Hijacked properties are a perennial problem in our communities and are not only limited to skyscrapers in the city centres. In townships, building hijacking has taken different forms, including scammers who fraudulently change the ownership of properties to unlawfully take control of them. In other instances, property hijackers masquerade as estate agents who take advantage of vulnerable families trying to sell their homes only to take charge of such properties and evict the rightful beneficiaries.
The victims are not just the owners but also the poor working-class people who are duped into paying rent to hijackers to prop up their illegal business. The neighbours, too, become victims because decay and risks to security often follow building hijackings, whether in the city centre, suburbs or townships. Yesterday, City of Johannesburg officials were reportedly spotted raiding anotherBryanston mansionthat was believed to have fallen into the hands of hijackers.
The raid came just a week after a man believed to have been behind another property hijacking in the area was arrested. The hijacked property there was found to have been sublet, mostly to migrants, who were living in Wendy houses behind the high walls. Authorities said the rightful owner of the property had been threatened and was unable to gain access to it.
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On Monday we reported how Sindisiwe Mzekwa and her daughter Andisiwe fell victim to an alleged RDP house sale scam in Diepsloot. The family was interested in buying a home from a Mr Moyo, who wanted to sell it and return to Zimbabwe. The Mzekwa family lost over R300,000 after the purported middlemen in the bogus sale, who pretended to represent the seller, failed to honour their promise and denied them access to the property.
Although it remains unclear if the property was hijacked by those who claimed to be selling it, it has the hallmarks of an attempt to do so, with the so-called selling agents collecting R11,000 rent from the tenants who are occupying it. Given the lack of social housing to meet the burgeoning needs of the vulnerable searching for a better life in Johannesburg, the government’s approach to dealing with this problem must change to become one that is not just reactionary but a coordinated and targeted effort. It must include law enforcement, home affairs, deeds offices, Sars and city officials. This multidisciplinary team must meet with communities to improve civic education on the buying and selling of houses as well as provide a safe platform where tip-offs and complaints can be registered for investigation.
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