Johannesburg residents move out over home hijackings — Daily Maverick
In the Kensington suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, neglected and hijacked houses are causing long-term residents to leave, straining infrastructure and reducing property values, according to Daily Maverick. Some abandoned properties, the publication reports, are occupied by people who place tenants there and charge them rent.
Real estate agent and Kensington Heritage Trust member Isabella Pingle said potential buyers had inquired about a dilapidated house on Milner Crescent owned by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. The building has no roof, and its pipes and floorboards are missing. According to Pingle, proximity to a hijacked or overcrowded property deters buyers, while banks may refuse to provide a mortgage for such housing.
Illegal alterations and utility bills
A representative of the Kensington Residents and Ratepayers Association, who asked to remain unnamed because of threats against colleagues, said that some houses had been bought legally and were later altered without permits to accommodate dozens of people. According to residents, some such landlords do not live in the area and do not maintain the properties.
The association representative also linked overcrowding to problems with electricity, water supply and sewerage, as infrastructure is not upgraded for the new load. Residents reported illegal connections to the utilities of neighboring houses and showed the publication municipal bills dating from 2018 with debts ranging from 247,000 to 456,400 rand.
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Johannesburg city spokesperson Ntatisi Modingoane said that after a complaint, an inspector checks the property. If the owner does not provide approved building plans, they may be issued a compliance notice, fined under Section 56 and, after the notice period expires, face penalty charges and legal proceedings.
Claims about home-hijacking schemes
Richard Keith Francis, chair of the Cleveland Community Policing Forum, said property hijackings in Kensington, Bruma, Malvern and Jeppestown have intensified over the past two to three decades. According to him, perpetrators may intimidate owners and residents, or initially present themselves as bona fide tenants and, after moving in, bring in other people.
Francis also described a scheme in which property is allegedly bought through South African citizens, after which payments on a bank loan, municipal charges and taxes are stopped, while cash rent is collected. He said pensioners and tenants who do not know their rights are particularly vulnerable.
According to Francis, an owner must report unlawful entry to the police within 48 hours; otherwise, a court order will be needed to evict people under the Prevention of Illegal Eviction Act. He cited a case known to him in which it took ten years to return a house to its owner. The city authorities said they are conducting a joint operation with law enforcement agencies to identify problematic properties and refer materials to the South African Police Service if an inspection finds signs of property hijacking.
