By Everson Luhanga
Gauteng police have confirmed that their next target will not only be undocumented persons and other criminals but also what they call “shack farmers”.
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela said anyone who is aiding criminals or harbouring illegal immigrants will be charged criminally.
And their focus now will shift to targeting shack farmers who have been erecting accommodation structures in places which the government has not designated for building them.
Mawela explained to Scrolla.Africa that shack farmers are people who build shacks and rent them out, mostly to undocumented foreigners, to get money. “We are not only going to arrest the undocumented foreigners, but also people who are abetting and assisting illegal migrants in the land.
“Undocumented people commit a crime and police cannot trace them and those who give them accommodation will also be charged,” he said.
He added: “According to Section 42 of the Immigration Act, anyone who is abetting and assisting undocumented foreigners is equally committing the crime and will face the consequences of breaking the law.”
Mawela was speaking at the launch of newly qualified SAPS drone pilots in Midrand, Johannesburg. He was accompanied by his deputy Tom Mthombeni, MEC for community safety Faith Mazibuko and other senior provincial police officials.
Mazibuko said the drone pilots will be used to augment police visibility, especially in areas that are not easily accessible like Diepsloot, Alexandra, Zandspruit, and other congested parts of the province.
In April the Gauteng government introduced crime wardens whose mandate includes clamping down on the mushrooming of shacks and land grabs in the province.
On Wednesday, crime wardens joined the police in Diepsloot, beefing up foot patrols in different sections of the township after a day of protests against the rising incidence of crime in the area.
Although there was a sense of calm in the township, authorities were on high alert for any flare of protest. Some of the leaders of the Diepsloot community drove to the Union Buildings in a bid to meet officials from the president’s office.
Mawela slammed the leaders who went to Union Buildings and said that the provincial government would deal with issues affecting the township.
Community leader Loyiso Toyiya said they are happy they had attention from the office of the president. “We will give feedback to the people on the outcome of the meeting on Friday,” said Loyiso.
