Acting Johannesburg metro police head David Tembe told tenants of the China Trading and Dragon City shopping centres in central Johannesburg: "We are going to ensure that everyone is safe."
A meeting between the tenants, police and mediator Julius Malema, leader of the ANC Youth League, took place in the city yesterday.
This follows what the tenants call five months of intimidation and assault, plus a murder, that have left tenants of the shopping malls terrified.
They claim the two rival landlords have been coercing them into occupying shop space in their respective malls.
The landlords — Li Xin Zhu, the owner of the recently opened China Trading Centre, and Pak Man Lam, owner of the neighbouring Dragon City and business partner of convicted drugs trafficker Glenn Agliotti — claim there is no turf war.
But the police believe otherwise and have formed a reaction unit in the Johannesburg CBD of 15 metro and 15 SAPS police officers who will “enforce the law and monitor the area”, Tembe said.
Allegations of police corruption and intimidation seem to have fuelled the feud, said Tembe.
Malema said: “With the agreement reached, we are now moving forward. Tenants are allowed to trade anywhere they want to.
“If they want, they can have a shop in both of the [shopping] centres.
“The [police] unit will react harshly to any intimidation or assault or murder from either of the malls,” he warned.
“Tenants must be protected from the owners of the two malls, who have used them to fight their own, selfish battles,” Malema added.
The police have appealed to mall tenants to report intimidation and threats direct to the new reaction unit.
Source: The Times
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