The Metro police‘s latest by-law enforcement operation, Buya Mthetho, which kicked off in early February, has already raked in over R1,8 million from arrear accounts.
The operation is a new multi-departmental operation aimed at enforcing by-laws and bringing the rule of law back to the city.
Across Joburg, 116 accounts which were in arrears and 12 hijacked buildings were targeted over the past two weeks. Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba said water disconnections were effected to 48 properties during the operation, while 57 properties were disconnected from the power grid.
“The JMPD has been constantly monitoring these properties so as to ensure that services are not illegally reconnected. Where illegal reconnections do take place, the owners are immediately arrested,” Mashaba said.
Since the beginning of the operation, the City already made seven arrests for illegally reconnecting to services which were previously cut off while commending those who have since made payments.
The Metro police also came down hard on some Ferndale residents on 12 February for allegedly connecting illegally to municipal services. Five Section 56 notices for by-law infringement, which are summonses to appear before a court of law, were issued during the operation.
Mashaba said the operation was essential to restore order in Joburg and ‘take it back from the criminal elements such as landlords who neglect to pay municipal bills, criminals that hijack buildings and those who break down communities by running illegal alcohol outlets’.
The operation is being carried out on a daily basis within individual wards.
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