1. The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng works very closely with the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, to deal with the phenomenon of hijacked and vandalised buildings in the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD).
The main drivers of this phenomenon are rapid urbanisation and migration to the cities, which lead to a critical shortage of affordable housing; the high unemployment rate; the disintegration of family structures, and the abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Criminal groups invade buildings that are not well managed or maintained and forcefully take control of such.
The SAPS can only act against criminals if a criminal case is registered by the lawful owner of the property or in consultation with the City of Johannesburg.
2. A comprehensive plan to deal with hijacked buildings has been developed and is being implemented by the SAPS and the CoJ. The plan is premised on the five-pillar approach, namely – Intelligence Provisioning, Proactive Policing, Crime Combating Operations, Investigation and Communication.
The majority of syndicates engaged in building hijacking are affiliated with organised crime groups and can only be effectively countered through crime intelligence operations. Despite this, the SAPS collaborates closely with the CoJ to address crimes in and around hijacked buildings. The regular crime prevention operations carried out in the Johannesburg Central Business District, under Operation Shanela, send a strong message to criminals that the SAPS will not tolerate any illegal activities, even within hijacked buildings.