Diepsloot residents apprehensively peeking through their corrugated iron gates on Thursday night say they will now be able to sleep peacefully as police patrolled the streets following a spate of killings and protests in the area.
"You must do this every night so we can sleep in peace," shouted one woman as blue lights flashed through the streets.
News24 spent two hours with police patrolling the unlit streets of the suburb where they stopped and searched people at random.
Several people were arrested and taken to Diepsloot police station, however it is unclear at this stage whether they were charged or what they were arrested for.
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At the police station, immigration officials arrested a delivery driver for allegedly being undocumented.
Tactical Response Teams and Public Order Policing from various stations across the city descended on the area this week after several people were killed, which resulted in widespread protests.
On Wednesday night, Mbhodazwe Nyathi was assaulted and set on fire by a mob.
Police Minister Bheki Cele promised residents they would keep the police officers in the area until a more feasible solution to deal with the crime was found.
Cele and home affairs officials are expected back in the area on Friday to deal with the issue of illegal immigrants, who, some residents claimed, exacerbated crime in the area.
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