“It’s Hectic”: Man Reveals What Really Happens During Building Hijackings in Johannesburg

• A Johannesburg man explained how inherited buildings often become targets for hijackings due to legal loopholes
• The video shed light on why owners abandon properties after intimidation and stalled legal processes
• The viral clip highlighted a growing urban issue affecting safety and property ownership in South Africa

What looks like abandonment on the surface often starts with quiet threats, legal pressure, and a system that moves too slowly to protect property owners. And one young man opened the conversation on what really happens.

A Johannesburg man has shed light on how building hijackings unfold in the city, after sharing a video on TikTok explaining why many property owners eventually abandon their buildings. The video was posted by @call_me_codey on 27 December 2025 and focuses on abandoned and hijacked buildings across Johannesburg. In the clip, he explains that these situations often begin with inherited properties, where buildings were passed down from fathers or forefathers, but were never formally transferred into the current owner’s name. According to him, once syndicates discover that a title deed is not in the owner’s name, they target the property and begin applying pressure through intimidation and legal threats until the owner is forced out.

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Building hijackings have become a long-standing issue in Johannesburg, particularly in the CBD and surrounding areas where many buildings stand vacant. Legal experts have repeatedly warned that unclear ownership records, slow court processes, and limited policing capacity make these properties easy targets. Once owners are pushed out, hijackers often move in and attempt to legitimise their control by paying for utilities like water and electricity. This creates a grey area where buildings appear operational, even though ownership was obtained through coercion.

Inside Johannesburg’s growing building hijacking crisis

The video resonated online because it explained a complex issue in plain language. Many South Africans were familiar with abandoned buildings but had never understood how legally vulnerable owners can be. The breakdown of how threats escalate, alongside the reality of being told by police to pursue lengthy court processes, struck a chord with viewers.

Public response to TikTok user @call_me_codey's video reflected concern and frustration. People expressed unease about safety, property rights, and the slow systems meant to protect owners, with many seeing the video as confirmation of deeper urban decay challenges.

Here’s what Mzansi had to say

Life Reset With Boni said:

"Don't search Lucky Kunene because you will be upset."

Suping said:

"I have hijacked student accommodations before; let me show you how easy it is. You hire a flat for R5000, and you subdivide it and rent it out to students per head at about R2500 each, then you have about 8 of them. I will leave you to make your calculation. With the money you made, you go for another one, until you have hired the whole block and everyone sees you as a landlord, and basically, you are."

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Gift_b01 said:

"The disappointment hit hard, knowing that it is not foreigners who are actually doing this building hijacking. The narrative on the media and social media is that it is foreigners, but all the evidence shows that these buildings are hijacked by South African people, who then rent them out to foreigners and make it look like foreigners are the hijackers."

Mikemteleshi said:

"The house I was renting, the owner disappeared, and cops came and claimed that one of the cops owned the house. We went to the police station and found all 7 cops there waiting for us. I left before the month's end."

Sundiata said:

"You can’t hijack a building if you are not a gangster. Extortionists are the ones who hijack buildings. If they don’t want the whole building, they will tell you that every 10 rooms, one is theirs, and they will be the ones collecting rent money."

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Thabane said:

"If there is one thing we can emulate from the US, it’s the RICO law. We need it desperately to take out these cartels. Without it, we only go after low-level individuals instead of the entirety of organised crime in South Africa."

Baron said:

"If a building is under your parents’ name, there’s a will or trust attached, and it will show the beneficiary. Most buildings were abandoned after apartheid and left vacant, so they get hijacked. Some belong to municipalities but are not in operation, so they also get hijacked."

Sontshikaz said:

"One method they use is to trick you into renting to them, then they stop paying rent. If you try to evict them, you need a court order, which can take up to two years, and the case can drag on for years after that."

Check out the TikTok video below:

3 Other Briefly News stories related to abandoned buildings

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• The City of Johannesburg's raid of dilapidated and hijacked buildings in the Central Business District unveiled various kinds of bylaw violations.
• The African National Congress (ANC) has slammed ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba over his criticism regarding the hijacked buildings.
• ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba criticised the City of Johannesburg’s plan to negotiate with occupants of hijacked buildings.

Source: Briefly News