DA-led Johannesburg working to restore order and keep residents safe

by John Moodey – DA Gauteng Leader

The DA-led City of Johannesburg, together with the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, is taking action to tackle the scourge of crime in the city.
We inherited a city in state of disrepair from the ANC administration, a city held hostage by drug lords and crime.
The residents of Johannesburg deserve a safer city.
We have therefore recruited 1 500 additional metro police officers, in addition to the 3 700 existing operational officers, who are patrolling the streets daily in cars and on foot and have additional stop and search powers.
A new specialised K9 narcotics unit was also set up within the police department just under a year ago as one of the measures to crack down on drug trafficking in the City.
The new unit’s focus on drug-related crimes in hotspot areas such as Rosettenville, Turffontein and Roodepoort has yielded considerable success, including the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of drugs, stolen mobile phones, hijacked vehicles, hijacked buildings and the arrest of hundreds of undocumented immigrants.
The department’s Operation #BuyaMtheto campaign, which enforces by-laws and brings the rule of law back to the city, has collected more than R1.8 million from unpaid traffic fines during the first two weeks of February.
Another initiative is the newly launched police satellite station in Kenilworth, which is part of our vision to create safe and secure communities for our citizens. The DA will do everything in its power to ensure that every Johannesburg resident, regardless of race, age or background, feels safe in the City.
We have also installed 25 high tech CCTV cameras in Soweto’s popular Vilakazi Street, to enhance the safety of business owners, the public and tourists who visit the houses of Nobel Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
We reiterate our view that high visibility policing and rapid response units are needed if we are going to reduce crime and ensure criminals are brought to book.
Our crime and safety initiatives are just one example of why the DA is the only party to vote for in the next election.
Where we govern, we are bringing order and changing the lives of our people.
This is the beginning of real change that builds one South Africa for all, where citizens feel safe in their homes and on the streets.