Corruption and collusion within the City of Johannesburg are allegedly undermining law-enforcement operations in the inner city, with illegal business operators being tipped off ahead of municipal raids.
City of Johannesburg Human Settlements MMC Mlungisi Mabaso raised the alarm following a raid on commercial properties in the inner city on Thursday, claiming that some municipal officials are working with business operators unlawfully occupying city-owned spaces.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Mabaso said this was the third city-led operation that had been compromised by advance warnings to targeted businesses.
“This was my third operation in the inner city, focusing on the commercial spaces. We learnt that one of the officials went on to advise these people who are operating prior to our visit,” Mabaso said.
He explained that when officials arrived at the affected premises, shop operators were already prepared for the inspection.
“Upon our arrival, we saw that they were already expecting us on the ground and they had moved some of the items out of the stores. Others were still trying to move items out of the stores,” he added.
Shops Found Deserted
Mabaso said the level of preparedness among shop owners and workers strongly suggested insider involvement, with several premises found deserted during the operation.
“Even today when we arrived, we saw that they were expecting us. Some of the shop owners were not there, and some of the employees were not there,” he said.
According to Mabaso, earlier engagements had revealed that some of the businesses were employing undocumented foreign nationals, yet no workers were present when officials arrived.
“When we engage with some of the people using these shops, they give us information, but when we arrived there, there were no workers in some of the shops and no owners in some of the shops,” he said.
Mabaso noted that in some cases, South African workers were present instead, which he believes further points to prior warning of the inspections.
“There were South Africans in some of the shops, which is an indication that these people were advised in advance before our arrival,” he said.
Calls for Action Against Implicated Officials
Mabaso said he has formally requested the city’s executive leadership to investigate the alleged leaks, warning that the repeated tip-offs are undermining enforcement efforts.
“It is something that I have requested the executive to look into because it is happening to us now for the third time,” he said.
The City of Johannesburg has in recent months intensified raids on illegally occupied commercial buildings in the inner city as part of efforts to enforce by-laws, recover municipal revenue and clamp down on unsafe and non-compliant business operations.
Mabaso warned that unless action is taken against officials implicated in tipping off business owners, lawlessness in the inner city will continue to be entrenched.
