A multi-agency Operation Shanela on September 22 at the informal settlement along Chilli Lane has renewed calls for a long-term solution to an occupation neighbouring residents said has been growing for years.

Savika Special Ops said the SAPS, JMPD, the Department of Home Affairs and private security companies took part in the operation, which resulted in multiple people being detained by Home Affairs pending verification of their documentation.

“Multiple suspects were detained by Home Affairs, pending verification of their documentation status,” said Savika Special Ops. “Officials also confiscated alcohol, cigarettes, matches, wheelie bins, picks and spades during the sweep. A formal outcomes report from the SAPS is still pending.”

Read more: Thieves behind bars after police operation

For neighbouring resident Kai Hichert, who has been raising concerns about the settlement and surrounding land for years, the operation was a welcome but incomplete intervention.

“It’s good. It’s about time,” said Hichert.

However, he questioned the long-term impact of a single operation, saying people continued to live in the bush and that empty structures needed to be removed and the area cleaned up.

“It’s a start. We need the policing, we need everything to come from the top down, and all the different departments to check.”

Hichert said he believed authorities needed to address the issue beyond periodic operations, including determining responsibility for the provincial road reserve and taking action to prevent further occupation.

He said the area could ultimately be restored for community use if the structures, waste and other obstructions were removed.

“It can really return the whole area,” he said, adding that government assistance and cooperation between departments would be needed to reach that point.

The operation comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns about informal occupation and environmental degradation around the river corridor and land reserved for the future K60 (Van der Bijl Drive).

Also read: Police make several arrests during joint operation

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport previously acknowledged that portions of the road reserve had experienced illegal occupation and associated activities over several years, including informal structures, illegal dumping, waste recycling and encroachment into the adjacent river corridor.

The department said resolving the situation required a coordinated approach involving various government departments and authorities because responsibilities include informal settlement management, environmental compliance, waste management, law enforcement and social interventions.

Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa has also previously said her office became involved after residents raised concerns about environmental degradation, lawlessness and the growth of informal settlements.

Hichert said the latest operation should be followed by regular enforcement and environmental clean-ups to prevent the area from returning to its previous condition.

“The bush needs to be cleared. It needs to be removed so that the area gets cleaned up,” he said.

Fourways Review has sought official comment on the operation since September 22.

Johannesburg District communication coordinator Colonel Mpho Tshehlane was contacted for information on the SAPS-led operation, but no response had been received by publication time.

JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said Operation Shanela is led by the SAPS and that any action taken by the relevant stakeholders should be communicated by the police.

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