Three houses torched in the south of Joburg

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba rushed to Rosettenville to restore peace and stability after scores of community members burned down three houses and a tavern on Sunday, Rising Sun Lenasia reports.

The community said they had tried, but failed, to engage the police on several occasions.

Some community members were adamant they would continue burning the houses and taverns they said harboured criminals and sex workers.

It is also alleged the houses that were burnt belonged to Nigerian foreign nationals.

Mashaba said: “According to community members, these homes are illegally occupied by Nigerian foreign nationals who run the homes as brothels and have girls as young as nine years old working as prostitutes. Many of the women in these brothels are also alleged to have no official identification documentation.”

READ MORE: Joburg mayor says more than R3bn ‘loot’ will be recovered

“Some of these women who work as prostitutes told me that the brothels are supported by officers from Moffat View Police Station. These are serious allegations, and I will be contacting the provincial police commissioner, Major-General De Lange, and request an urgent investigation into these claims,” added Mashaba.

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said: “Residents identified houses they believed belonged to drug dealers and brothel owners. They then took the furniture out of the properties and burned them. A case of malicious damage to property and public violence has been opened.”

Mashaba said the City would set up a specialised JMPD task team within the area.

Public safety MMC Michael Sun pleaded with the community to refrain from taking law into their own hands.

– Caxton News Service

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.