The City of Ekurhuleni has confirmed a startling sight on Victoria Street in Germiston – twenty makeshift shacks tucked inside a hijacked building – a vivid illustration of how illegal occupations are reshaping the urban landscape of Gauteng. Residents and passers‑by were greeted by a maze of corrugated‑iron structures crowding the floors of a once‑commercial block, with evidence suggesting the occupants were tapping into unauthorised water and electricity supplies.
Local officials say the discovery follows a tip‑off received earlier this month, prompting a joint inspection by municipal officers, the Gauteng Provincial Police and the Department of Human Settlements. “When we entered the premises we found an entire community living within a property that had been illegally seized,” said Ekurhuleni’s chief municipal manager, Thabo Mokoena, during a press briefing on Thursday. “The situation is untenable – we are dealing with illegal connections, safety hazards and a serious breach of property rights.”
The shacks, constructed from scrap material and lined with plastic sheeting, occupy the ground floor and several upper levels of the six‑storey building. Photographs released by the municipality reveal cramped living spaces, makeshift kitchens and makeshift latrines squeezed into what should be commercial office space. The illegal settlement is not just a visual eyesore; it also poses a fire risk, with flammable materials stacked in narrow corridors and no functional fire escape routes.
Ekurhuleni’s infrastructure department confirmed that the building’s original water and electricity meters have been tampered with, feeding into a network of illegal connections that bypass legitimate billing systems. “We have traced the illegal wiring back to the main supply line, which not only deprives the municipal utility of revenue but also endangers the occupants with sub‑standard electrical installations,” explained senior engineer Lindiwe Dlamini. The municipality has already issued an immediate notice to cut off the unlawful electricity supply pending further investigation.
Authorities are now facing a delicate balancing act. On one hand, they must enforce property rights and restore lawful ownership of the hijacked building. On the other, they cannot ignore the reality that over 200 000 South Africans currently live in informal settlements or illegal dwellings across the country, a figure that the National Development Plan aims to reduce through accelerated housing delivery. Human rights groups have warned that abrupt evictions without proper relocation plans could exacerbate homelessness and social instability.
The rise in hijacked properties has been a growing concern for urban planners and law‑enforcement agencies alike. According to a 2023 report by the South African Institute of Race Relations, Gauteng accounts for more than 30 % of the nation’s hijacked commercial premises, with Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg leading the statistics. The phenomenon is often linked to organised crime syndicates that seize vacant buildings, rent them out illegally, and profit from the informal economies that sprout within.
Our sources indicate that the Victoria Street case is part of a broader pattern where illegal occupiers transform abandoned office blocks into dense informal settlements, taking advantage of the city’s slow property registration processes. “The municipality needs to accelerate the identification and legal reclamation of such properties,” argued urban development analyst Sipho Nkosi. “Without rapid intervention, these hijacked buildings become entrenched slums, undermining urban renewal programmes and deterring investment.”
The municipal response includes a multi‑pronged approach: immediate safety inspections, disconnection of illegal utilities, and a legal notice to the alleged owners to reclaim the property. In parallel, the city has pledged to work with NGOs and the Department of Human Settlements to identify temporary relocation options for the occupants, many of whom have been living in the building for over a year. The Ekurhuleni municipality’s housing department says it will allocate R3 million from its emergency fund to support transitional accommodation and basic services for those affected.
Community members living in the makeshift shacks expressed mixed feelings about the impending action. “We have nowhere else to go,” said Nomsa Mthembu, a mother of three who has been residing on the third floor for nine months. “If the authorities just kick us out, we will end up on the streets. We need help, not punishment.” Others, however, welcomed the move, citing the hazardous living conditions. “The building is a danger waiting to happen,” warned Mandla Khumalo, a local shop owner whose business has suffered due to the illegal occupation next door.
The legal battle is likely to unfold in the courts over the coming weeks. Property law experts point out that the Land Tribunal could declare the building hijacked and order its restoration, but the process may be prolonged by appeals and administrative backlogs. Meanwhile, the municipal police have initiated an investigation into potential criminal networks behind the illegal occupation, with preliminary findings suggesting that a syndicate operating in the East Rand may have orchestrated the takeover.
H2: Ekurhuleni’s fight against hijacked building Germiston highlights wider urban crisis
The Germiston case serves as a microcosm of a national struggle – how to reconcile property rights, human dignity and sustainable urban development. As we reported earlier, South Africa’s housing backlog remains a pressing challenge, with over 2 million households still awaiting adequate accommodation. The prevalence of hijacked buildings compounds this issue, turning commercial spaces into unregulated informal settlements that strain municipal resources and compromise public safety.
City planners argue that stricter enforcement of property laws, coupled with proactive identification of vacant structures, could stem the tide of hijackings. Yet critics stress that enforcement alone is insufficient without affordable, accessible housing for low‑income families. “We cannot simply evict people without offering viable alternatives,” warned Professor Thandiwe Maseko, a housing policy specialist at the University of the Witwatersrand. “The state must address the root causes – poverty, unemployment and the lack of formal housing options – if we are to see lasting change.”
In recent months, the Gauteng provincial government has rolled out a pilot programme aimed at rapid conversion of hijacked commercial premises into low‑cost housing units. The initiative, dubbed “Reclaim & Rebuild”, intends to partner with private developers and community organisations to refurbish abandoned buildings and allocate them for affordable rentals. While still in its infancy, the programme could offer a blueprint for dealing with cases like the Victoria Street property, turning an illegal occupation into a bridge to formal housing.
Our newsroom has been monitoring the situation closely, documenting the human stories behind the headlines. The images of corrugated‑iron shacks stacked inside concrete walls paint a stark picture of a city grappling with a dual crisis – the erosion of property rights and the desperation of those forced to the margins.
As investigations continue, the municipal authorities have urged anyone with further information on the illegal water or electricity connections to come forward via the city’s 24‑hour tip‑line. Meanwhile, the residents of the makeshift shacks await a clear plan that balances lawful enforcement with compassionate relocation. The outcome of this case will likely set a precedent for how South African cities deal with hijacked buildings in the future, shaping urban policy and the lives of thousands of vulnerable citizens.
The unfolding saga on Victoria Street underscores the urgency of coordinated action between government, civil society and the private sector. Only through a concerted effort can we hope to restore order to our streets, protect property owners, and ensure that every South African has a safe, dignified place to call home.