GALLERY: Linden Police clean up the streets of Windsor

The Linden Police together with other City entities took to the streets of Windsor for a clean-up.

The police together with City Parks and Zoo, Johannesburg Roads Agency  (JRA), City of Joburg, Pikitup, JMPD, Environmental Health Department, the City of Joburg’s Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (Crum) and Ward 98 Councillor Laurette van Zijl compiled a list of problematic addresses in Windsor and tackled them.

The first building they tackled was in Windsor East on the corner of Beatrice Street and Judges Avenue. Linden Police Sergeant Masupa said that this is a hijacked building that has vagrants living there illegally. Van Zijl said, “Some owners of these units are unknown, some belong to the bank and we are only aware of one of the owners.” She said that people have been living there and no one is responsible. The building needs R74 000 to be fixed, this includes the electricity, water and sewage leaks.

Boniwe Nobathana who is a resident at the hijacked building said that they get kicked out often and they have children who are in school. “We have been living here for four years and we get harassed often,” said Nobathana. One of the residents in the building kept bags of recyclable good that he used to generate an income from. These bags were seized by the authorities and thrown into a Pikitup truck. “This man helps us with the money he makes, he buys food and helps with school uniform. Now how is he going to help us?” said another resident from the building Thembeka Douw. The residents were angry to a point where they hit at Van Zijl’s car while she drove away.

The joint operation also tackled an illegal taxi holding on Republic Road. “The taxis park here during the day and block the road and resident’s gates,” said Ward 98 Region B Urban Inspector Mpho Tsepetsi. JRA closed up potholes on Judges Avenue and City Parks cut the unkept grass on the pavements.

Other residents were searched and eight people were arrested for being illegal immigrants. “The operation was a success, we checked up on houses we have been to in the past and many good changes have been made,” said Sgt Masupa.

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