Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department responds after Sunninghill informal trader loses stock in by-law operation
Metro police say goods confiscated from a Sunninghill trader were officially logged at the Marlboro pound, despite claims that no receipt was issued on scene.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) says items seized from Sunninghill informal trader Dumisa Phoko during a by-law operation were logged at its official pound, following claims that officers confiscated his stock without issuing a receipt.
The response follows a JMPD by-law enforcement operation on October 13 at the intersection of Naivasha and Leeuwkop roads in Sunninghill, where officers dismantled Phoko’s shade structure and confiscated his stock.
Read more: Sunninghill trader left without receipt as JMPD confiscates goods
Phoko, a father of five who relies on street trading to support his family, previously told Fourways Review that the loss of his goods had set him back financially. Fourways Review was present during the operation and observed that Phoko was not handed a receipt at the scene.
In response to questions from the publication, JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said the operation was not a planned or targeted special operation, but routine by-law enforcement by officers patrolling Ward 93.
“While monitoring the Sunninghill area, specifically around Naivasha Road and Leeuwkop Road, officers attended to municipal by-law contraventions and took action against non-compliant informal trading,” Fihla said.
Phoko had also alleged that JMPD officers took confiscated goods to sell in townships, claiming that some officers had tuck shops. “The JMPD strongly refuses any claims that confiscated property is resold or unlawfully appropriated by officers,” Fihla said.
According to the department, an official impoundment notice was issued for the confiscated items.
Also read: JMPD impounds delivery bikes outside Hammets Crossing following months of complaints
Fihla said the impounded property, including snacks and merchandise listed on the receipt, was transported to and registered at the official JMPD Marlboro pound.
He said Phoko could collect his goods from the pound after paying the prescribed impoundment and storage fees.
JMPD urged informal traders to comply with the city’s Informal Trading By-laws to avoid enforcement action and the impoundment of their goods.
Fourways Review has followed up with Fihla to clarify when the receipt was issued, as the publication was present during the operation and observed that Phoko was not handed a receipt at the scene.
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