Illegal Residents Hijacked Old Hillbrow Police Station Building, SA Fuming

• The building, which was used as the Hillbrow Police Station before a new station was built, has been taken over by illegal squatters
• The building, which was abandoned in 2014, has been home to 23 families who receive free water and electricity
• Yeoville councillor David reportedly encouraged them to move into the building because they were homelesss, and South Africans were furious that the building was hijacked

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

HILLBROW, JOHANNESBURG — The old Hillbrow Police Station, which has been abandoned since a new one was built in 2014, has been taken over by 23 families who have been squatting in the building since 2016.

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According to SowetanLIVE, the buildings owned by the City of Johannesburg were left abandoned after the construction of a new police station. Residents near the building say that the occupants of the abandoned building enjoy using free water and electricity and have no intention to move.

The community uses a building for toilets

Some members of the community who live around the building say they used it to access toilets or water. Another member of the community said that the residents of the building do not allow other community members to use the building. The publication spoke to councilor David Mohapi. He said that he encouraged the residents to live in the building before he became a councillor because they were homeless.

Bastille for hijacked buildings City of Johannesburg evicted 145 people from hijacked buildings on 11 December 2014. The City of johannesburg said that it acquired a temporary building to provide accommodation for those who have been removed from buildings.

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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said that the provincial government reclaimed 15 illegally-occupied buildings in the Johannesburg CBD. The provincial government has also identified 413illegally occupied buildings in the province. 22 of the buildings were classified as bad buildings.

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on X were furious/

Tebogo Koma said:

"Those are not desperate families. They are illegal migrants who hijacked the old Yeoville police station."

Rewritable said:

"Building hijackers are now called desperate families by the South African media. One can just take over the government property and call it desperation."

John said:

"I'm not surprised. I'm still waiting for the Yeoville Police to investigate a murder that occurred on the pavement outside our shop in Rockey Street in 1996."

Stallionheat02 said:

"Those people are not living there for free. They are renting and their rent is inclusive of both electricity and water."

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Ntovholeni Musangwe said:

"South Africa will not survive this madness."

Gauteng community faces eviction

In a related article, Briefly News reported that residents of Hollywood in Evaton West, Gauteng, faced eviction after receiving notices for illegally occupying private land. Residents fumed, saying they had nowhere to go.

The residents said that they paid thousands of rand for the land. About 400 families faced eviction.

Source: Briefly News