MBOMBELA – Some call it the Hillbrow of the city and others say it is where the devil reigns, but one thing is for sure and that is that Anderson Street is the busiest street in the city, allegedly with illegal activities.

In 2004, former police spokesperson Supt Izak van Zyl said police, assisted by soldiers and officials of the departments of justice, health and home affairs, arrested 22 foreign nationals for dealing in drugs and a further 19 illegal immigrants.

They also tested 34 people for the use of illegal drugs and returned six underage children found in nightclubs to their parents.

Last year a large amount of drugs was discovered in this street during an attempt to address crime in the city. After the raid,

MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Mr Vusi Shongwe stated the street required special attention due to the number of illegal activities and crime that occurred there. He also stated that if it was not cleared of illegal activity, it would soon create a negative image of the city.

He added that buildings that were no longer utilised efficiently, attracted youths who used these facilities for illegal activities such as selling drugs and operating illegal liquor shops.
These raids have, however, failed to deliver the desired results since citizens were still fed up with criminal elements in this street.

According to several people, “filthy acts” ranging from prostitution, drug dealing, illegal abortions and muggings were fast becoming the status quo in this street. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was still grateful to God after he narrowly escaped being stabbed on Friday night when two men mugged him on his way back from work.

Still traumatised, he told Mpumalanga News that the men greeted him in a friendly manner and told him they were going to walk with him as they were also heading in the same direction.

“It did not even cross my mind that they were criminals until they pulled knives on me and demanded my possessions. I feared for my life and did as I was told,” he said, adding that the attackers took his laptop, cellphone, keys and wallet before they fled.
Another frustrated resident said that walking down this “demoralised street” was no longer pleasant.

“People are always handing out flyers advertising abortions, penis enlargements and sangoma services and this contributes to the decay of the street,” she added.
Shongwe emphasised the need for departments to work together with the Mbombela Municipality in order to address this issue.

“There has been progress since the raids started but our biggest problem is that the occupants of buildings are mostly from outside the country. Here we need the assistance of home affairs to check if the documents these people show us are legal,” he said.

He further stated that for effective policing, the local municipality had to be actively involved and that the legal owners of the buildings needed to be tracked down.

“Order needs to be restored to this street and the police department alone cannot win this battle. It should be a joint operation between all the relevant stakeholders,” he concluded.