Metro Police demolish hidden sand dune settlement following attack on North Beach
RESTORE PUBLIC SAFETY
Metro police cleared out the shacks that were built in the dunes.
Image: SUPPLIED
DURBAN Metro Police have cleared an informal settlement hidden within North Beach sand dunes following a recent attack on a businesswoman who was assaulted and robbed during her Sunday morning walk.
Durban metro police spokesperson, Colonel Boysie Zungu, said the operation to clear the informal settlement sought to restore public safety and order, improve cleanliness and accessibility, and address environmental and security concerns.
“We have successfully executed an operation to remove an unlawfully-established informal settlement on the sand dunes along North Beach.
“The area has now been fully-cleared and secured. Metro police will continue to conduct daily enforcement operations across the city to maintain clean, safe, and orderly public spaces.
“These efforts are undertaken in partnership with the South African Police Service (SAPS), private security companies, and other key stakeholders,” he added.
Metro police cleared out the shacks that were built in the dunes.
Image: SUPPLIED
Zungu said strengthening beach and public safety required a community-based, multi-pronged approach and sustained engagement with key stakeholders.
“Our goal is to ensure that Durban’s beaches and the entire city remains clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone,” he added.
He said the city was developing a long-term strategy to address homelessness in a sustainable and humane manner.
“This includes assisting individuals living on the streets, while ensuring that unsafe and unsuitable public spaces are not illegally-occupied.
“The ongoing coordinated operations have already contributed to reductions in crime and are being implemented across all municipal regions,” Zungu said.
DA councillor for the area Sharmaine Sewshanker said daily enforcement operations needed to be conducted in the area around the dunes so that the shacks were not rebuilt.
“The occupation of the dunes by illegal dwellers is not a new issue. This has been going on for the past four years. Everytime the shacks are removed, they are rebuilt within a week or two.
“If metro police and law enforcement conduct regular checks as promised, then there should not be a problem. We cannot wait for another brutal attack on someone walking along the beach before regular checks are conducted,” she added.
Sewshanker said to ensure public safety, metro police needed to be committed to police the area.
“The problem is that metro police only enforces the law when there is a complaint. The operation to keep the dunes free of shacks and criminal elements must be conducted regularly to ensure public safety. We have to work together to ensure that the dunes are free of illegal dwellers,” Sewshanker added.