#Helpfindk: Mashaba joins police in attempt to find missing 13-year-old girl
JOBURG – Joburg's executive mayor, Herman Mashaba and MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun set up a task team comprising the Metro Police and members of the South African Police in an effort to find a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped and taken to the hijacked building.
SHOCKING: Faeces drape the inner walls and passages of the building, while litter can be found everywhere. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela.
The reign of terror exacted at Cape York – an infamous abandoned building located in Jeppe Street – was momentarily halted when a squadron of Metro police officers and members of the police descended upon it on 18 May.
FROM TOP-DOWN: A view from the top-most part of Cape York onto the street where throngs of law enforcement officers contained the building’s occupants. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela
A recent report surfaced alleging that a 13-year-old girl was kidnapped in the inner city about three weeks ago and was being held at Cape York, which before its abandonment, is said to have housed the Bank of Mozambique.
The child’s distraught family approached a major radio station to plead for the safe return of their daughter, following which the office of the mayor along with the joint law enforcement task team, organised the raid on the derelict Cape York.
Thousands of the abandoned building’s occupants flooded the streets as Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba and MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun led the task team inside the building.
Sun said the parents of the missing child had alleged that they had knowledge of their child’s whereabouts, leading them to Cape York. “The child’s parents went on air alleging that their daughter was being held at Cape York. When we heard the message, the mayor and I immediately came to the building together with our Metro members and the police officers.”
City Buzz reported previously that a noticeable, far-reaching stench extended from inside out into the immediate surroundings of Jeppe and Goud streets.
However, the MMC painted a vivid picture on it’s deplorable and uninhabitable state.
“The building itself is without electricity but there are generators on every single floor. The building is very dirty. It’s not even suitable for animal habitation,” Sun said.
“But that’s the least of the problems, if a fire were to break out, the thousands of people who are said to occupy the building would not be able to escape. However, buildings like these harbour a lot of criminals. We’re out here looking for a kidnapped girl as alleged, but how do you hope to ever find this young person? However, we hope that this little girl will find her way back home soon and into the loving arms of her parents.”
Sun added that a number of other hijacked buildings would be raided in an effort to find the missing girl. He further indicated that plans were in place to end the plight of abandoned buildings in the inner city.
“The City has established a task team working on these illegally occupied buildings, and so through the legal process, we’re hoping to clean up the buildings and ensure that the occupants of these buildings are put into alternative accommodation and that we either demolish or revamp these buildings and turn them into more useful investments for the city.
BATTLE READY: MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun made his way to Cape York along with Joburg executive mayor, Herman Mashaba. Photo: Tshepiso Mametela.
“We need to understand the seriousness and the consequences that such buildings bring into the city. Thousands of foreigners and immigrants come into the City of Joburg and choose this as their home. It’s very concerning and extremely upsetting.”
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