Mashaba slams Joburg’s latest plan to tackle hijacked buildings

By Johnathan Paoli

ActionSA leader and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has sharply criticised the City of Johannesburg’s latest strategy on hijacked buildings, arguing that the approach announced by Public Safety MMC Dr Mgcini Tshwaku risks entrenching criminality rather than restoring order, safety and dignity in the inner city.

Mashaba’s response follows Tshwaku’s announcement that the City is shifting away from mass evictions towards direct engagement and negotiation with tenants occupying hijacked and abandoned buildings in the Johannesburg CBD.

Tshwaku has said the City is tabulating outcomes from recent operations, including enforcement actions, tenant engagement and plans to address public health, housing and safety challenges linked to these properties.

Under the revised approach, Tshwaku said City officials would engage residents directly to understand the history and ownership of buildings, the reasons for their decay, and whether occupants could afford to pay rent.

He argued that if tenants committed to paying