have been staying outside the offices on Waterkloof Road on and off since 2019.

[WATCH] Since 4am this morning, SA Police Service have been evicting over a hundred asylum seekers that have been camped outside the United Nations offices in Pretoria for about a year. TCG

Video: Jacques Nelles pic.twitter.com/rTisp2evgh

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Over 50 makeshift structures were set to be demolished.

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The structures have been home to over 100 foreign nationals who have been living there in open defiance of a court eviction order in August 2022.

“The first respondent and all versus occupying… are being evicted from the affected area and are ordered to vacate by no later than 29 August 2022, failing which the sheriff of the court as assisted by the South African Police Service (Saps) is authorised to carry out an eviction order,” said sheriff of the High Court, Steven Brits.

The asylum seekers were expected to be relocated to the Lindela Centre Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp.