Heavily armed police spent hours searching for vagrants in the Melville Koppies along Beyers Naudé Drive on 20 August.
This is after the Koppies community complained to the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo about criminal activities taking place at the local intersections and neighbouring streets, allegedly committed by the vagrants.
During the raid, mattresses, blankets and clothes were found with some vagrants sleeping under rocks and sangomas performing rituals.
They were ordered to pack their belonging and leave the area, but hours later, they moved back.
Phillip Mkhombo, the nature conservator for the Protected Areas Unit at the Joburg City Parks and Zoo said they usually do it on their own, but this time they invited the SAPS Tactical Response Unit to help because some of the vagrants are
violent.
Mkhombo said the aim of the raid was to clean up the Koppies and rid it of vagrants, criminals, drug dealers and other criminals.
“The high level of crime is so disturbing and it affects us because these vagrants and criminals hide in our land,” he said.
Mkhombo said the vagrants, who are mostly Zimbabweans, are destroying the area.
Related stories links:
Vagrants make Melville pavement
Vagrants harass Risidale residents
