‘Crime’ houses smashed

SEVERAL houses in Gauteng’s West Rand that have been identified as drug dens and brothels will be demolished as the South African police crack down on crime, Police Minister Fikile Mbalula said yesterday.

He said that no one would be allowed to be involved in illegal activities.

“There is nobody going to be allowed to roam around doing illegal things, including drugs. It does not matter where they come from,” Mbalula said.

He was in the West Rand to report back to residents in Munsieville and Kagiso about what had been done since their protest a week ago.

At the time, residents shut down Krugersdorp in a protest against human and drug trafficking. Mbalula went to speak to the community and made a commitment to return in a week to report back.

Yesterday, a house was demolished in his presence.

“What you see happening behind us is a starting point, old dilapidated buildings which are a general issue in South Africa in municipalities, we said those buildings must be destroyed,” he said, pointing to a building just about to be demolished.

He said all buildings used for criminal activity would be closed down in Krugersdorp and surrounding areas.

“We mean business. We want to warn the community that illegality must not be met by illegality. It means people must protest. If they did not protest, we would not have been activated to take decisive actions,” Mbalula said.

“Now we have acted because the community have raised issues. We equally urge ourselves and the leadership in the municipality, let us not wait too long for things that we see are wrong happening in our space.

“We must be decisive in ensuring that wrongdoing that communities are complaining about is brought to book.”

Onlookers ululated as a bulldozer crushed the wall of a house apparently operating as as brothel.

“I know he will come back, Minister Mbalula keeps his promises, I am happy that building is down,” said David Mthembu.

Mthembu lives two houses away from the alleged brothel.

“We are so happy, what was happening in that house was not good, thank you Mbalula, our sisters were kept as sex slaves,” he said.

Blankets, shoes, mattresses and condoms were found in some of the rooms.

Onlookers ululated as a bulldozer demolished ‘brothel’ wall