Immigrant structures demolished on Joburg's 'Small Street'

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]A multi- agency law enforcement operation led by the executive mayor Dada Morero demolished unauthorized structures belonging to foreign nationals at small street in the Johannesburg CBD. The demolition of illegal structures on small street is long overdue. The law must be upheld and anyone who defies it will face the full extent of the law. The honeymoon phase is over. We are not folding. The mayor said, >> "How long have you been staying in South Africa? How long have you been staying here?

[00:00:32]20 years. So you are now a resident.

[00:00:49]>> But if if home affairs come here, they're going to arrest you if your thing is expired.

[00:00:54]>> Arrest is better. I can call it my husband.

[00:00:57]>> Yeah.

[00:00:58]>> You want to go home? Me my children my husband is my children me I can't go my husband can't wait I don't have paper nothing I have now I have three children born here now he don't have for >> so what do you want the government to do >> government Sorry, madam. The government cannot help you. The government cannot help you if you don't have the correct copy of papers.

[00:01:40]>> Have you ever reported a corrupt official?

[00:01:45]No.

[00:01:47]The government officials are corrupt.

[00:01:50]Have you made effort to report them to authorities?

[00:01:53]>> Who's going to accept?

[00:01:55]>> No one.

[00:01:55]>> No.

[00:01:58]What? What do you mean?

[00:02:03]>> But then that that keeps you in problems because then you will be deported.

[00:02:09]>> You'll be deported.

[00:02:11]>> Four years for me. My children have one family.

[00:02:18]>> But if you guys are not happy, why don't you go back home where you come from?

[00:02:22]>> I can go. I don't have transport. I don't have work. My husband, you know where they are.

[00:02:27]>> So why are you sitting here if you don't have work?

[00:02:29]>> I want to feed my children.

[00:02:31]>> How are you going to feed them by sitting outside?

[00:02:33]>> I'm waiting for women like me. That's why I'm working.

[00:02:37]>> How did you get here? If you don't have money to go back until I'm coming here, that's why I >> So we must take you to >> So you want to go? We must take you to Lindella with your children so that they can deport you back to your country.

[00:02:52]>> Yes. Okay.

[00:03:06]>> Get out. Get out. Hey, get out. Get out.

[00:03:11]Hey.

[00:03:13]Out.

[00:03:15]Out. Hey.

[00:03:21]Out guys, out.

[00:04:08]I met you in clubs.

[00:04:13]cut the erection of an illegal structure in the pavement. We are here to remove this illegal structure.

[00:04:24]>> We are not weakening a gate of >> so we're coming here.

[00:04:34]>> Yeah.

[00:04:41]>> Hello. demolishes here. Starting yourself.

[00:04:50]If you have a shop here, start begging.

[00:04:54]This one here is not legal.

[00:04:58]Your shop is not legal. Start packing your stuff before we demolish the shop.

[00:05:05]>> This thing is roing here. Look at this.

[00:05:07]And you're selling it.

[00:05:08]>> LOOK. WHAT? What do you mean? No. Yeah.

[00:05:14]>> Close the shop. It's now morning. Close the shop. Yeah. Close. Close. Close.

[00:05:17]Close. Close it. Close the shop.

[00:05:21]>> Close your shop. Close it.

[00:05:23]>> Close it. You see everything is rotten and you're selling me. Close it. Close.

[00:05:28]Close.

[00:05:29]>> Take 20 minutes.

[00:05:31]>> 20 minutes. What?

[00:05:34]>> AND WE KEEP CATS HERE IN THE SHOP.

[00:05:37]AND THEY BELIEVE ON THESE THINGS. We are here today with MMC's development planning economic development community development uh group corporate and shared services with the teams from JPD CR Josburg Property Company J all the teams are here including the region we are demolishing all these illegal structures that are here. We are dealing with bylaw enforcement. Ensure that we enforce the bylaws. As we said, we are going to deal with lawlessness in Joel. This is part and parcel of our program to enforce the bylaws of Johannesburg. So this is what we are doing now. and all the owners have disappeared uh to indicate that no one could prove beyond reasonable doubt that they've been approved to build the structures first and foremost and to operate in this area. So we are removing them and uh to ensure that we bring back law and order in our city. Thank you.

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