On 9 September, the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service Unit (GFIS) led a crime prevention unit which led to the arrest of 31 suspects.
The operation targeted hijacked properties in the inner-city.
The 31 arrested suspects included South Africans citizens arrested for being in possession and dealing in drugs as well as undocumented foreign nationals.
The City said City Power had disconnected power which was illegally connected in one of the buildings.
In a released statement by the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, the operation was led by GFIS working together with the South African Police Service (Saps), City Power, Gauteng Traffic Police’s Saturation Unit and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.
Mashaba said to date, 44 hijacked buildings have been handed back to their rightful owners. In total, 643 buildings are confirmed to have been hijacked in the city.
Mashaba said the City was committed to stopping lawlessness in the inner-city. “It is vital that we restore our residents’ confidence in government’s ability to keep them safe. Through operation Buya Mthetho we remain determined to ensure that the rule of law returns to our communities.”
Mashaba added that they would not leave any stone unturned when dealing with criminal activities in the city. “We will continue to intensify the raids on these dilapidated and hijacked properties with the assistance of Saps and other law enforcement agencies.”
Mashaba furthermore reiterated that it was essential that they stopped criminal activities such as drug dealing, human trafficking and slumlords who take advantage of people and house them in inhumane conditions.
Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/238581/32-suspects-arrested-suspected-hijacked-buildings-hillbrow/
