Gauteng Premier David Makhura has followed up on the commitment he made during the State of the Province Address last week to shutdown illegal businesses in the inner-cities and townships.

Premier Makhura, together with the MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane and the provincial Police Commissioner, Major General Deliwe de Lange on Thursday, 08 March conducted operation O Kae Molao in the Johannesburg CBD.

During the raid, counterfeit goods were confiscated by the police while other illegal shopkeepers abandoned their stalls.

Premier Makhura said a major problem facing the inner-city is the mushrooming of unregulated businesses owned by foreign nationals.

“Counterfeit goods are manufactured and labelled to mislead customers. This is a matter we must address boldly and decisively by enforcing by-laws and trading regulations. Counterfeit goods undermine the local economy, trading regulations must be adhered to, in order to strengthen our economy. ” said Premier Makhura.

During the raid, Makhura said, the South African Police Service had made a number of arrests related to drugs and stolen goods.

The provincial government working with national government and municipalities, has added an additional 1 266 police personnel and 859 high performance vehicles to improve police response and visibility to crime-prone areas.

Issued by the Gauteng Provincial Government