[VIDEOS] The whole story: Rosettenville protest

ANGRY residents of the South attacked what they believed were the homes and businesses of criminals in Rosettenville and the southern suburbs.

The crowd said they were tired of criminals hijacking houses, selling drugs and deploying half-naked women into the streets at night for prostitution, while (allegedly) silencing corrupt Moffatview officers by shaking hands as they secretly passed folded notes.

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“This is a demonstration to show these criminals that we will no longer tolerate their nonsense,” said an elderly woman who only wanted to be identified as Celia.

“We cannot sell our house to move away from this place because their values have hit rock bottom because of all the drugs and prostitutes. There is every kind of person in this demonstration. We want to claim back our community.”

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One of the houses that was burnt, a property in Haig Street, Rosettenville, was being burnt for the second time since last September, when the crowd accused Moffatview officers of making bribe collections from drug dens and brothels. On the day, the COURIER was able to interview a sex worker who was in tears, saying she had lost everything to the fire and did not know what she would do or where she would live. The women from the community said they had warned the young girls to dissociate from the foreign national men who were using them as prostitutes, but they had not listened and hence they ended up burning the house.

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Nonetheless, in total, valuables from four properties were burnt and the crowd said they will visit a property in Lang Street to warn the “good people” to evacuate the property before an angry mob visits it – this is because, unlike the other houses, this property is also home to other people who have no hand in drug dealing and they believe it would not be fair to set them back by burning their valuables.

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During the demonstration, the crowd said they were sending a message to show that their action was now a movement, not a one-time thing. A group of foreign nationals stopped the COURIER team and said they were also tired of all the criminal activity in Rosettenville and surrounding areas and they were happy to see that their stores were not unfairly attacked in the process.

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A store in Verona Street was attacked and alcohol was looted from it. The mob held a brief meeting and everyone was instructed not to attack or loot any tuckshop run by people not involved in drugs and prostitution in the South. From there the crowd moved to a store where they claimed the owner and the men inside had refused to listen to their previous warning. A few minutes later, the crowd broke the door and windows, stormed inside and emerged carrying bottled beverages.

READ: BREAKING NEWS: JMPD and Mayor raid Rosettenville

Moffatview SAPS

Once again, Moffatview SAPS officers find themselves accused of working with the criminals, constantly using their vans to collect bribes and releasing criminals that the community has caught doing crime.

Spokesperson Cst Rebecca Bila continues to encourage residents to report such officers and take their van numbers if they see them engage in such illegal activity so that they can be charged and arrested.

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Mayor Herman Mashaba wrote:

“Community members are afraid to leave their homes and have said they feel that the City and SAPS have let them down. Under the previous administration, criminals were able to operate with this kind of impunity. This can no longer be tolerated.

This isn't a one-time event. It's just the beginning. #MashabaInAction pic.twitter.com/vxcbu3KZMZ

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) February 8, 2017

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“I understand the frustrations of the Rosettenville community and I have apologised for government letting them down. I also implored them to not take the law into their own hands and assured them that I will do everything in my power to ensure that these homes are rid of criminals and criminal activity.

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“We have to ensure that it is the criminals who cannot rest in Johannesburg, and it is the communities that feel safe. I have already instructed MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun to set up a specialised task team of JMPD officers to raid these buildings on a regular basis. We cannot have a situation where everyone in this community knows where the brothels and drug dens are, and yet government and law enforcement authorities appear to operate wearing blindfolds.

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“As a City, our jurisdiction in this matter only allows us to take action up to a certain point. Therefore, I will be contacting Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba and Provincial Police Commissioner General De Lange. We cannot accept lawlessness in our City and any criminal, whether South African or a foreign national, must be apprehended,” he stated.

#MonJustic #HouseHijacking Houses being tourched in Rosettenville https://t.co/PdSJ9kEAn3 @LinusMullerSA @annacox @MichaelSun168

— Cllr Sarah Wissler (@sahara67) February 5, 2017

Also Read: 

BREAKING NEWS: Rosettenville residents block road with burning tyres

BREAKING NEWS: Protestors burn another house in Rosettenville

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