Metro cops are doing job

The City of Joburg has recruited 1 500 additional metro police officers who are currently undergoing training to help fight crime, mayor Herman Mashaba said yesterday.

Mashaba, whose Democratic Alliance wrested control of the city from the ruling ANC after the 2016 municipal elections, said the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) had made more than 20 000 arrests since the multiparty government came into office.

“It is worth noting that this is more arrests than were achieved between the years 2009 to 2012 combined,” he said during his the state of the city address.

These included 577 people arrested in connection with “hijacked” properties, including undocumented immigrants, he added.

“From the city’s perspective, illegal immigration compounds serious challenges, not only for the provision of accommodation but also for the provision of other basic services as well,” Mashaba said.

He said the city’s Operation Buya Mthetho campaign, which translates to “bring back the law”, had led to the formation of a multidisciplinary law enforcement unit that conducts raids throughout the city.

It had recorded commendable success, he added.

“We are beginning to see the kind of crackdown on lawlessness in our city,” he said.

“In its few months, Operation Buya Mthetho has brought in a total of R341 million.”

In its few months, Operation Buya Mthetho has brought in a total of R341 million.

Herman Mashaba Mayor of Joburg