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Another informal settlement uncovered near Broadway offramp
The officers found a total of eight youth, no older than 16 sleeping and living in the informal settlement.
AN informal settlement, home to eight homeless youth, was uncovered in Durban North near the Broadway Road offramp on the M4 highway when members of the SAPS and Blue Security’s tactical team conducted a special operation in the early hours of this morning. This is the second settlement to be discovered in upmarket areas north of Durban as a similar settlement was discovered in uMhlanga on 21 May.
Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesperson for the Durban North SAPS : “The raid formed part of an ongoing operation to address vagrancy and informal settlements. Apart from the eight youth in the settlement, 10 vagrants were found across the Durban North area in various places. They were picked up and taken to place of safety.”
Blue Security’s Durban North tactical ambassador, Brendan Porter, said the operation was launched after the company received complaints from the community about petty theft, muggings and vagrants sleeping outside business premises in the area.
“This posed a problem for many people in the area including business owners who had been victims of these crimes, after they had closed up their businesses at the end of the day,” he said.
“Police and members of the security firm were surprised to find a small village of informal shacks which were well hidden in the bushes. The officers found a total of eight youth, no older than 16, who were found sleeping and living in terrible conditions. They were taken to the SAPS for processing and identification,” added Porter.
Identity documents and a PlayStation control was found among rubbish in the area. “We hope this operation will set a precedent to other vagrants in the area to move on from wherever they may be staying in the neighbourhood. We will continue to work closely together with the police to address crime in the area,” said Porter.
