32 foreign nationals arrested at PMB landfill site
Thirty-two foreign nationals have been arrested at the New England landfill in Pietermaritzburg.
The KwaZulu-Natal Environmental Affairs Department says they were found living at the site, where a massive fire recently burned for a week and blanketed the city in smoke.
Officials say the immigrants did not have documentation.
READ: DA: At least two companies linked for allegedly dumping substances at PMB landfill site
Friday's arrests followed a joint operation by the SAPS, SANDF, Home Affairs and Environmental Affairs officials.
KZN Environmental Affairs spokesperson, Ndabezinhle Sibiya says the number of people illegally living at the dumpsite had swelled to around 1 000 last year.
"The arrests is a step in the right direction and the MEC believes that this joint operation which was executed today will help in stabilising the situation and ensuring that there is a sense of normality in the area," says Sibiya.
