The mayor of the City of Johannesburg, councillor Herman Mashaba, insisted the City will not leave any stone unturned when dealing with criminal activities within its area of jurisdiction.
This follows a crime prevention operation conducted by the City’s Group Forensic and Investigating Service Unit (GFIS) on Monday 9 September in which 31 suspects were arrested. The operation targeted six hijacked properties in the inner city.
Mashaba said in a statement that the City will continue to intensify the raids on these dilapidated and hijacked properties with the assistance of the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies. “The 31 arrested suspects included South African citizens arrested for being in possession of and dealing in drugs, as well as undocumented foreign nationals,” he said.
The suspects were expected to appear at the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 10 September.
During the operation, the City Power officials disconnected power which was illegally connected to one of the buildings.
The operation was led by the GFIS unit working together with the South African Police Service, City Power, the Gauteng Traffic Police’s Saturation Unit and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department.
To date, 44 hijacked properties have been handed back to their rightful owners. In total, 643 properties are confirmed as hijacked in the City.
The City of Johannesburg is committed to arresting lawlessness in the inner city. “It is vital that we restore our resident’s 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 it was essential that they stop criminal elements such as drug dealers, human traffickers, and slumlords who take advantage of vulnerable people and house them under deplorable conditions. “We are committed to revitalising our inner city and making it a prosperous, safe and inclusive place for our people to live, work and play.”
Details: City of Johannesburg 0860 562 874.
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https://northeasterntribune.co.za/240381/anc-withdraws-motion-no-confidence-joburg-mayor-herman-mashaba/
