Criminals have been targeting properties in a concept that is very similar to the hijacking of cars, but now they are actively targeting more and more residential neighbourhoods.
Cases of these property hijackings have become more prevalent in residential areas and reported cases show that these criminals have moved away from targeting industrial buildings.
Councillor Grandi Theunissen, the Tshwane MMC for community safety, told eNCA that these hijackings have become rife in Gauteng.
In the past, criminals would take occupancy of abandoned and dilapidated buildings. Still, it seems that these criminal entities or syndicates are moving to greener pastures and are taking over homes.
These criminal entities take occupancy and then rent out these houses to unsuspecting tenants.
One such area that this issue has impacted is the affluent suburb of Waterkloof Ridge in Pretoria.
The City has had to place signs on these houses that read “property inhabitable”. These are direct indications that property hijackers are starting to move into these houses.
Theunissen said that these groups forge property documents, making it extremely difficult for the owners to return their homes.
Who are they targeting?
It seems that the main targets of these syndicates are people who own property in South Africa but live outside the country or province where the house is based.
These criminals are also targeting the estates of deceased people and vulnerable homeowners, according to Theunissen.
He explained that the thieves physically hijack the building and take ownership of the property through their contacts, and the legal owner has no foot to stand on.
“I am currently aware of a couple of cases where this has happened, and the hijackers have legal papers from the deeds office,” Theunissen noted.
The police are aware
The MEC said that his department has identified potential suspects within the operation in Pretoria and he has had a number of conversations with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (the Hawks).
Theunissen said that he is investigating and working on 12 cases at the moment and thinks it's just the beginning of a major problem.
South Africans and property owners should be aware that SAPS is setting up a task team with municipal officers to deal with these hijackers, Theunissen concluded.
A long, expensive and drawn out process
Dominic Steyn, an attorney at Cowan-Harper-Madikizela Attorneys said that for many owners that face the hijacking issue, it's a long and drawn-out process.
Home owners have to rely on the Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE Act) to evict unlawful occupiers.
He said that this is a lengthy process that can take years and incurs excessive legal costs.
“In the meantime, the owner remains responsible for rates and taxes and the utility services consumed,” Steyn noted.
He argued the PIE Act has not been amended to keep up with syndicates.
Steyn also added that these criminals rely on the Act’s onerous provisions and the inaction, and sometimes collusion, with these syndicates by members of SAPS.
“In our experience, a property owner will be lucky to have the unlawful occupiers evicted within a period of 10 months from the date of the eviction application being instituted, and far longer where there are multiple occupiers,” he said.
He concluded that legal costs for the property owner can easily exceed R800,000, and they are seldom recoverable.
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