Refugee case postponed
2008-09-16 16:05
Johannesburg - The Constitutional Court will hear further arguments on November 20 on the fate of Gauteng's shelters for people displaced by xenophobic violence, while the camps will remain open pending orders by the court.
All the parties could continue working towards the final closure of the camps in the interim, Chief Justice Pius Langa said on Tuesday.
The court heard that September 30 was the go for closing the camps and this had been shifted to October 4, to accommodate people observing Ramadan.
Over 60 people were killed and at least 20 000 people were displaced in xenophobic violence in May.
Some people still remain in the camps, some have nowhere to go or are scared of being attacked when they go back to the communities they came from.
The court was supposed to hear a progress report on the status of the camps on Tuesday but the refugees' lawyer asked for a postponement.
- SAPA