Johannesburg Human Settlements MMC Mlungisi Mabaso has issued a warning that anyone acting as a landlord at the illegally occupied Ginger Park informal settlement in Paulshof will face criminal charges.
“We will not allow these building hijackers to behave as if they own the City of Johannesburg,” Mabaso said.
This comes in the wake of a recent oversight by the department, during which a resident at Ginger Park demanded R50,000 per family member before agreeing to vacate the area.
The visit, led by Mabaso, followed a court order to relocate residents from the illegally occupied land between Witkoppen and Main roads.
Ginger Park is home to over 400 people living in makeshift structures, with no access to basic services such as water, sanitation, or electricity, and the area has deteriorated into a dumping ground.
One of the residents, 60‑year-old Thapelo Mogoboya, said he has lived on the property for most of his life and insisted that the department provide his family with alternative accommodation, access to basic services, and compensation of R50,000 per family member.
“I have lived here my whole life. The department must find a new place for my family, give us water and electricity, and pay R50,000 for each family member, it’s that simple,” Mogoboya said.
He explained that he inherited the main building from a former employer around 40 years ago and claimed that other families later built shacks around it without paying rent.
When officials informed him of the court order requiring relocation, he refused to move unless the city met his demands, denying allegations that he had hijacked the property and insisting that his claim to the land is legitimate.
Mabaso said the city is taking a firm stand against building hijackers who think they can act as owners of public land.
“We want to deal with these hijackers who believe they own the City of Johannesburg and can do as they please. They resist evictions and relocations, even when we are compelled by a court to intervene as the municipality,” Mabaso said.
He explained that part of the reason for his recent visit was that residents were refusing to participate in an official assessment, which is required to determine who qualifies for alternative accommodation.
“We previously sent a team to conduct audits and profile residents, because not everyone qualifies for alternative housing under council policy. Out of 432 residents, 201 refused to participate. When I went there myself, I discovered that the reason was clear: they are hijackers claiming ownership of the property, expecting government officials to comply with their demands, and we are not going to do that,” he said.
Mabaso also raised concerns about the legitimacy of documentation presented by some residents.
“Even the man we confronted claimed to be South African. We requested his documentation, and while the Department of Home Affairs was not present, we took certain documents from him to verify. There are other documents we are cross-checking regarding property ownership, because some land belongs to the provincial government, but certain individuals are presenting papers that need to be verified before we can open a case,” he explained.
He stressed that the municipality is pursuing legal action against those acting as landlords.
“This man has been charging rent for years and consuming city services for free, pretending to be a landlord and obstructing our work. The matter has been handed over to the police and our legal team. Anyone standing in the way of this legally will face consequences. We are currently verifying documents because we suspect some of them may be fraudulent,” Mabaso said.
The Star