Rooms in Former Carletonville Police Station Building Rented for R500
- The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, criticised the illegal occupation of an old police station
- Macpherson visited the police station in Carletonville, Gauteng, and said that action would be taken against officials
- He found that rooms in the dilapidated buildings were rented out for small sums of money
With 10 years of experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, has provided insights into infrastructure challenges and state-owned enterprises in South Africa, having worked at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
Source: Twitter
CARLETONVILLE, GAUTENG— The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, said that action would be taken against officials involved in the hijacking of an old police station.
According to Eyewitness News, Macpherson spoke during his visit to an abandoned and dilapidated police station in Carletonville, Gauteng, on 10 April 2026. Macpherson found that the building had overgrown grass, broken windows, waste, and open manholes.
Old police station in shambles
Macpherson said that the building had been in this condition for the past 20 years. Macpherson also found that space in the building was unlawfully rented out for R500 per month. According to Newzroom Afrika, community members said they were in dire need of another police station. The municipality spokesperson, Thabo Moloja, said the dolomite in the region compelled the municipality to move to a smaller area. He added that the process of fixing the building was supposed to be completed. However, the building is now home to illegal occupants and has been home to squatters for over a decade.
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Source: Twitter
View the pictures of the building on X here:
What did South Africans say?
Netizens commented on the poor condition of the building.
Colin Buti said:
“It didn’t just collapse in one day. Clear indication that there has been no monitoring.”
Reagan Naidoo said:
“So it’s another normal day in SA. A police station is being hijacked. This should be added to the new history curriculum.”
Jacobus Myburgh said:
“That police station is gone. Just look at the building structure.”
Mathobela Masebe said:
“There’s no law and order in South Africa. We are doomed.”
Caesar Kgarejane asked:
“How was it hijacked when security guards are guarding the place?”
Sporo Lukhele remarked:
“This is just one of the government structures that epitomise the state of the 30-year ANC administration in a nutshell.”
Johannes Molapo said:
“We don’t have a government in Carletonville. Look at that city.”
Gadgets Gizmos was sarcastic.
“Another good story to be told by our highly competent ANC.”
Donovan Calvin Meyer said:
“There are so many such buildings. The abuse of tender systems has created this. The government is the biggest tenant, but they have so many incomplete projects or abandoned buildings.”
3 Briefly News articles about hijacked buildings
- The City of Johannesburg shut down an illegal chicken farm which operated in a hijacked building on 23 December 2025. Community Safety MMC Dr Mgcini Tshwaku berated the owner of the chicken farm and said the chickens would be impounded.
- ActionSA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Herman Mashaba, criticized the City of Johannesburg's plan to negotiate with residents of hijacked buildings to pay rent and fix unsafe buildings. Mashaba said that a large number of the buildings in the Johannesburg CBD are uninhabitable, and the majority of the inhabitants are undocumented foreigners.
- Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero ruffled netizens’ feathers when he said that criminal elements are behind the scourge of hijacked buildings. He added that the City is working with stakeholders and law enforcement to dismantle the criminal syndicates.
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Source: Briefly News
