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Joburg metro police boss outlines successes in high crime areas

January to June stats show crime rate in city remains high

Mpho Koka Journalist
FILE IMAGE: Tembe said the city made 56 arrests for hijackings and robberies of vehicles.
FILE IMAGE: Tembe said the city made 56 arrests for hijackings and robberies of vehicles.
Image: JMPD

As the City of Johannesburg continues with its Buya Mthetho operation, the Joburg CBD, Fourways, Midrand, Alexandra and Lenasia emerged as some of the places that experienced high levels of crime between January and June.

In a media briefing on Wednesday, City of Joburg MMC for public safety David Tembe presented the city’s crime statistics for the period of January to June.

Tembe outlined the number of arrests made in the city for various crimes the period under review.

He was joined by the Joburg metro police department (JMPD) chief Thulani Khanyile, Mathokoza Kgaswane from the chief of police’s office, and other JMPD officers.

Tembe said the city made 56 arrests for hijackings and robberies of vehicles.

The Joburg CBD, Fourways, Midrand, Alexandra, Lenasia and Roodepoort experience a lot of crimes. A lot of car hijackings, business robberies and murders take place in these areas, said Tembe.

A total of 55 people were arrested for common robberies, seven arrested for business robberies and three for residential robberies.

Four people were arrested for human trafficking during the period. Two were arrested in the Joburg CBD and the other two in Meredale.

The city also arrested 747 undocumented persons.

Kgaswane also said that 83 land invasion operations had been conducted.

He said the hotspots of land invasions were regions A (Diepsloot, Ivory Park), G (Orange Farm, Lenasia,) and C (Roodepoort).

Any piece of open land in Joburg is targeted. We have appointed 11 private security companies to guard land properties after we evicted people who occupied them illegally, he said.

Kgaswane said the companies were appointed on a three-year contract in October last year.

Meanwhile, Tembe said two JMPD officials and one member of the public were arrested for theft and illegally dealing in JMPD firearm ammunition.

Eight people were arrested for being in possession of stolen copper cables worth R1m in Jeppestown.

Tembe also said the city was investigating 13 cases of fraud and corruption, and had since dismissed eight JMPD employees.

kokam@sowetan.co.za

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