In a written response to questions posed to the office of the Executive Mayor Parks Tau regarding property hijacking, Tau said, “… more than 100 properties have been found to be hijacked… where prima facie evidence exists that somebody other than the legitimate owner is collecting monies or rent from the occupiers.”
Tau added that other State agencies, including the police and Hawks, were currently investigating and addressing various issues raised regarding the properties.
According to city council spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane, a property was established as hijacked when an owner or occupiers laid a complaint with the special investigation unit.
He explained that an investigation into the ownership would determine whether the property was hijacked or not.
“When prima facie evidence exists, the owner is referred to the Hawks who will investigate the matter further with the aim of arresting the hijackers.”
Legal action would be taken against the hijackers, while the occupiers of the property would be dealt with by the legal owner of the property, he added.
Modingoane said although there had been a decrease in incidents of property hijacking, it remained a concern for the city council because in most cases illegal service connections were present and the services accounts were not paid.
