Occupying open space and loitering around the streets is often associated with vagrants.
During the year, some stolen goods were recovered from homeless people.
Here are some of these stories that made headlines as vagrants persist to frustrate residents this year.
Alleged trolley man found hanging from a tree
On 7 January, an unknown man believed to be a vagrant, was found hanging from a tree on a private property in Newlands.
It was also established that he had been hanging there for three to four days.
Residents of Sophiatown were concerned over increasing crime after stolen goods were found along Melville Koppies West.
On 12 January residents established that burglars used the area as their hideout as it was occupied by vagrants.
On 19 March Ward 87 Councillor Amanda Forsythe indicated that Region B would be embarking on a special operation on 21 and 22 March in Auckland Park, Melville, Richmond, Melville Koppies, Albertville and Westdene.
The operation was dedicated to dealing with the problem of vagrants in different suburbs.
Vagrants were spotted along the corner of Beyers Naudé Drive and 4th and 5th avenues in Melville, sleeping on the pavement in front of Roxy’s Club on 23 April.
This led residents to complain that the problem was escalating.
A man was spotted bathing in Emmarentia Dam on 18 May evoking concern from the Ward Councillor and the Emmarentia Resident’s Association.
They complained that vagrants should not be sleeping in the cold and bathing out in the open as they were polluting the dam.
Heavily armed police spent hours searching for vagrants in the Melville Koppies along Beyers Naudé Drive on 20 August after the community around the Koppies complained to the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo about criminal activities taking place in the area.
On 21 August amid complaints from residents about criminals using open space with overgrown grass as a hideout, led to burning of the criminals’ nest.
Phillip Mkhombo from the Nature Conservator for the Protected Areas Unit from the City Parks and Zoo explained then that due to the bushes, the area had become unapproachable to the residents.
It was highlighted on 8 October that crime had risen drastically in and around Melville Koppies Nature Reserve.
Complaints surfaced after three crimes were reported in September.
Some of the incidents highlighted were that an elderly man and his wife were robbed in their home in Sophiatown, close to the reserve on 30 September.
