It is believed that refugees were asked to leave the premises of the Methodist church where more than 200 people had been sheltering for weeks, claiming that they feared xenophobic attacks.

The Reverend Chris Nissen from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) told local media that the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba was knocked on the head:

"We were in front and some leaders started to attack us... they pulled us down and the Archbishop has been knocked to his head."

A visibly angry man JP Balous speaking on behalf of the refugees told a local news channel that they have "been treated like rubbish”.

"We are human beings, we came here to seek refuge... The human rights commission is actually the human rights abuse in South Africa,” he said.

Refugee Alliance for Justice has called for the department of Home Affairs to intervene.

Foreign nationals fleed to the church weeks ago after xenophobic attacks