Fresh Joburg Raids Nets Firearms And Counterfeit Goods

Riyaz Patel

More than 600 foreigners were detained Wednesday after police carried out a second blitz in the Johannesburg CBD.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba and Gauteng Premier David Makhura were part of the operation.

The raid comes less than a week after police were attacked by vendors and hawkers after officers tried to confiscate counterfeit goods. 

Police vehicles were pelted with stones and officers were forced to flee from the scene. Three police vehicles were damaged. 

On Wednesday, several buildings and roads were shut down in the city centre as various police units once again moved into the area to look for counterfeit goods and illegal items.

The police brought in trucks to load the recovered goods on. In one instance, they seized five vehicles which contained counterfeit goods. 

More than 1 500 officers were deployed to the area.  

In one of the buildings, police