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City of Tshwane to embark on clean-up operation

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The City of Tshwane says it will be embarking on a major clean-up operation in the city centre from the beginning of next month. The operation will include among others the shutting down of illegal businesses and the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.

Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga made the announcement while addressing a community meeting in Mamelodi, East of Pretoria. The city’s clean-up operation follows that of the City of Johannesburg where Mayor Herman Mashaba was heavily criticised for the operation saying it was an indirect target on foreigners.

Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga says there are people who are pretending to be running legitimate businesses yet they remain open way after midnight.  Msimanga says the operation will include all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the raids are conducted legally.

“There’s already investigation done. We know where we are going to pounce. We know exactly which rules those people have been breaking. We are not going to target people because they are foreigners.”

Msimanga says they have identified a host of illegal businesses in the city. They include illegal panel beaters which pose health hazards, churches operating illegally and brothels among others.  He says they have also identified a lot of areas where foreigners are dominant in breaking the law.

Msimanga says this is not an indirect attack of foreigners. The Department of Home Affairs, South African Revenue Service (Sars) and the police inspectors from the city will be part of this programme.

“There are a number of brothels that the investigators have identified across the city, and we are targeting. We are also going to be targeting drug dens. Unfortunately we have in other areas illegal foreigners who are now dominant in wrong doing. We are saying we don’t want to break the law. We are involving home affairs, we are involving Sars, involving Saps, we are going to have a major clean-up of our city.”

Msimanga says this will be on an on-going basis to ensure the city remains safe and clean.

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