{"id":45461,"date":"2026-01-26T05:59:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T05:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/45461\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T05:59:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T05:59:25","slug":"high-end-homes-hijacked-in-joburgs-swanky-suburbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/45461\/","title":{"rendered":"High-end homes hijacked in Joburg\u2019s swanky suburbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

High walls and security fences in upmarket suburbs provide safety for their occupants \u2014 but can also hide the murky underworld of criminal activity.<\/p>\n

In the affluent Ferndale and Bryanston areas, where homes can sell for more than R5m, City of Johannesburg (CoJ) officials this month raided several properties that were either hijacked or operating illegally. Two raids this week exposed properties running illegal brothels.<\/p>\n

There are at least 25 hijacked properties in Ferndale alone, says ward councillor Emi Koekemoer. <\/p>\n

\u201cFerndale has become a crime hotspot, and the illegal occupation of these properties is a huge contributing factor [to this situation],\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday officials from the Johannesburg metropolitan police department (JMPD), City Power, Johannesburg Water and CoJ urban planning and social services descended on two properties in Ferndale. Both were being run as brothels. Officials said one property in Vine Avenue even had an online booking system. At this property, and at one in West Avenue, police found young women and their \u201cclients\u201d.<\/p>\n

A property search shows the Vine Avenue property is 2,515m\u00b2 in extent, was bought in 2019, and is valued at R2.6m. Officials said it had outstanding municipal debt of R22m.<\/p>\n

A hijacked house on Vine Avenue, Ferndale, Randburg. Picture Gill Gifford. (Gill Gilford) <\/p>\n

When contacted for comment, the property\u2019s registered owner, Easline Mavenga, said: \u201cNo comment. My lawyer is handling the matter.\u201d <\/p>\n

At the other property in West Avenue, officials found illegal buildings and evidence that the water infrastructure to the house had been tampered with. It was also discovered that the owner of the house had failed to pay city fines.<\/p>\n

The West Avenue property is more than 4,000m\u00b2 in extent. Deeds office records show it was bought by Akinwale Akinlabi in 2021 for R3m. <\/p>\n

One of the 25 hijacked houses in West Avenue, Ferndale, Randburg. Gill Gifford (Gill Gilford) <\/p>\n

Akinlabi told the Sunday Times he: <\/p>\n

had rented out the property;had not been present when it was raided; and was not sure of what was happening there. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you that I do not owe the amount of money they are claiming. My municipal account is up to date,\u201d he said, adding he hoped to know more about the situation \u201cby next week\u201d.<\/p>\n

Residents have reported these properties to the authorities for the last three years.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, city manager Floyd Brink led councillors in a raid on a property in Grosvenor Road in Bryanston. This was the third time the property had been raided by city officials since late last year.<\/p>\n

The R5.1m property has been illegally occupied and Wendy houses were built to house more than 70 people on the site. Officials estimated the \u201clandlord\u201d collected more than R140,000 a month in rent from those living on the property.<\/p>\n

The property on Grosvenor Rd, Bryanston, has been raided three times by the City officials. Picture: Gill Gifford.
\n (Gill Gilford) <\/p>\n

While the Sunday Times could not establish the owner of the property, police arrested the scheme\u2019s alleged co-ordinator, Lawrence Ramalwa<\/a>, and recovered a licensed firearm, ammunition and two magazines during the raid. Ramalwa is out on R1,000 bail.<\/p>\n

Brink said there were 17 more properties in Bryanston under investigation for \u201csimilar infringements\u201d. He promised \u201cblitzes\u201d on these properties in the coming months.<\/p>\n

In Ferndale, hijacked houses are concentrated along the Long Avenue, St James Street and West Avenue corridor. In Long Avenue, a property bought by the Gauteng provincial government stands empty and derelict while the province pays for its security. <\/p>\n

In Royal Avenue, Koekemoer pointed to a double-storey mansion with a pool and tennis court that has illegal connections for both water and electricity. The property\u2019s electrified fencing has been torn down. Koekemoer said the top storey of the house collapsed after a fire ravaged the property.<\/p>\n

Not only is the city losing out on revenue, but the illegal water and electricity connections and the illegal buildings erected put pressure on already strained municipal services <\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Makgafela Thaba, City of Johannesburg regional director<\/p>\n

