Police seized counterfeit US dollars worth more than R4m and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and arrested more than 100 undocumented foreigners, in a raid near Durban's inner city on Tuesday.
The multidisciplinary police operation also targeted hijacked buildings in the inner city.
KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli, eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba and provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi were present in John Miller Street where the detained suspects were being held.
The operation comes a day after Xaba signed an agreement with public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson to rejuvenate the inner city.
Macpherson said the key is to work with all spheres of government to unlock the potential of state-owned property to ensure the city could again become a “beacon of hope” for residents.
They had agreed to establish a technical task team which would meet monthly to deal with problem buildings, ensure state-owned properties pay rates and assist in Durban's inner-city rejuvenation.
Last week Macpherson visited three problem buildings: Excelsior Court, the abandoned police barracks and the Durban magistrate's court as part of the rejuvenation.