WATCH | Officers remove refugees' illegal structures in Cape Town CBD

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, some wearing masks over their mouths, arrived in Greenmarket Square in Cape Town on Sunday morning to enforce the court order allowing the city to remove refugees illegally camping outside the Central Methodist Church.

Some refugees have packed up their tents and mattresses. However, the majority are not moving.

By 10.20am, about half of the structures had been taken down. The operation is peaceful, with officials working steadily, although they are being heckled by some of the refugees.

It is unclear if only the structures will be removed, or if the refugees will also be relocated on Sunday.

Refugees are shouting at police, accusing South Africans of being liars, criminals and corrupt.

“Our eyes are open, you are eating our money. We are suffering. Just come kill us here. Put us on an airplane and send us somewhere else.”

Another man, a Congolese national wearing an EFF cap said: “I eat white people, with lettuce and tomatoes. You people are dogs.”

A woman shouted that South Africans are all armed with knives and pangas.

An interdict granted by the Cape Town high court on February 17 gave the city and the police the green light to remove the refugees and their structures

Open fires, public urination and unsanitary conditions are some of the issues contravening bylaws that have been raised by the city.

The refugees, who are demanding relocation to other countries, citing fears for their safety in SA, have been protesting for months, first outside the UN Refugee Agency offices in St Georges Mall and then at the church.

The UNHCR had advised previously that there was no legal possibility of them being relocated to another country as demanded, while the city had offered them the opportunity to reintegrate into the communities where they came from prior to the protest action in the CBD.

This is a developing story