Rival Cape Town refugee groups protest as leader appears in court

The rift between refugees occupying the Central Methodist Church in Cape Town became clearer on Friday, when the two groups gathered on opposite sides of the street outside the city's magistrate's court.

They were there for the first court appearance of refugee leader JP Balous, who was  arrested on New Year’s Day. He appeared briefly in court 13.

Balous, 38, faces eight charges of assault, five of which are assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm.

Dressed in a navy jersey and khaki pants, Balous appeared calm as he climbed the stairs into the dock. He was not asked to plead.

The state asked for a postponement of the case until January 10 to allow for verification of Balous’s asylum-seeker documents and his address.

The refugee leader was remanded in custody.

Outside court, the two refugee groups jeered at each other.

One group, consisting mainly of women, held placards with messages that included: “JP, refugees need you", “JP is last hope for refugees' life in SA”, and “We are refugees - not criminals”.

The other group, consisting mostly of men, appeared more energetic and were clearly jubilant that Balous was behind bars.

One of their banners read: “We need justice to be done because of money raised for refugees. JP is not Congolese, but a Burundian killer and author of 1994 genocide".