Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza says the metro will not tolerate lawlessness amid violent unrest and court-ordered evictions in Germiston.

Addressing members of the media at Pharoe Park, a low-cost rental complex owned by the Ekurhuleni Housing Company, Xhakaza said they have big plans to develop the area.

He reaffirmed the city’s determination to reclaim the area as part of its urban renewal programme.

“It’s not only about mobility. It’s about the type of facility that we want to build there, including the type of investment we want there,” Xhakaza said.

“We will not give up. We will stand our ground with the community that is on the side of the law,” he said.

Xhakaza said he is confident that the municipality will establish a system that benefits everyone.

The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has deployed metro police in the area to maintain law and order during the evictions.

On Tuesday, scores of residents spent the afternoon trying to salvage their belongings as municipality officials, with the help of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) and the police, evicted residents.

Xhakaza has warned Germiston communities that the municipality will not tolerate the illegal use of electricity.

“Illegal connections contribute to misuse of power and sustainability of the power that we are providing not only to the community of Germiston, but also to industry. The impact of illegal connection is huge,” he said.

The city said the majority of tenants at the complex were not paying rent and that prompted the city to remove them.