Charitable organisation Gift of the Givers have been asked to return and assist foreign nationals living at Central Methodist Church in Greenmarket Square.
Last year Gift of the Givers provided aid to the many refugees and asylum seekers who were now residing at the church however, a week later the organisation was asked to withdraw their services after the refugees were angered when the agency viewed their demands of resettlement as “unrealistic”.
Two months later the humanitarian organisation has been recalled to assist the dozens of refugees and asylum seekers.
Gift of the Giver’s Imtiaz Sooliman is against offering assistance to help while the refugees are still housed in a facility that is a potential health hazard and has a lot of factional tension.
“We cannot support their ongoing presence in the church. You need to fumigate and disinfect that entire church or you’re going to perpetuate new health concerns in that condition and you need to take the tension away from outside the church.”
The Human Rights Commission’s Chris Nissen was in support of the return of the agency and said that a stakeholders meeting would be held next week to work out safer reintegration and alternatives.
“Some of them are very destitute and hungry at the moment and I’m trying to get the Gift of the Givers back again to assist them and there is that issue.”
More: EWN