Joburg intensifies efforts against property hijacking with Bryanston arrest

The City of Johannesburg has announced a zero-tolerance policy focused on illegal occupations throughout its affluent suburbs.

This comes on the heels of a significant operation in Bryanston, where law enforcement agencies, alongside city officials, arrested an individual believed to be the mastermind behind a complex web of unlawful property occupation.

The arrest occurred during a multi-disciplinary raid on Thursday, aimed at inspecting residential properties afflicted by illegal service connections and other unlawful activities.

City Manager Floyd Brink, who participated in the operation, revealed that the suspect had previously been identified by tenants as the individual managing the illegal occupation, further illustrating the organised nature of these hijackings.

"We found the same gentleman here who was interviewed during our last operation in December," Brink noted. "It's now clear that several tenants implicated him as someone who collects monthly rentals." 

Last month, the owner of the property, once a symbol of luxury, had grown increasingly impatient following months of illegal occupation of his property.

His outcry to city officials came after the illegal tenants had defied a seven-day ultimatum from the authorities to vacate the premises.

It also emerged that these tenants had been paying up to R2,000 a month to reside within the property, with further allegations that the property hijacker was making over R164,000 a month on rental fees.

One of the tenants, Blessings Mabunda from Malawi, who has been staying at the property for over three months, told the media that she and her family do not have any alternative accommodation, which has forced her to occupy the property as one of the more than 70 families said to have illegally occupied the home.

"I have not been paying rent because I stay with my husband and our child. Now that we have been evicted from here, I might have to go back to Malawi. In fact, next week, I am going back home. I am not sure about my husband, maybe he will move to Randburg or Diepsloot, I do not know," she said.

Another resident, Naomi Banda, whose two-month stint at the property came to a halt following the latest operation, said she and her daughter had been paying R1,000 to stay at the property.

Brink revealed that the city is investigating more than 17 similar properties within the Bryanston suburb and other surrounding areas.

"We have started to investigate 17 properties in Wards 102 and 104. Of course, in other affluent areas, the same thing is happening, and because we are on a revenue drive, we will be having a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to hijacked buildings as well as those having illegal connections," he said.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za