06 November 2009
Katlego Moeng and Lerato Moche

TENSION at the Riet Family Guidance Centre in Randfontein has escalated – with its director, Ivan Kortje, claiming that Somali refugees had threatened him.

Kortje spent Monday night at the Randfontein police station . Yesterday he said he would not return to the centre until his safety was guaranteed.

“On Saturday night the police came and arrested 34 Somalis who did not have valid documentation,” Kortje said.

The Somalis, victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, were taken to Lindela repatriation centre the same day.

“Lindela refused to accept them because they said they cannot send them back to a conflict area.”

Kortje said the refugees were returned to the Riet Centre on Monday but then locked up his staff and vandalised the centre.

The refugees’ representative, Ahmed Abdi, denied the accusations, saying: “We would rather go to our war-torn country and die with our children. We have lost too much in South Africa.”

Source: Sowetan
http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1085492