Three suspects were arrested in the early hours of this morning at a hijacked property in Jeppestown, Johannesburg east. The three women have been detained at Jeppe Police Station. They are expected to appear at Jeppe Magistrate’s Court on trespassing and contempt of court charges.

It is alleged that the property was hijacked by a group of tenants who claimed to have been disadvantaged by the nationwide level 5 hard lockdown in 2020. The matter was then reported to the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service (GFIS) department for investigation.

The owner approached the high court in July 2021 and an eviction order was granted and executed in November 2021. The owner secured and renovated the property. However, the suspects forcefully returned to the property in February 2022.

A special operation was conducted by GFIS, the SAPS Property Hijacking Investigation Task Team and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). The property has been secured and returned to the security personnel hired by the owner of the building.

The City is committed to ensuring that it stops the rot in the City and make it a prosperous and inclusive place for our people to live work and play.

The City encourages people to report any fraud and corruption activities through the 24-hour tipoff hotline 0800 002 587 or email: problempropertyhotline@joburg.org.za or whistle@joburg.org.za or visit the offices of GFIS situated at 48 Ameshoff Street, Braamfontein

Ends.

Issued by the City of Johannesburg

For further information, please contact

Lucky Sindane
Spokesperson
Group Forensic and Investigation Services
Cell: 065 865 0696
Email: LuckySi@joburg.org.za

For all media queries, send an email to mediaqueries@joburg.org.za

22/04/2022