Three Johannesburg properties which were hijacked have been returned to their rightful owners on November 20.
Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba was proud on Tuesday to make the announcement.
He said two of the houses were situated in Kenilworth and one in Turffontein.
“The handover of the properties follows months of investigations by the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service Department (GFIS) working together with the South African Police Service (SAPS),” said Mashaba.
He said the properties were hijacked last year and the rightful owners were denied access. He said the home owners approached GFIS in August this year for assistance.
Investigations were conducted and the rightful owners of the properties were confirmed.
Mashaba mentioned that a husband and his wife who were arrested early this month for hijacking one of the properties, are still in custody. He said the couple appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court last week Thursday and were denied bail.
“I am happy we are not only conducting the raids on hijacked and bad properties, but we are also arresting those involved in the hijackings and are returning the properties to their rightful owners.”
“The City has conducted an audit and out of 500 bad buildings, about 134 are confirmed as hijacked. Twenty-four of the 500 bad buildings belong to the City.”
He especially mentioned a couple who were nabbed during a stealth operation in November 3. He said both the husband and wife were still in police custody after appearing in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court last Thursday, November 16. They were denied bail.
Mashaba especially lauded Gauteng police provincial commissioner Lt Gen Deliwe de Lange for her commitment to addressing the challenge by establishing a team that investigates property hijackings in conjunction with the city.
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