KwaZulu-Natal police, along with other law enforcement agencies, on Monday conducted an operation in the Albert Park area to target crime hotspots.
Police said during the operation, 15 foreign nationals who lacked documentation to be in the country were arrested. In addition, over 100 homeless individuals were taken for processing.
The operation was led by the eThekwini District Police and targeted areas notorious for crimes such as theft out of motor vehicles, smash-and-grab incidents and robberies.
KZN police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said with the festive season approaching, the police management in the eThekwini District, together with the Office of the Premier, Correctional Services, Metro Police and the Department of Community Safety and Liaison conducted a raid in the Albert Park area.
The operation also resulted in the demolition of several informal structures under the M4 highway bridge, where many homeless people resided.
The structures, built in public spaces, were found to be housing people who needed urgent medical care.
“Some homeless people were found to be suffering from various medical conditions, some also had open wounds. Blood-filled syringes were also found in those demolished structures.
Those found to be sick were treated at the scene by the EMS personnel,” added Netshiunda.
The process of verifying the identities of those taken in was ongoing, with two individuals being positively linked to criminal activities through their fingerprints.
“One of them had been on the wanted list since 2001 and investigations are under way to determine the cases he is linked to,” said Netshiunda.
The arrested individuals will face court proceedings once the verification process is completed, he said.
The operation was part of a broader strategy spearheaded by KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, who has launched a campaign, targeting crime-ridden areas in Durban, particularly those plagued by illegal drug activities.
“The initiative, known as ‘Khuculula’ aims to dismantle illegal drug activities and apprehend foreign nationals and South Africans involved in unlawful operations. This location (Albert Park) has long been a hotspot for drug use and illegal activities and today’s actions have already led to significant arrests.”
While the operation led to the arrest of undocumented foreign nationals, Premier Ntuli stressed that the initiative was not solely focused on foreigners.
He further addressed concerns about what will be done with homeless individuals who were taken in but were not found to have committed any crimes.
“For those who cooperate, they will be taken to shelters,” Ntuli explained.
Ntuli also said that as part of the broader "Khuculula" initiative, they would visit local shops to ensure compliance with food safety regulations.
This comes after six children died in Naledi, Soweto, allegedly after consuming contaminated snacks from a spaza shop.
“We are approaching the festive season and we want to assure the people of South Africa and even abroad that we are cleaning Durban. They must come for the December holidays and spend time in the province of KwaZulu Natal because we are all working together to ensure that we render this province safe,” said Ntuli.
Ntuli also said that the undocumented foreign nationals who were apprehended during the raid of hijacked buildings last month have been deported back to their countries and those who were found to have committed crimes were in custody.
Raymond Perrier, director of the Denis Hurley Centre, which actively assists the homeless, and former chair of the eThekwini Task Team on Homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic, said the Denis Hurley Centre was not against the police acting lawfully to prevent crime and to apprehend people who are criminals.
He said if 100 people were being processed and there was reason to believe that they were engaged in criminal activity, then that made sense.
“What worries us are the several 100 who are not being processed, who, as a result of this raid, have been scattered around the area. So what was a contained problem has now just become a dispersed problem. Not only has the problem not gone away, it’s actually become worse.
“People who are addicted to drugs, and whose addiction habits were contained in one small part of the city have now spread their problem to more parts of the city,” he said.
Perrier said the operation would not do much to tackle homelessness, drug abuse or the crimes associated with drug users.
“People who are sleeping rough are still sleeping rough, or they’re sleeping rough somewhere else, minus a few people who are in prison overnight, and they are going to be back on the streets tomorrow.
“The people who are taking drugs are still going to try and take drugs, and they’re not going to stop, and the people who were stealing in a concentrated part of town to feed their drug habits, are now stealing in a wider part of town to feed their drug habits,” he said.
The Mercury