5 section 56 notices were issued by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) yesterday during operation #BuyaMthetho in Ferndale, Randburg.
A section 56 notice calls upon an accused to appear before law enforcement authorities to answer for allegations of having committed an offence.
Should the property owners fail to answer to the instructions of the notice, a warrant of arrest will be issued.
Level 3 disconnections were effected at 4 properties during the operation. Another 3 level 2 disconnections were also done. I have instructed JMPD to monitor these properties and ensure that services are not illegally reconnected at these sites. If they are reconnected the owners will be arrested immediately.
Since the operation launched early last week we have already arrested 6 people for illegally reconnecting services that was previously cut off. Instead of coming forward and making payment arrangements, some residents approach our officials to illegally reconnect their services. I have every faith that the JMPD, working with our law enforcement partners, will do all it can to ensure lawbreakers are held to account.
Operation #BuyaMthetho is a new multi-departmental operation aimed at enforcing by-laws and bringing the rule of law to the City of Johannesburg. The operation targets properties across Johannesburg that are not paying for municipal services. This operation is conducted on a daily basis, as a ward based “raid” initiative.
The operation’s main focus is to ensure city by-law are adhered to by all within the City and that the rule of law becomes the order of the day.
The City, working with all state enforcement agencies, will not leave any stone unturned when dealing with criminal activities within our area of jurisdiction.
Cllr Herman Mashaba
Executive Mayor
City of Joburg
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Group Forensic and Investigation Service
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Email: LuckySi@joburg.org.za
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Siyanda Makhubo
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Office of the Executive Mayor
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Email: SiyandaMa@joburg.org.za