Durban – eThekwini Municipality’s Metro Police unit is on a drive to tackle by-law infringements as part of a campaign to clean-up the city.
As part of the campaign, the unit has been dealing with different types of by-law violations.
This week they have been taking action to deal with illegal trading by street hawkers and towing cars that are illegally parked.
Metro Police deputy head Sbonelo Mchunu said for almost a month they have been focused on tacking lawlessness in different areas and have received praise from communities for their actions.
“The city will go back to being clean if we consistently enforce by-laws by dealing with illegal trading, taxis operating on illegal routes and using illegal ranks, businesses who are illegal dumping, drug dealing and homelessness,” he said.
He added that the decision to move the monitoring of the city’s CCTV cameras to the metro police unit will enhance their programmes being put in place to clean up the city.
“The Mercury” reported on Tuesday that the security cameras in the city that have been under the disaster unit had been moved to Metro Police in an effort to boost the unit’s ability to respond to and fight crime.
On its Facebook page, the Metro Police detailed the enforcement action it had taken in the past two days.
The posts said officers had removed motor vehicles that were parked illegally – on a red/yellow line, those obstructing entrance/exit, sidewalk and those parked on the edge of the public road.
It also said that any vehicle that is parked in contravention of any Acts or by-laws, or in a reckless manner or abandoned can be impounded by a traffic officer with the owner to bear the costs for the removal and impounding.