The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has urged the residents of Roodepoort to report illegally occupied buildings as a means of curbing crime and unscrupulous activity in the area.
This is the result of plans to raid identified areas in Roodepoort’s Central Business District (CBD) in a crime prevention operation run by the CoJ.
On 2 May, the CoJ’s Group Forensic and Investigation Unit conducted raids at two well-known hijacked buildings in Johannesburg, which led to the arrest of 23 undocumented foreign nationals. The operation was a joint initiative with the police, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, Department of Home Affairs, the CoJ’s Health and Social Departments and the Emergency Management Services.
Lucky Sindane, the investigation unit’s director said the team is working tirelessly to restore the dignity of the city. “The random operations are implemented to combat crime in most parts of Johannesburg and to address the poor living conditions of tenants in hijacked buildings. We have found that people are actually paying rent at these deplorable properties. At Vannin Court, a building owned by the CoJ, it was discovered that the occupants are ‘renting’ space from ‘owners’ for amounts ranging from R250 to R1 200 per person. This is unacceptable,” he said.
The plan to raid other parts of Johannesburg comes as exciting news to Roodepoort CBD residents, after concerns about criminal activity at hijacked buildings were raised at a stakeholder’s meeting in May. Read the article here:
Also Read: Roodepoort CBD issues addressed
Greg Vermaak, a property lawyer who has been involved in the field of evictions said, “I’ve dealt with cases where a group of people illegally occupy an old building, or tenants decide to stop paying rent to the rightful owner over a long period of time. While most of these hijacked properties harbour [criminals], it is important for community members to understand that people cannot be moved from any property unless the right channels are followed and alternative accommodation is provided. The first logical step is to approach the courts for an interdict or to contact the police.”
Residents are urged to report suspicious occupation of abandoned properties or any criminal activity to the CoJ’s special directorate on 011 049 7561.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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