Hundreds of foreign
nationals took to the streets of CapeTown, demanding to be relocated from South
Africa after camping at the UN refugee agency offices for a week, Agence France
Presse reports.
The foreigners, many
of whom described themselves as asylum-seekers, say they no longer feel safe in
South Africa after a surge of xenophobic attacks last month.
“Save lives of
refugees before it is too late,” said one slogan, painted in green on a
white banner.
Many of the protesters
have been camping at the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) in Cape Town since October 9, vowing not to leave the premises
until the agency addressed their concerns.
The numbers had grown
steadily over the past week, spilling out from corridors to the kerb outside
the building.
Xenophobic violence
left at least 62 dead in 2008 , 7 in 2015 and 12 died in the latest spate of
attacks this year.The incidents occurred mainly in the Johannesburg area.
The continent’s most
industrialized economy is a magnet for migrants searching for better job
prospects and asylum seekers looking for safety.
Seen as competing with
locals for jobs, they are often the first to come under fire when South
Africa’s chronic unemployment and inequality boils into resentment
The protest broke out
following a visit by the UNHCR chief.
