Four suspects detained on suspicion of building hijacking in Vanderbijlpark
“Two minors were taken in by members from Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. The children, girls aged 12 and 14 were found by themselves in the buildings that were in a terrible state," said Brigadier Brenda Muridili.
VANDERBIJLPARK –While hijacked buildings remain a headache in the country, Vanderbijlpark suffers the same problem.
This weekend, Gauteng Provincial police raided some of these buildings as part of the ongoing effort in asserting the authority of the State.
Following Operation Shanela in Vanderbijlpark on Saturday, September 9, Detectives from the Provincial Office managed to take in four suspects for questioning on suspicion of hijacking buildings.
#sapsGP On Saturday 9 September 2023, during #OperationShanela in Vanderbijlpark – Sedibeng district, Detectives from Provincial Office managed to take in four suspects for questioning on suspicion of hijacking buildings. MLhttps://t.co/zr95YAL10D pic.twitter.com/0pAgGjjEpH
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) September 11, 2023
According to the provincial spokeswoman Brigadier Brenda Muridili, a further six individuals were arrested for being in the country illegally.
“Two minors were taken in by members from Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. The children, girls aged 12 and 14 were found by themselves in the buildings that were in a terrible state. Investigations are underway to determine the rental beneficiaries and their link to the hijacked buildings,” she said.
Sipho Nkabinde (37), a resident in the area said the efforts by the police bring them slight hope.
“It is good to see the Provincial officers doing this job and it really gives us hope as residents, however, the local police should be the ones playing this role. What will happen when the province leaves? How are we going to ensure that even our local police, Vanderbijlpark SAPS to be precise, will also take our interest at heart,” he said.
Zoleka Mfene (45) said “I am not sold by this operation. This will only happen once in a blue moon and when the province leaves, we are left with the same cops who collect from these people. If only this could be carried out every fortnight, maybe I could be bought and believe that something is being done.”
“We don’t undermine the efforts made by province, all we asking for is consistency so that we can deal with the problems we faced with,” she said.
