Mashaba takes action in Rosettenville
Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba says a specialised task team of Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers will be set up to address brothels and drug dens in Rosettenville.
Several buildings were set alight by angry Rosettenville residents who says they are fed up with drugs, prostitution and crime in their community.
Mashaba visited the area along with MMC for Safety, Michael Sun and MMC for Development Planning, Funzi Ngobeni.
"According to community members, these homes are illegally occupied by Nigerian foreign nationals who run these homes as brothels and have girls as young as nine years-old working as prostitutes. Many of the women in these brothels are also alleged to have no official identification documentation," says Mashaba.
Mashaba says some of the woman working as prostitutes told him that the brothels are supported by officers from Moffatview Police Station.
"These are serious allegations and I will be contacting Provincial Police Commissioner Major General De Lange and request an urgent investigation into these claims," says Mashaba.
Mashaba says these homes also make use of illegal electricity connections and provide no proper sanitation facilities.
"I understand the frustrations of the Rosettenville community and I have apologised for government letting them down. I also implored them to not take the law into their own hands and assured them that I will do everything in my power to ensure that these homes are rid of criminals and criminal activity," says Mashaba.
Public order police members are still in the area and several cases of public violence and malicious damage to property are being investigated.