A STEALTHY and tactful operation led to the arrest of two people who are linked to the hijacking of a property in Kenilworth, south of Johannesburg on Friday night.
The husband and wife were arrested on November 3 in a joint sting operation that included the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service (GFIS), police and JMPD.
The couple appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s court on November 6 and are alleged to have informed tenants that the property did not belong to the landlord, who in this case was the complainant.
According to Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba, the duo allegedly went to the Kenilworth property in December 2016 where they speculated that the tenants should not pay rent to the complainant as the property did not belong to him.
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He said the pair had since accumulated monthly rental totaling R20 000.
Mashaba said the rightful owner went to the property to try and address the matter with the tenants and the suspected hijackers, but was threatened and told never to come back to the property.
“The complainant then approached GFIS for assistance. An investigation conducted by GFIS proved that the complainant was indeed the rightful owner of the property.”
“Hijacked properties are one of the challenges we are faced with in the city but we are pleased with the strides we are making in addressing the challenge.”
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He said the city had conducted an audit that estimated that out of 500 old buildings, 24 belonged to the city and about 134 were confirmed to be hijacked,
“I am pleased that we won back a property which was in the hands of the hijackers and that it was handed to the rightful owner.”
“Criminals must know they might run, but there is no place for them to hide in Johannesburg.”
He warned city building hijackers that the city would intensify raids targeting hijacked properties with the assistance of police and other law enforcement agencies.
“The city will not leave any stone unturned when dealing with criminal activities within its area of jurisdiction.”
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He said it was essential that the rule of law in the city was enforced and that criminal landlords who took advantage of desperate people and housed them under deplorable conditions, be reminded they will not be tolerated.
“We are committed to ensuring that we stop the rot in our inner city and make it a prosperous and inclusive place for our people to live, work and play.”
Mayor Mashaba lauded all role players who were involved in Friday night’s joint operation and said he was grateful “especially to police for their continued support.”
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