LIMPOPO – The Greater Giyani Municipality has announced plans to demolish illegal structures in the CBD as part of a concerted effort to restore order and address growing concerns about lawlessness in the town centre.

The crackdown follows a formal complaint from a committee representing local street vendors, who raised the alarm over an alarming increase in illegal activities.

Vendors complain of illegal dumping

According to vendors, the mushrooming of unauthorised roadside structures has contributed to an unhealthy environment, marked by a visible rise in illegal dumping across the CBD.

In response, Giyani Mayor Thandi Zitha and her executive team conducted a walkabout in town on Monday, May 25, to assess the situation first-hand.

Illegal electricity connections discovered

What they discovered has prompted an urgent, multi-pronged intervention. The municipality confirmed that it will not only proceed with the demolition of illegal units but has also launched a parallel investigation into how these unauthorised structures – most of which are reportedly owned by undocumented foreign nationals – have been illegally connected to the electricity grid.

The availability of power has enabled operators to run electrical appliances, including fridges and freezers, while conducting street-side businesses. This, the municipality argues, creates an unfair competitive environment for licensed traders who comply with municipal regulations and pay for their utilities.

Mayor: ‘Illegal activities at a higher level’

“Our walkabout in the CBD revealed many illegal activities taking place in town,” said Zitha.

“Firstly, there are illegal structures along the roadsides that were not supposed to have electricity, yet they are electrified, which points to illegal activities at a higher level.”

Possible official complicity under investigation

She expressed serious concern over the possibility of official complicity and confirmed that the municipality is now seeking to establish whether any officials from either Eskom or the local municipality facilitated these illegal connections.

“We need to find out how those structures were erected there in the first place and how they were illegally electrified. If there are any officials from Eskom or the municipality involved in this, we need to deal with them accordingly.”

Eskom experts to be brought in

The mayor said the municipality’s next step will involve bringing in Eskom technical experts to help trace the source of illegal connections.

She added that the municipality would also meet with the vendors’ elected committees to brief them on the way forward. This will include the possible demolition of all illegal structures in the CBD.

She stressed that the process will be guided by the rule of law, saying the municipality’s legal team has been brought in to ensure that all demolition notices and procedures comply with relevant legislation.

“We need to ensure that we do everything according to the law,” the mayor said.

Traders welcome the crackdown

Local traders and legitimate business owners have largely welcomed the announcement, expressing hope that the move will restore hygiene, safety, and fairness in the CBD.

“All we need is fairness. We don’t want people illegally trading here while we do everything to abide by the municipality’s rules,” said Jackson Mdaka, a hawker and member of small businesses in Giyani CBD.