EMPD raids Boksburg North, nets 81 illegals
Several units of the EMPD swooped on Boksburg North and the CBD on Thursday, April 14, when a total of 81 undocumented persons were arrested for being in the country illegally.
The raid took place between 2pm and 10pm.
The special operation focused mainly on the Boksburg North Hotel and houses in First Street.
EMPD spokesperson Wilfred Kgasago said 21 women and 60 men, aged between 19 and 35, originating from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi,the DRC and Nigeria ended behind bars when they could not produce valid papers to be in the Republic of South Africa.
Kgasago said all those arrested were charged in terms of Section 41 of the Immigration Act No 23 of 2002, at Boksburg Central and Boksburg North police stations.
They were expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrates Court soon.
Ward councillor Benno Robinson said that the occasion was also used to serve notices on properties that have been turned into hostels to cease their activities in a month’s time.
Robinson said that a total of 117 houses in Boksburg North have been turned into illegal hostels without following proper procedures.
“Some of the properties house up to 70 people, who pay between R800 to R1 200, and all those things lead to illegal electricity connections,” he said.
The unfortunate part of it, he added, is that they have to find alternative places for those tenants, as they will be left homeless.
He said the operation was part of an initiative to clean Boksburg and consisted of several departments, including housing, city planning, legal and corporate, health and electricity.
It was also rumoured that the EMPD shut down the Boksburg North Hotel, but the EMPD said they only arrested the illegal immigrants on the premises.
Such operations will be conducted on an ongoing basis.- @mailematsimela
