Panyaza Lesufi Says the Gauteng Provincial Government Reclaims 15 Illegally-Occupied Buildings

• Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said 15 illegally occupied buildings in the Johannesburg CBD have been reclaimed
• He said the buildings will be rebuilt and destroyed, and the government is in the process of verifying other buildings in the province
• South Africans were not convinced and called for the government to reclaim more buildings

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNEBURG — Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said on 13 May 2025 that the government has reclaimed 15 illegally-occupied buildings in the Johannesburg GBD.

Government seizes hijacked buildings

According to SABC News, Lesufi was answering questions in the Provincial Legislature. He said the provincial government has identified 413 illegally occupied buildings in the province, which are being verified. A total of 22 buildings have also been classified as bad buildings, and some of these buildings were illegally occupied.

Lesufi added that most of the buildings have been occupied by undocumented foreigners, and the government could not identify them. He said the current law prevents them from being evicted, as alternative accommodation must be provided to them. He said the process was not fair because the South African legislation on evicted tenants was built with South Africans in mind and not foreign nationals.

What you need to know about hijacked buildings

• The eThekwini Municipality evicted residents from a hijacked building in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 7 August 2024
• The Minister of Public Works, Dean Macpherson, revealed in August 2024 that out of the 88,000 government buildings owned, 338 of them were hijacked
• The Khampepe Commission of Inquiry into the Usindiso Building Fire heard that more than 25 building owners struggle to evict tenants
• The Democratic Alliance and ActionSA accused the City of Johannesburg of being negligent in dealing with hijacked buildings
• About 145 people were evicted from a hijacked building in the Johannesburg CBD in December

South Africans are not impressed

Netizens discussing the reclaimed illegal buildings on Facebook were not pleased with the government's efforts.

Phangweni Majagani Majestic said:

"The whole of Joburg and you only got 15. Come on, guys. You need to work very hard."

James MJomara Ngobeni asked:

"How did they allow it to happen in the first place?"

Ajudar Paymaster said:

"Clean up all those buildings."

Farrell Sibongiseni Shusha said:

"As long as the people who hijacked those buildings are still inside the country, it won't make much of a difference because they are going to vandalise somewhere else."

Zeb Jangili said:

"Transform them into residential homes. Those who work in the city must reside in the city."

ATM calls for buildings to be expropriated

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the African Transformation Movement called for hijacked buildings to be expropriated for the public good. The party's leader, Vuyo Zungula, spoke after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act.

Zungula said the buildings should be used to house SMMEs and provide housing for students. South Africans agreed with him.

Source: Briefly News