Mayor Dada Morero says the City of Johannesburg will request support from the South African National Defence Force as it intensifies operations against illegal structures and lawlessness in the Johannesburg CBD.
Morero was speaking during a by-law enforcement operation on Small Street in the inner city on Wednesday, where city officials removed illegal structures and engaged with businesses operating around the Methodist Church precinct.
The mayor says the city is now preparing for a larger operation targeting the troubled Marble Towers area, where authorities say widespread criminality and illegal activity continue to flourish.
“We require massive support. There’s a lot of illegality happening there and we will be removing all those structures on Tuesday,” said Morero.
He says the municipality will also seek additional support from the South African Police Service ahead of the operation.
The City of Johannesburg has in recent months ramped up inner-city enforcement campaigns aimed at reclaiming public spaces, removing illegal traders operating outside designated areas and dealing with deteriorating infrastructure in the CBD.
Morero says the latest operation forms part of broader efforts to restore law and order and attract investment back into the city centre.
“We’re calling on the support of the community in the CBD because this is important for us to ensure that we bring back law and order and ensure the security of future generations,” he said.
The mayor also confirmed that officials would return to Small Street once development planning processes relating to nearby structures are finalised.
Johannesburg’s inner city has long struggled with challenges including hijacked buildings, illegal electricity connections, overcrowding and unregulated trading. Concerns over safety intensified following several deadly incidents in abandoned and unsafe buildings in recent years.
The proposed involvement of the SANDF comes as municipalities and law enforcement agencies face increasing pressure to clamp down on organised criminal activity and urban decay in major cities.
Under South African law, the SANDF may be deployed domestically in support of police operations under specific legal and constitutional provisions, usually during periods of heightened security risk or instability.
