OPERATION Buya Mthetho was in full force in the Joburg CBD yesterday when about 200 SAPS and JMPD officers took to the streets.
They targeted scrap metal dealers looking for hijacked and stolen vehicles, those who sold fake and stolen goods and checked for any illegal electrical and water connections.
Within a few minutes of hitting the streets in areas such as Hillbrow and Jeppe Street, officers had their hands full.
Several motorists were bust for driving cars with fake or no registration.
No one was spared by the officers.
Some tried to “talk” to the police, but they took none of it.
A few drug deals were bust in Hillbrow as nyaope boys were stopped by the police. Some even helped to look for the people who sold them drugs.
It was only 11am but the officers had already arrested a lot of people for public drinking.
Streets where the officers turned up smelled like a brewery as ngudus were spilled down the drains.
In the Jeppe area, officers were shocked to find a new settlement in the old abandoned Kaserne building near Kwa Mai Mai.
Illegal electricity connections were everywhere with live wires overhead, as children played in every corner of the building.
Makeshift taverns could be seen all over the building.
JMPD spokesman Wayne Minnaar said the operation was a massive success. He said they made a number of arrests for various crimes.
“We found over R200 000 in cash lying in a room in Berea. We believe it is money from crime. We also confiscated counterfeit goods worth R700 000,” Minnaar said.
