Municipal workers and police work together to rid Evander of illegal activities

EVANDER – Police and officials from Govan Mbeki Municipality swept through the central business area of Evander on Thursday, 17 May to clean up the town and to flush out illegal activities.

The CBD was cleared of huge rubbish piles, illegal structures and the homeless. The police searched every nook and cranny for illegal substances and council officials inspected shops, especially where food was being prepared and sold.

The police found Nayope and Dagga pips and discovered tablets that might possibly be Ecstasy stashed in a tyre in a shop in the CBD. An illegal immigrant was arrested in the CBD. The police officer in charge was Col Zelda Maluka.

The head of Vispol, Capt Michack Mhlanga, said during the operation: “Our objective with this operation was to arrest suspects, remove criminals and close down the places from which they operate.”

Mr Jackpot Ndinisa, Cogta community development worker in Ward 17, said many people sleep in the CBD.

“Many are addicts. I have heard them talk about a doctor who gives them medicine to help combat withdrawals when they try to stop. I would really love to locate this doctor. I was hoping to get welfare workers also involved in the operation today, because the problem of the homeless is a social issue.”

Mr Sipho Mlotshwa, Govan Mbeki Municipality’s assistant manager: Compliance and Law Enforcement, headed the municipal side of the operation. After the CBD clean up, he led a team of officials and police to a house in Bram Fischer Drive from where a small shop was trading without the necessary licences.

Mr Mlotshwa said despite being served several municipal notices, trading did not stop. He impounded all the goods in the shop. The shop owner claimed he never received any notices from the municipality.

Mr Mlotshwa said the owner of the house and stand was served with several notices. He also searched the rest of the premises and sited several laws that were contravened, such as erecting high-density dwellings in the back yard without approved building plans, selling livestock and being in health violations.

“Neighbours have been complaining about rats coming from this yard.”

A dweller of one small room erected in the back yard said he pays R1 600 per month for a place to sleep. He makes his own meals in the room and must share a communal toilet and shower with the other inhabitants. There are about eight rooms in the back yard.

The home owner said she was in the process of applying for a licence from the municipality. Her daughter said they were not aware that it was illegal to sell chickens, but that there were none being sold at the time.

Mr Mlotshwa said residential stands are not meant for business purposes.

This was the first of a series of operations planned to clean up Evander.