Police at Beit Bridge embarked on a massive operation in which they raided several brothels, arresting a number of prostitutes and criminals, commonly known as guma gumas.

Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe said the ongoing exercise, code named Operation Restore Order, was launched on Friday last week with the aim of restoring sanity in line with a clean-up campaign ahead of the June 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

H could not supply the exact number of arrests made during the operation, saying they were yet to compile a consolidated report. “We arrested several suspects, who included prostitutes, smugglers, touts, illegal vendors and guma gumas, during our exercise. The essence of the ongoing operation is to get rid of criminals operating around the border post,” he added.

Dzirutwe said they had since deployed police officers in various strategic areas, including the customs yard, where organized syndicates of thieves are reportedly targeting unsuspecting travellers.

Meanwhile, local residents who spoke to Mirror on Monday welcomed the latest move by police to raid houses used as brothels, saying they painted a bad picture of the border town. “I would like to commend the police for launching a blitz on brothels as they are also a haven for criminals. Morally, prostitution is wrong as it undermines the human values. This practice is destroying the moral fibre of our town and therefore we hope such raids will address this challenge in which our children are exposed to such immorality,” said Mr Morgan Chauke of Dulibadzimu.

Another resident, Ms Cecilia Muleya, said: “The raids were long overdue, because a number of house owners, especially in Dulibadzimu, are illegally turning their homes into brothels and, in the process, creating accommodation problems for genuine home seekers.”