In Long Avenue, the back garden of another hijacked property was filled with rubbish and old cars. Plastic crates were piled up next to a wooden structure. Outside, waste pickers sorted through mountains of plastic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area has become a cesspool of illegal activity,\u201d said Koekemoer. \u201cWhile it looks like a well-off suburb, we have at least 25 houses that have been hijacked. My concern is that though we keep reporting this, nothing happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bea Campbell-Cloete \u2014 the designated PR councillor for Ward 102, which incorporates Bryanston and Ferndale \u2014 said there are about 15 hijacked properties in Blairgowrie alone, while another 25 are in other parts of the same ward.<\/p>\n

Makgafela Thaba, regional director for region A (Midrand, Diepsloot, and parts of Fourways, Sunninghill and Woodmead) and region E (Sandton, Alexandra, Rosebank and surrounding suburbs), said the city has identified 10 problematic properties in each of the seven regions of the city and will be conducting operations at each over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a massive upscaling of activities. During our last few raids, we picked up the tricks that the owners\/hijackers of these houses employ, and we are ready for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cProblematic properties in suburban areas are a growing trend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our City News (Our City ) <\/p>\n

Thaba said each of the problematic houses owes the city more than R1.5m in outstanding fees. \u201cNot only is the city losing out on revenue but the illegal water and electricity connections and the illegal buildings erected put pressure on already strained municipal services,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thaba said the properties are not only draining revenue from the city but also creating an unsafe environment.<\/p>\n

Koekemoer, who attended both raids in her suburb, said while she is grateful for the raids, she is disappointed intervention has come only after years of reporting the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I understand that issues of this nature need to sometimes follow an overly complicated process for the sake of being legally compliant, I\u2019m left questioning how a municipal bill can be allowed to run up so high. There needs to be a level of consequence management when entities fail to cut off non-paying properties,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Both the Ferndale houses raided by CoJ officials have swimming pools and extensive lawns. <\/p>\n

Residents have reported these properties for the last three years.<\/p>\n

Women living at a Randburg house being used as a brothel that was raided by City of Johannesburg officials this month. (James Oatway) <\/p>\n

At the Vine Avenue property, the owner allegedly pays less than R2,000 a month for electricity, and there is also an illegal water connection. Authorities found a naked man with an alleged sex worker in one of the rooms of the house.<\/p>\n

Scores of young women were escorted out of the house by city officials and offered assistance. At least two small children were on the property. The city\u2019s social services staff spoke to the women, and one asked for help to return home. Officials suggested the women were trapped as sex workers and said human trafficking could have taken place.<\/p>\n

Residents in Vine Avenue said normal activity at the house seemed to resume only hours after officials left the scene. \u201cBusiness seems to be ongoing, and there are vehicles going in and out of the property,\u201d one resident said.<\/p>\n

At the West Avenue property, officials discovered an illegal building at the back of the property containing 13 one-bedroom units. One of the residents said the monthly rental for a unit was R5,500.<\/p>\n

Officials said the property functioned as an illegal B&B, as with more than 20 bedrooms it is in breach of municipal bylaws. Officials said the owner had made an application for the property to be turned into a guest house, but the city had turned it down.<\/p>\n

Johannesburg Water technicians working this month outside a house in Randburg used as a brothel. (James Oatway) <\/p>\n

Outside the house, officials pointed out a number of surveillance cameras and security lights. \u201cThis is a sophisticated operation,\u201d one of them said.<\/p>\n

There were mostly women and young children on the property. While officials were inspecting the property, a man with lipstick smeared on his face ran out of one of the units, got into his car and drove off. He was loudly mocked.<\/p>\n

Officials said no building plans have been submitted for the 13 units and these will be demolished. Fines had been imposed previously on the property but these have not been paid. Officials said they will be seeking legal recourse because the owner has failed to comply with notices issued. Water was cut as the infrastructure had been tampered with.<\/p>\n

The property is also zoned for agricultural use, which means rates are vastly lower than those for a residential property with multiple dwellings. The city claimed the owner owes the city more than R1.2m. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Additional reporting by Gill Gifford<\/p>\n

\u2022 This story is produced by Our City News<\/a>, a nonprofit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"High walls and security fences in upmarket suburbs provide safety for their occupants \u2014 but can also hide…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[52],"tags":[26532,26531,26533,26534,131,26535],"class_list":["post-45461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-south-africa","tag-criminal-activity","tag-house-hijacking","tag-illegal-occupation","tag-randburg","tag-south-africa","tag-unpaid-city-fines-properties"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}