Criminals flee Rosettenville as JMPD officers tighten noose

24 February 2017

 

The situation in Rosettenvile, south of Johannesburg – where furious residents went on the rampage about two weeks ago, attacking what they suspected to be brothels and drug dens – has returned to normal.

 

A total 16 houses were set alight during the violence after residents complained that they had had enough of the car hijackings, drugs and prostitution in the area.

Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Development Planning Cllr Funzela Ngobeni visited the area after the violence broke out to calm the situation down.

Responding to a question posed by Economic Freedom Fighters’ Cllr J Mapeko during a council meeting at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein on Thursday February 23, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety Cllr Michael Sun said nine people had been arrested since the violence flared up – five for drug dealing, three for being illegal immigrants and one for public violence.

Cllr Sun said 60 Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers, patrolling the area in 30 vehicles, assisted by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), had managed to bring the situation under control.

Cllr Sun said although there were still challenges, law enforcement officers were step ahead of the criminals.
He said many of the drug dealers and suppliers, who were not residents of Rosettenville, had quietly fled the area.

“We have a mobile unit with a satellite and Wi-Fi system that makes it easier for the officers to monitor the situation 24 hours a day. We are top of the situation,” he said.

Cllr Sun JMPD officers were visible in all the hot spots and in the streets. He said the scourge of drugs and prostitution was not confined to Rosettenville and Johannesburg but was a nationwide problem, hence the City of Johannesburg was working hand in hand with the national government and the Gauteng Provincial Government to eradicate it.