September 25, 2003
By Thomas Thale
DRAMA unfolded in Hillbrow and Berea on Thursday as security forces swooped on derelict inner city buildings suspected of housing criminals and illegal immigrants.
Some 600 members of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, the South African Police Service, the South African National Defence Force, accompanied by Home Affairs officials and 400 workers from Wozani Security - known as red ants - in their trade-mark red overalls, sealed off buildings in Hillbrow and conducted door-to-door searches in a massive operation spearheaded by the Inner-City Regeneration Task Team (ICRTT).
The task team was set up by the City of Johannesburg to oversee the regeneration of the inner city and restore business confidence.
The operation started at dawn, with security forces being dropped on rooftops of targeted buildings to conduct their searches. By midday, the police had swooped through six buildings: Kings Ransom in Wolmaraans Street, Crest Hill in Peterson Street, the Little Roseneath Hotel at the corner of Quartz and Smit streets, Kilmurray Flats at the corner of Klein and Wolmaraans streets and the Central Youth Hostel at the corner of Prospect and Fife avenues.
Hillbrow and Joubert Park were the focal point for the operation
The red ants formed a human chain around buildings being raided as police conducted door-to-door and body searches. Some passersby were also subjected to body searches.
By midday, the police had seized four illegal firearms and arrested 198 suspects, mostly illegal immigrants, Johannesburg SAPS spokesman, Chris Wilken, said. "Seven people were arrested for being in possession of stolen property," Wilken said.
The City had obtained search warrants for various sites suspected of being dens of criminal activity, said communication's officer for the Joburg inner city, Roopa Singh. Singh described the operation as "part of an ongoing effort by the ICRTT to curb crime".
Hillbrow police media liaison officer, Inspector Kriban Naidoo, said the operation was "intelligence driven". "We have targeted buildings used by drug pushers and people who carry illegal firearms. This will be an ongoing operation, which will only end after the festive season. Hillbrow is infamous for its street parties at which people brandish illegal firearms and bystanders are hit by stray bullets."
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