Johannesburg High Court Rejects Application To Evict Illegal Occupants From 2 Hijacked Buildings

• The Johannesburg High Court recently turned down an application to evict illegal occupants from two hijacked buildings
• This is despite the scourge of illegally-occupied buildings catching fire and leaving many people homeless or dead
• South Africans are dismayed, saying that the government is shooting itself in the foot

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, outbreaks, nature and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for seven years.

The Johannesburg High Court made fighting illegal occupants of hijacked buildings more difficult after it turned down two applications to evict them.

This is despite the dangers illegally occupied buildings pose, as was shown in recent incidents.

City of Joburg fights hijacked buildings' occupation

According to eNCA, the Johannesburg Property Owjers and Managers Association's General Manager, Angela Rivers, said that people who hijack buildings don't maintain them. The buildings are risky and don't have running water, electricity or service delivery. Despite this, the High Court ruled that they rejected the applications because they did not consider the buildings at risk.

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Rivers also said it's difficult to determine how many buildings are hijacked. She added that association members have reported 62 buildings, half owned by the City of Johannesburg. She exclaimed that the inner city has 2 000 buildings and 10% of the buildings in the city may be hijacked, but this problem can be solved.

She explained that when a building is not maintained, it becomes susceptible to being hijacked as well-maintained buildings cannot be hijacked. They scout for poorly managed and unsecured buildings. She also mentioned that illegal occupants are legally protected.

South Africans disapprove of the court's ruling

Netizens on Facebook slammed the government for being counterproductive.

Sifiso Tshabalala said:

"South Africa is working against itself."

Matt Sbos remarked:

"The courts and judges are already viewed as clowns and jokes to the criminals in South Africa."

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Thabang Sneazy Ndlhangamandla pointed out:

"One day, the people won't even rely on the court rulings."

Aubrey Ndivhuwo Muremi wrote:

"This is concerning for future justice."

Mntambo Omkhulu Iqhawe remarked:

"We have no government in this country."

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the City of Johannesburg arrested 24 people linked to a hijacked building.

The suspects allegedly hijacked the Johannesburg Metro Police Department building and they include a member of the South African Police Service and a Johannesburg Councillor. South Africans were dismayed and lamented that the country has become a stronghold for criminals.

Source: Briefly News