ACCORDING to the City of Johannesburg, the city is planning to establish municipal courts to curb the hijacking of buildings in the Johannesburg inner city and improve by-law enforcement to deal decisively with crime.
Speaking at an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) consultation meeting at the Southern Suburbs Recreation Centre in Rosettenville on Tuesday, Region F director, Irene Mafune, said crime, the hijacking of buildings and a lack of by-law enforcement were some of the biggest “weaknesses” in the City. “We want to tighten that up by setting up fully functional municipal courts to swiftly administer justice,” Mafune said.
She was responding to concerns by residents that building inspectors were not doing their job and by-law enforcement was lacking in Region F. The region consists of areas such as the Joburg CBD, Springfield, Turffontein, Jeppestown, Bezuidenhout Valley, Bellavista, Mulbarton, Rosettenville and Doornfontein. Mafune urged residents not to take the law into their own hands to settle disputes.
She said the region had enlisted the help of the Hawks, the elite crime-fighting unit, to investigate the hijacking of buildings in the inner city. She said, as a result of the partnership, there had been steady progress in returning hijacked buildings to their rightful owners.
She told residents that some of the mega projects being undertaken in Region F included the R340-million upgrading and building of the Jack Mincer and Kazerne taxi ranks for local and long-distance commuters, the South Hills mixed-housing development project and a R72-million transitional housing project in Moffat View to cater for displaced families.
The COURIER has been publishing articles to warn and educate residents about illegal evictions and hijacks of houses in the South of Johannesburg.
Visit the Southern COURIER website to learn what to do during an illegal eviction or house hijacking.
*Source: CoJ website.
