By Lucky Sindane
OPERATION TOKEN DAYS, the 500-day crime fighting campaign by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department aimed at enforcing City by-laws, is leaving no stone unturned.
On Thursday morning, 3 January, 50 beggars at major intersections around Johannesburg, including Randburg, Sandton and Roodepoort, were taken off the streets by the department.
"We want to educate them that what they are doing is against the City's by-laws," according to JMPD spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane.
According to Mamonyane, motorists had complained about the street beggars causing traffic jams and creating a hazard at intersections.
The beggars were taken to the Gauteng department of social services to determine whether they qualified for social grants. Others found to be illegal immigrants were detained pending repatriation to their countries.
"Most of these beggars are illegal immigrants," Mamonyane said.
JMPD has been working closely with the provincial authorities "to determine whether the local beggars qualify for social grants".
"Illegal immigrants will be taken to Lindela [a transit camp] prior to repatriation," said Mamonyane.
In terms of the City's by-laws, a street beggar could be fined up to R500.
But beggars are not the only targets of Operation Token Days.
Earlier in the week Metro Police closed down several inner city schools in Hillbrown and the CDB for contravening health and safety standards.
Illegal boom gates were also taken down in several Johannesburg suburbs, such as Lenasia and Marlboro.
Mamonyane warned those contravening City by-laws that the Metro Police will continue with their clampdown on offenders. "We are going to keep on doing these operations," said Mamonyane, adding: "We have to sustain them."
The inspector added: "We will still go back to the hawkers, crèches, street beggars, people who block roads and so on."
Operation Token Days is part of the City's broader Safety Strategy adopted by council in August 2004. Hotspots identified for operations include Hillbrow, the CBD, Newtown, Diepsloot, Alexandra, Moroka and Orange Farm.
The Safety Strategy brings together a range of agencies in different crime-combating operations. Other operations currently underway include:
- Operation Night Life, with the Gauteng Tourism Authority, focuses on tourist's spots, taverns, shebeens and clubs.
- Operation Bumble focuses on the use of electronic equipment for policing such as CCTV as well as number plate recognition cameras.
- Operation Nude Ants tackles by-law infringements such as littering and illegal trading.
- Operation Jozi focuses on safety in public transport, freight movement, overload control and patrolling of ATMs.
- Operation Winged Heart aims to ensure public transport vehicles are roadworthy and entails at least one visit a week to a taxi rank.
- Operation Clean Audit is an anti-corruption campaign focusing on employees of the City of Johannesburg.
- Operation Sethunya, with the South African Police Services, is aimed at reducing the number of illegal firearms.
"The mayor wants a difference in the city," said Mamonyane. "Everything should be up to standard and all the employees should be reliable and trustworthy."
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