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A joint Operation Buya Mthetho Night Life was conducted on 5 February, in Melville by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and Emergency Management Services (EMS) after numerous complaints were received by disgruntled residents.
This is after several residents lodged complaints to the Department of Public Safety regarding the unscrupulous and noncompliant manner in which some of the establishments in the area conduct their business. The grievances ranged from criminal activities, blatant by-law infringements and none adherence traffic regulations.
The department subsequently deployed 80 JMPD officers, two EMS inspectors as well as 37 traffic wardens to conduct the operation, thoroughly inspecting 11 establishments for safety compliance and crime prevention. Seven of these businesses were found to be noncompliant and issued with citations.
Out of the seven businesses inspected four were closed down for contravening various fire safety regulations which post serious safety risks to their patrons. Further contraventions ranged from no emergency exits, no signage on escape routes to no fire extinguishers.
Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Safety, Michael Sun, said after the operation: “We want to support businesses in the City and see them flourish, but ensuring safety and combatting criminal activities are non-negotiable. When the residents in Melville told us what was happening, we took immediate action to deal with the problems. We hope through intervention and guidance, the contraventions will be rectified and businesses can continue to serve their patrons legally and safely".
He added: "We also want to state in no uncertain terms that Operation Buya Mthetho will be a regular occurrence in the area and we will be involving other role players such as the Gauteng Provincial Liquor Board, Environmental Health and the South African Police Services as part of the operation".
The City said Operation Buya Mthetho Night Life will continue every week to ensure offenders adhere to the laws and by-laws.
