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Five arrested overnight in Durban during a surprise raid
At least one person jumped out of the window when five people suspected of being immigrants were arrested during an overnight raid in Durban.
Multidisciplinary teams including eThekwini Municipality Health and Safety officials along with Metro Police and the SAPS officers are said to have carried out surprise raids on five “bad buildings” on Wednesday evening in the city center.
The buildings were identified as non-compliant to the City’s health and safety protocols.
All buildings that were raided were found to be non-compliant and safety hazard.
Some buildings were said to not have fire alarms and to have only one gate to enter and to leave.
Apparently, a 10-storey building on 84 Maud Mfusi Road was found to have illegally connected electricity with no running water.
A tenant, Anita Vanner who has been living in the building for over a decade said her children were dearly traumatized by the unannounced visit of the police to their building.
She added by saying that the police normally raid the place when they are in search of drugs.
The tenants of the building were seen carrying buckets of water up the stairs.
A building in 63 Bertha Mkhize (Victoria Street) was suspected to be an illegal clothing factory and hijacked.
When the building was raided, one person jumped out the window from the first floor and the other one attempted to hide themselve under a pile of clothes.
Hoosen Moolla, the Senior Manager of Inner Thekwini Regeneration and Urban Management Programme said that the raids are done on a monthly basis.
He added by saying that the “bad buildings” were not to be demolished or shut as the landlords were targeted and not the tenants.
It is said that Moolla said that if they were to get the buildings regenerated, it would ensure there would be continuous rates contribution from a sustainability point of view.
He even said that if there were to be fire in the buildings they raided, then there sure would be disaster.
Moolla sent a strong warning to the proper owners that the city is ensuring that there is going to be compliance and they are also going to be using other punitive measures by changing the rates code and multiplying it by nine to hurt them in their pockets.
#SAPS #KZN #City Buildings #Police Raid
