Makhubo sends stern warning to land invaders, building hijackers in Joburg
The City of Johannesburg has drawn up a plan to urgently deal with the scourge of land invasions and hijacking of buildings in the city.
Johannesburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo delivered his State of the City Address on Tuesday morning.
“Unlawful occupation of land is largely caused by ‘jumping the queue’ of housing allocation, the criminal act of illegal selling of land, and the encouragement of unlawful land occupation for political gain and financial gain,” he said.
“We, therefore, must urgently deal with the scourge of land invasions, including the phenomenon of building hijackings within the prescript of our legal and policy framework.
“Our approach is to prevent, to contain and to reverse unlawful occupation of land. This will include a comprehensive wider and pro-active approach to unlawful occupation of land and buildings. We will also work with the National government to strengthen our efforts in this regard.”
He told council that the city’s anti-unlawful land occupation unit would be strategically placed to take action against those breaking the law.
“This will include confronting invaders to cease and vacate the land; demolition and dismantling incomplete and uninhabited structures, and obtaining the necessary court interdicts and eviction orders.
“We aim to work with all stakeholders including national and provincial governments, the judiciary, private landowners, communities affected by unlawful occupations, and civil society, in order to end the scourge of land invasions,” the mayor said.
