UPDATE – GALLERY:Tenants live in dire conditions

The plight of tenants residing in an alleged ‘hijacked’ property in Guildford Street Brixton, escalated on 8 July.

Allegedly, the landlord Farouk Mohammed, brought a bulldozer in an attempt to destroy the entire house.

Tenants claimed that the landlord vandalised the house, smashed window panes, bathrooms and toilets, hoping they would leave.

“The landlord came with his guys in a van. They broke down the bathroom, took out the shower and removed the zinc and cupboard in the kitchen,” said Sam Okeocha, one of the tenants, who has been living there since 2011.

Community member Paul Tikoane said the eight families residing in the property are harassed by different landlords.

He said the house was one of many ‘hijacked’ houses in Brixton.

“You may find out that the owners are no longer alive or do not stay here anymore,” Tikoane explained.

He said they were communicating with the City Council of Joburg to solve the predicament.

One of the tenants, Bongiwe Tshili, said ever since she arrived at the house, there have been more than three landlords.

“They come and demand rent and suddenly disappear. We tried to engage City of Joburg and they told us that they want the genuine landlord to solve this problem,” Tshili said.

Tenants argued that one of the reasons for non-payment is that the house is owned by different landlords, who demand rent from them. There is no proper dustbin and the place is infested with rats.

Mohammed confirmed that he was the owner of the property and disputed all the allegations posed against him.

“I did not evict anybody, those people were stealing electricity and I had to cut the cable,” Mohammed said.

He explained that some of the tenants have proper jobs and could afford to pay rent.

“They should leave and stop implicating my name on unfounded allegations. It is my property,” he said.

Stakeholder relations officer from the office of the MMC for Housing in the City of Joburg, Dikeledi Mashile, said it was illegal to live or rent accommodation in a hijacked building.

“The City does not allow people to live in hijacked buildings, since slum landlords do not comply with the City’s bylaws. This is to ensure that communities live in a safe and clean environment that does not endanger their lives,” Mashile explained.

She elaborated that the authorities enforced the law when it is established that a property has been hijacked.

She concluded that the municipality could not control who was renting at the hijacked property. “Unfortunately, when contracts or agreement are entered into, the municipality has no role in that,” she explained.

Details: City of Joburg 011 018 6753; Farouk Mohammed 082 786 9444; Paul Tikoane 072 504 2566.