The Tshwane metro police officers have come under fire following a post of their pictures on social media showing them confiscating vegetables belonging to street vendors plying their trade on the roadside in Winterveld.
A media statement by Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) spokesperson, Isaac Mahamba, indicated that “perishable food items” were confiscated during a by-law operation in Winterveld on Bushveld Road on Monday.
In the pictures a group of metro police officers in full uniform could be seen loading potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes and onions, among other items, into marked TMPD bakkies.
According to Mahamba, the by-law enforcement was one of the operational successes recorded by the TMPD in the past few days.
He said: “The TMPD cautions residents and motorists to abide by the law.”
The TMPD by-law operation, however, sparked anger among many social media users who criticised the metro police for targeting poor people trying to make an honest living to feed their families.
A social media user said: “We can lead them to the places we suspect are selling drugs, yet they rarely confiscate those drugs or arrest the offenders. Meanwhile, our poor people, simply trying to make a living by selling on the streets, are constantly confronted for violating by-laws in a country with high unemployment rates.”
Others also denounced the metro police behaviour, saying they rarely dealt with serious crimes such as drug-dealing but found it easy to take away stock of street vendors.
“Street vendors are not stealing from anyone, but (they are) trying to put food on the table for their loved ones,”one said.
A peeved user wrote: “This makes me so upset, you target the people selling next to the road who are making an honest living and actually working for the little bit of money that they make. But at every intersection there are women sitting in the sun with children working for them begging. Why isn’t that a crime? But selling potatoes is so bad you guys can confiscate vegetables.”
Mahamba reported that during one of the by-law operations in Olievenhoutbosch at least 12 business premises were issued with Section 56 notices for contravention of the Businesses Act, 1991 (Act 71 of 1991) and the solid waste by-law.
Mahamba said: “In Pretoria West, seven business premises were inspected and issued with Section 56 notices issued for contravention of regulations. In Soshanguve, five business premises were inspected and five Section 56 notices were issued for contravention of the Businesses Act, 1991 and one Section 56 notice was issued for contravention of the solid waste by-law.”
He said a joint operation conducted in Sunnyside saw a total of 25 AARTO infringement notices valued at R7 750 issued to motorists for traffic violations.
“Various brands of illicit alcohol were confiscated and 63 undocumented immigrants were arrested and detained at the local police station,” he said.
Pretoria News