Durban authorities launch crackdown on vagrants and criminals in North Beach dunes
Durban metro police on the rooftop overlooking the beachfront promenade. Police have intensified efforts to clear vagrants and criminals from the dunes along North Beach.
Image: eThekwini Municipality
Suspected criminals and vagrants have been cleared out of the dunes along Durban’s North Beach on Tuesday.
Following reports of robberies of pedestrians, the Durban metro police are planning clean-up operations twice a week to rid the area of criminals and vagrants.
Recently, a 50-year-old Durban businesswoman was attacked while walking along the North Beach promenade near Suncoast Beach. She was attacked, robbed, and dragged into the dune bushes.
Following this robbery, the Durban metro police had found a dangerous network of hidden settlements inside the dunes. Local authorities discovered makeshift homes being used as a criminal hideout.
The metro police and bicycle patrol stated that they were ensuring the city is safe and clean for all residents.
On Tuesday, beachfront patrols were conducted, followed by an intense clean-up of the promenade dunes, where vagrants and rubble were removed. The eThekwini Municipality stated that law enforcement will investigate illegal activities and drug dealing.
Colonel Joshua Nkomo, Durban metro police area commander for the beachfront, stated that they had serious complaints of people being robbed while walking or jogging on the beachfront, especially on the promenade.
In a well-coordinated effort, police used the rooftops of the beachfront buildings to monitor the dunes for any vagrants or illegal structures.
“We started to investigate, only to find that the people were being robbed and the suspects were running into the bush. Further investigations led us to discover illegal structures built within the bushes and dunes. We conducted an operation to clean up these bushes to ensure that these people don't have a place to stay in these bushes since they are contributing to the highest level of crime,” he said.
Nkomo also highlighted that women living inside the dunes gave birth where they were living.
“They give birth to the babies in the bushes. We recover some of them alive, while others pass away. The operation is there to ensure the beach is clean and attracts tourists. We will continue with these operations nonstop,” he said.
Police found litter scattered across and inside the dunes. Some of the vagrants had plastic bottles that they had collected.
An illegal structure between the North Beach dunes has been cleared out by the Durban metro police.
Image: eThekwini Municipality