Bodies against a wall – arms stretched out above their heads. A blackened teaspoon and several tubes found on a dirty brown carpet. Police sirens sounding shrilly in the air and then the power cuts off…
On Friday morning February 7, around 10:30, a long line of police and law enforcement vehicles sped through the streets of the central business district (CBD). The SAPS together with Emalahleni Local municipality and Law Enforcement Units embarked on a mass ‘clean-up’ operation in the city.
Homes and streets that had become a ‘problem’ in the CBD due to reports of drug-use and illegal connections, called for further investigations.
An illegal guest/boarding house was soon found amongst the properties that were raided. No less than 30 rooms were counted and searched.
“Illegal boarding facilities is perhaps one of the biggest complaints we get,” a member of the municipality had said on scene. More houses in Jellicoe and Allenby Streets were found housing tenants in Wendy houses and rooms that had not been approved by the municipality. The stench of sewerage permeated the air at one of these residences where the wastewater ran down and into the street.
According to the municipal-members on scene, this often happens at illegal boarding facilities. Without the proper building plans, overcrowding and over-utilisation of services often cause sewerage spills. Many of the homes also bypass their electricity and even use electricity at residential rates.
Apart from the concerns about illegal housing, police also focused their attention on other matters, such as drug abuse, and targeted a few premises where illegal substances were found.
In collaboration with the Middelburg Dog Unit, the police succeeded in weeding out more drugs in the CBD.
Among the substances that were found and confiscated were: cocaine, heroin and dagga. “Cocaine is the most common and addictive drug,” Capt. Eddie Hall, spokesperson for the Witbank SAPS, had said – whilst holding up a plastic bag filled with the powdery substance.
In an interview with the media and SABC, he spoke of the dangers of using cocaine and how the drugs would often be mixed with other dangerous chemicals that may kill users.
(See full interview on YouTube: ‘Drugs in eMalahleni’)
The drugs that were confiscated on Friday amounted to a total street value of R15 000.
Small doses, believed to be pinches, and plastic balls containing drugs were found hidden inside rooms, walls and in the tall grass outside. Rusted knifes and other weapons were also confiscated by police as well as a stack of identification documents belonging to immigrants and non-South African residents.
The last premises that was raided, was found hosting more tenants in 25 Wendy houses. The owner was allegedly charging his tenants R1200 per house, which included ‘free electricity’.
The owner was fined heavily for the illegal bypass of electricity and fined R5000 per Wendy house on the stand. “They have to remove all this within seven days,” Mr Ben Dorfling, Emalahleni municipality’s Chief Financial Officer, had said.
It was calculated that homeowners in Allenby, Jellicoe and Hertzog Streets still owe the municipality over a million in outstanding rates and taxes.
In Jellicoe Street, alone, unpaid bills amounted to R730 696,29, the highest of which is owed by a resident with an outstanding R304 707 due.
The total of outstanding rates for residences in these three streets, stands at R1 420 415,22.
Mr Theo van Vuuren, the city’s administrator, also stated his concern about the illegal boarding houses and facilities (a costly distress for the municipality and neighbouring residents) and spoke about the ‘negative impact’ it has in the city.
On his Facebook page he wrote:
‘…We have intensified our attempts to address this issue and in this all information provided by us by the public, is being followed up. Our law enforcement team and building inspectors are also tasked to identify any activities that are conducted illegally or outside any approvals which may exist. In the past few weeks notices to stop such activities were issued to more than 200 land owners. We are engaged in legal processes in a number of cases, e.g. in Kromdraai where hostels with more than 250 people, have been operating without the land use permission.
Our strategy to attack this problem relies on your assistance and information.
1. An audit of land uses is being conducted, where any land use activity is compared with the land use scheme and zoning, and determined whether it is legal. Actual buildings are also compared to approved building plans.
2. Where somebody is operating without the required permissions, a legal notice is issued for that person to stop that activity. If that person does not comply it’s followed by a second legal warning and then an application to the courts will be made.
3. In addition the electricity may be cut and fines imposed, should such an activity not being appropriately metered and/ or being paid the required rates and taxes. For this fines start at R5 000 per illegal room while R5 000 to R250 000 may be levied for illegal electricity uses, tampering with meters etc. The power will also be fined R100 per day for every day the activity continues illegally, and we may go back three years in levying service charges.
4. Should the owner want to legalise the activity, the normal application process must be followed, which will be dealt with on merit. However, the activities must seize immediately.
5. Where no cooperation is obtained and we finally end up with a court ruling, the facility may even be demolished.’ – Read more on Theo van Vuuren’s Facebook page.
View the footage of the mass operation on Friday.
Middelburg dog unit
Illegal electrical connections being removed
Capt. Eddie Hall speaks of drugs in eMalahleni, during operation Luma
