Johannesburg Officials Raid Second Hijacked Bryanston Home, Discover Illegal Structures From First

• City of Johannesburg (CoJ) officials raided a second hijacked property in the Bryanston area, days after another hijacked home was raided
• The property, which owes the city R1.1 million in water and electricity, had log house structures that were seen at the first Bryanston home
• The Department of Home Affairs and immigration officials were also on scene, as two people, who were staying at the property, were arrested

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – City of Johannesburg (CoJ) officials have raided another allegedly hijacked property in Bryanston, days after conducting a raid at another home in the area.

Officials descended on the plush home in Bryanston Drive on Monday, 12 January 2026, finding traces that the property was abandoned, but had become home to illegal occupants.

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Officials believe that a man identified as Lawrence had hijacked both properties. Ramalwa was found twice at the other property in the area, but claimed that he was asked to clean it up for someone else.

He was arrested and remains in custody. Officials also received statements from some occupants at the second property who stated that they were paying Lawrence to stay there.

Illegal structures were moved to the new property

During their inspection of the property, officials found illegal structures which were originally at the first property.

The structures, mainly Wendy houses or log houses, were taken down at the first Bryanston home following the closing of the property. Within a few days, they were moved to the new location, which was allegedly hijacked by the same man.

Officials also found traces that people occupied the main building, but they were not present when the raid took place. City Manager Floyd Brink also confirmed that the property owed R1.1 million in water and electricity. The massive deficit led to the property being flagged, and officials conducting the raid.

Brink confirmed that the city would be visiting other properties as well, as it targets hijacked homes.

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Two arrested at the property

Immigration officials and the Department of Home Affairs were also on scene as some of the occupants were found to have no documentation. Two people were arrested for failure to produce papers.

Another note of concern was the presence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Apart from the illegal electricity connections and cables strung across the various structures, there were also several CCTV cameras.

Officials could not confirm what the presence of the cameras was for, or who had access to the feed.

40 arrested at hijacked Bryanston home

Briefly News also reported that the city's Public Safety Department raided a hijacked Bryanston mansion on 4 December 2025.

Officials uncovered a 'mini-village' inside the property, where undocumented foreign nationals were renting rooms.

40 people were arrested during the operation, which sparked strong social media reactions amid growing concerns over hijacked buildings.

Source: Briefly News