City of Joburg’s Operation Buya Mthetho catches 13 property hijackers

The City of Johannesburg’s sting operation targeting property hijackers has paid off, with 13 people nabbed in Turffontein, south of Johannesburg.

According to executive mayor Herman Mashaba, Operation Buya Mthetho (bring back the law) yesterday saw a suspected property hijacker – who has been on the run from the police since 2016 – being arrested, bringing the number of suspects behind bars to 13.

“The rightful owner was denied access to his property after he purchased it,” said Mashaba. “It is also alleged that the suspect threatened to kill him [the owner] if he ever set foot on the property again.”

The suspect is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court today on charges of fraud, theft and intimidation.

Mashaba said: “It is alleged that the rightful owner leased his property to a tenant in 2015 and they both agreed that he could sublet and collect monthly rental on behalf of the owner.

“The new tenants had refused to sign sub-letting contracts.

“At the time, the owner had also decided to renovate the property. While they were busy with renovations, a group of about 50 people overpowered a security guard and forcefully moved into the property.”

Mashaba said while his team made arrests, the occupants of an unknown vehicle which passed the hijacked property fired gunshots into the air before driving off. Police are looking for the suspects.

“No amount of intimidation will stop our dedicated teams from winning back properties which are in the hands of hijackers,” Mashaba said. “Criminals must know that they might run but there is no place for them to hide in Johannesburg.

“Operation Buya Mthetho ensures that the rule of law returns to our communities,” he added.

Mayor Mashaba said that these kind of sting operations have brought the total number of properties handed back to rightful owners to 34.

“We are committed to ensuring that we stop the rot in our city and make it a prosperous and inclusive place for our people to live, work and play,” he said.

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