A CLEAN-UP campaign led by Msunduzi Municipality’s deputy mayor Mxolisi Mkhize has revealed that some businesses operating in Pietermaritzburg are violating some of the city’s by-laws.
Mkhize led an operation on Sunday that cracked down on water theft and the flouting of municipal by-laws by shops in Retief Street in the provincial capital.
This is after it recently came to the city’s attention that a water meter has been tampered with, and water was being stolen and sold for R5 per 20 litres, a move which the municipality considers as blatant theft.
"We have removed the illegal connections around here and the illegal trading on the pavements,” said Mkhize.
According to the municipality, electricity and water theft led to huge costs which are a burden to the city’s law- abiding citizens.
Sunday’s clampdown also uncovered a large number of shops that were trading beyond their demarcated spots, with some disrupting the movement of people on pavements.
The deputy mayor indicated that the clampdown would be extended to other parts of the city in order to deal with lawlessness.
“This operation will continue in and around the CBD to ensure that those stealing from the municipality are brought to book. The lawlessness wherein people think they will intentionally disregard the rules cannot be tolerated,” Mkhize said.
Pietermaritzburg has for years battled with a slew of problems including decay and filth brought about by businesses that transgress the city’s by-laws.
Many of the city’s residents took to social media to express their appreciation for the efforts to clean up Pietermaritzburg.
THE MERCURY