Police arrest a suspect after a City of Johannesburg operation uncovered illegal rentals, weapons and utility connections.
An alleged property hijacker has been arrested following a December enforcement action in Bryanston, where officials found illegal Wendy houses, undocumented occupants, and a syndicate charging residents R2 000 in monthly rent.
The police have arrested the suspect linked to the hijacking of a property on Grosvenor Road, Bryanston, following law enforcement action taken at the property in December 2025.
In December 2025, sweeping-enforcement action in the City of Johannesburg resulted in the arrest of more than 40 people, including undocumented foreign nationals, at the property.
Suspected Bryanston property hijacker arrested
The operation was led by the City of Joburg MMC for public safety, Mgcini Tshwaku.
Law enforcement also discovered more than 20 illegal Wendy houses on the property. The City of Joburg requested that they be demolished.
Officials discovered a criminal enterprise in which occupants were being forced to pay syndicates illegally controlling the building R2 000 per room per month.
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The city conducted follow-up compliance verification on Thursday. City Manager Floyd Brink said that in December, one particular person was interviewed on the property.
“When we arrived here today, we managed to see the same person again. We interviewed him. Our teams from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) questioned him, and it was clear that he is also responsible for collecting rent here,” Brink said.
He added that officers also interviewed three other people who implicated the arrested suspect.
Seizures on property
Tshwaku confirmed that during the operation, a firearm and live ammunition were recovered, vehicles were impounded, illegal electricity and water connections were disconnected, and the illegal Wendy houses were removed.
Suspicious items were also seized from the house.
“This arrest represents a decisive enforcement outcome and reinforces the city’s zero-tolerance stance on property hijacking. Lawlessness will be confronted, and criminal networks will be systematically dismantled,” the MMC said.
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One of the alleged illegal residents of the property, Christopher Manasi, told The Citizen that he had been living there since November 2023.
Resident says they were misled by person collecting money
Manasi said a person claiming to be the owner directed him to the property and showed him where to stay.
“This is painful for us because we paid the landlord, and I have a child and [a]wife. I don’t know where to go now because I don’t have money to pay for where I’m going,” Manasi said.
The resident added that the property seemed safe and there were no problems initially, but due to the current financial situation, he believed it would be difficult for the “owner” to repay the city.
“How can we move from here because he didn’t tell us the truth? The one who was getting money from us said, ‘Stay here. There is nothing bad’,” Manasi said.
“They told us to clean this place [after the December operation], and after that they said it will be okay. That’s why you’ve found us still here.”
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The husband and father requested a grace period of two or three weeks to organise their move, as they were allegedly misled.
Meanwhile, the city conducted the operation without prior notice. City enforcement and inspection teams assessed conditions on the property to determine whether compliance has been achieved or if further action is required.
R1.2 million outstanding bill
Brink confirmed that the outstanding bill for the property is approximately R1.2 million. He said Johannesburg Water had also detected illegal connections on its side.
Brink said the metre was tampered with in such a manner that only one tap in the house was running, but the property had another connection that was running the whole property at the back.
City Power chief operations officer Charles Tlouane said the power utility removed a service cable that was supplying the house.
He said the service cable was connected from the mini sub to two pillar boxes, looping in and posing a hazard, as it was reconnected last year despite previous disconnections.
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Upon removal, Tlouane said non-standard wiring inside the building and generators were found, posing a danger to the occupants and the infrastructure.
City Power also removed a metre and other infrastructure, posing a safety risk.
Johannesburg Water chief financial officer and acting managing director Kgaugelo Mahlaba said the water entity’s disconnection involved removing a metre, but officials discovered a bypass with multiple connections. He said the removal of the metre was ineffective.
City investigating 17 other properties
Mahlaba highlighted the need to disconnect and reconnect the property’s water supply and said Thursday’s operation successfully shut off the water.
Brink added that in the ward (102 and 104), there are about 17 properties the city is investigating for similar contraventions.
“We will be clamping down on those particular properties because we are chasing revenue and revenue enhancement. There are other areas within the vicinity and the whole of Joburg, even in affluent areas, so it doesn’t mean that these illegal connections are only happening in other areas. It’s happening in affluent areas as well,” the city manager said.
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