Blitz to clean up Pretoria inner city
Arrests and fines as cops get to work
Tshwane municipality’s massive drive to rid the Pretoria city centre and surroundings of drugs, crime and grime netted 16 arrests and saw 14 vehicles impounded yesterday morning.
Among those arrested, 13 were undocumented foreign nationals, one was for possession of a fraudulent driver’s licence, one arrest was for dealing in drugs and one for possession of drugs.
Fines of R35 600 were issued to businesses and households for noncompliance with municipal bylaws and illegal electricity connections during the multi-pronged operation conducted by immigration officials, the SA Police Service and the Tshwane Metro police.
Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga said the operation was aimed at cleaning up the inner city with a particular focus on removing drugs from abandoned buildings that have become havens for criminals.
“This simply cannot continue any longer if we are to give effect to our promise to revitalise the inner city and attract productive and lawful economic activity to the benefit of the people of Tshwane.”
Besides harbouring criminals, Msimanga said, derelict buildings robbed the city of the economic productivity needed to enhance the quality of lives of all residents. These buildings are often riddled with service connections that contravene City of Tshwane bylaws.
According to Msimanga, the anti-crime drive sought to deal decisively with crime and illicit activities in the inner city.
He said with this inner city rejuvenation programme, the municipality was working towards attracting about R10.8-billion in investment.
“The rejuvenation of our inner city will go a long way to achieving this. It is not designed to stifle the work of informal traders and other businesses in the inner city but rather to create an environment that invites residents and tourists alike into the city.”