Weeks of raids on hijacked buildings in the Joburg CBD by city departments and the JMPD followed the murder of DJ Warras, creating the impression that Joburg was finally moving decisively against hijacked buildings. But the numbers tell a different story. The city still has at least 188 hijacked buildings in the inner city, with court orders in place for just seven, and even those remain largely unenforced.
When Joburg Mayor Dada Morero appeared in an October 2025 Facebook video — orange safety vest on, cracked concrete and smashed windows behind him — he announced that the city had secured “over 10 court orders” to reclaim hijacked and distressed buildings. He presented these as evidence that the city was “taking back control” of Joburg’s most dangerous structures. Then, following the murder ofWarrick Stock, better known as DJ Warras, the city deployed MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku, SAPS, city departments and the JMPD to several buildings over the festive season.
The operations included inspections and engagement with building hijackers and occupants. Videos posted on Facebook show illegal electricity and water connections being cut, dangerously exposed wiring removed, compliance notices issued, identification checks conducted and patrol vehicles positioned outside building entrances. Yet the reality is there has been no real progress – one eviction in the whole inner city area, no permanent securing of buildings, and no relocation of residents.
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The city has been making promises for years. After the August 2023Marshalltown firethat claimed 76 lives, city officials launched what they described as an urgent campaign to address derelict buildings. A year of litigation followed, filling the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg’s files with thousands of pages of engineering assessments, affidavits and urgent applications.
But a review of court records obtained by Daily Maverick for properties such as Florence Nightingale Hospital, Casa Mia, Wimbledon, and Moth shows that the legal process has moved far faster than the city’s operational response, while many of the buildings themselves continue to deteriorate. Despite repeatedly pleading “urgency” in court, the city has made almost no physical progress on the ground. These recent public displays obscure the deeper crisis.
Joburg still has at least 188 hijacked buildings in the inner city, according to its own audits — a figure supported by police data and academic research, which places the true number closer to 200 to 300 if derelict and partially hijacked buildings are included. The seven buildings for which the city has enforceable court orders represent a tiny fraction of the problem. Even those seven have largely stalled: four remain fully occupied despite being declared unsafe.
Despite the mayor’s claim of “over 10 court orders”, the city provided Daily Maverick with documentation for only seven buildings: Moth, Delvers, Remington, Vannin Court, Casa Mia, Wimbledon and Florence Nightingale. The mayor’s number includes expired or historic matters, draft applications and compliance-related court actions that do not authorise eviction.
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