Tshwane mayor targets drug addicts and dealers

Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga is the new sheriff in town and he has turned his attention to Brown Street, the home of nyaope drug addicts, warning property and business owners he will close down empty and dilapidated buildings to stop criminal activities in the street and surrounding areas.

Brown Street is known for its drug addicts. A number of criminals using illegal drugs and those trading in stolen cables and other scrap metals have been apprehended in the area.

The city will set up a satellite office in this street and has invited the police to join them in bringing back law and order to this area.

Msimanga, joined by Tshwane Metro Police Department chief Jenny Malan, took to the streets on foot yesterday, but none of the nyaope users would say anything about the dealers.

“Our preoccupation is to fight the drug problem while creating the opportunities for employment and productivity across the city. We have to rescue our lost generation from this,” the mayor said.

Malan said they already started cleaning up the street with the help of the drug unit.

“We won’t just deal with the injectors, we have to deal with the drug dealers as well. From next week we are taking the nyaope boys to rehab so we can try and help them get jobs and move back into the community,” Malan said.

Malan also took the taxi operators to task, allowing no more than five taxis at a time in the street to drop and pick up people in a bid to stop them blocking three lanes in Lillian Ngoyi Street.

Msimanga said the legitimate owners of hijacked buildings are not taking care of them.

“We will give the owners an opportunity to come and fix it and if not, we will have to close it down. One of the empty buildings belongs to City Property, but they have been struggling and this is why we have asked them to join us in revamping this whole area because business is also suffering and not just the municipality,” he said.

He said they would start painting some buildings and rope in artists to help with artwork on the walls. The mayor also conducted a by-law enforcement operation along Lillian Ngoyi and Sisulu streets, closing down one bar which didn’t have a licence.

“This city is becoming dirty so we are going to stop you guys from trading if you are not going to assist us,” Msimanga told informal traders on the streets. – news@citizen.co.za