Joburg Mayor Dada Morero said the demolition of illegal structures will continue, with a concerted effort underway to reclaim the inner city from illegal activity.
The City of Joburg has demolished more than a dozen illegally built structures on Small Street in one of the busiest parts of the CBD since Monday.
Morero defended the city against accusations of a lack of urgency in addressing this issue, explaining that they needed to be mindful of backlash and possible legal challenges before the demolitions.
“You need to prepare, for example, as we will be going to Marble Towers. We need to prepare thoroughly because the last time, probably three years ago or so, when JMPD [Johannesburg Metro Police Department] was here, they [criminal elements] responded in gunfire…it was even difficult for JMPD to deal with illegality, so you need to prepare internal teams properly.”
The city’s acting regional director, Patrick Baloyi, said that the overcrowding in this part of Joburg breeds criminality and turf wars.
“It breeds other criminal activities like pickpocketing and people being robbed at gunpoint, without people realising that you are being robbed. In fact, people kill each other openly, for instance, there was that territorial fight, which left three corpses because they were fighting for territory, for space.”
