As part of the eThekwini Municipality’s City Regeneration Programme, a joint enforcement operation was carried out today, July 20, at 44 Lancers Road in the Warwick Triangle. The operation targeted a building believed to be occupied illegally.
Metro Police communications officer, Colonel Boysie Zungu, said the area was secured so that officials could identify the people living in the building and inspect the condition of the property.
“The purpose of the operation was to enforce municipal by-laws, inspect the building for safety risks, improve compliance, and help restore law and order in the city. The operation also marked the first use of the Durban Metropolitan Police Service’s new Smart Policing equipment. Body-worn cameras and Personal Digital Assistants were successfully used during the operation. The technology helped improve safety, support police operations, and record activities on the scene,” Zungu said.
The building houses thousands of residents, some believed to be involved in criminal activities, who use the property to harbour stolen property and drugs. It stands in a foul state and is a glaring eyesore. It is a former base for the KZN Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS), which was abandoned and later invaded by the homeless, local traders, students, and families.
Visible piles of garbage surround the block. The walls are crumbling. Inside, the residents have constructed makeshift room demarcations, and this has been the case since they moved in in 2014.
The police operation included the SAPS, Durban Metropolitan Police Service, Human Settlements Department, Social Facilitators, eThekwini Fire Department, Building Inspectors, Water and Sanitation Unit, Electricity Unit, Durban Solid Waste, Strategy Unit, IT Support, Security Management Unit, and the Health Unit.
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