After the closed meeting at Cape Town Central station, GroundUp spoke to Aline Bukuru, founder of Women and Children at Concern (WCC) and leader of the refugee group that protested in Pretoria.
Bukuru said she was “hopeful” that the city would meet their demand for a temporary shelter, adding that they “were working together”.
But Smith painted a different picture, accusing leaders of the refugee group of spreading misinformation. He said providing a temporary shelter was “not on the cards” because the city fears that it would become permanent.
Smith said the city was planning to make space available where the families could be interviewed and screened individually by home affairs and the UNHCR, but “not for any kind of bulk relocation” to other countries.
Smith said having refugees living outside the church in Greenmarket Square was “simply unsustainable” and it was up to Saps and metro police to intervene.
The UNHCR and home affairs offices could not be reached by the time of publication.
This article was first published by GroundUp.