Authorities arrested more than 15 undocumented migrants during an early morning operation at the Ginger Informal Settlement in Sandton on Thursday.
The operation was led by the City of Johannesburg in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs and focused on enforcing municipal by-laws and removing illegal informal structures in parts of the northern suburbs.
Mayor confirms arrests and drug activity
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero told SABC News that the arrested individuals had been taken into custody by the police.
“Well, we have arrested a few undocumented individuals. They are already in the police vans, and they will be taken into custody. Hopefully, Home Affairs will act on them and take them back to their countries of origin,” Morero said.
He also claimed that officers had identified the sale of nyaope in the area, which police were addressing.
No tolerance for lawlessness, says Morero
Morero vowed that authorities would carry out further raids across Johannesburg to curb crime and dismantle illegal settlements.
“We are telling residents we are acting and dealing with lawlessness in Johannesburg. We are enforcing the law through by-law enforcement and crime prevention. What is critical is the court orders, we have them, and we are acting in accordance with the law,” he said.
He added that the city could not allow illegal occupation and criminality to continue unchecked.
Residents welcome enforcement
Residents in the surrounding area welcomed the operation, expressing pleasure at seeing law enforcement officials take visible action. Some said they hoped such raids would occur more frequently.
Should raids on informal settlements be the city’s primary response to crime and by-law violations?
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