The City of Johannesburg has intensified its crackdown on so-called property hijackings in upmarket suburbs, following growing complaints from residents about illegal occupations, unlawful electricity and water connections, and safety concerns. Bryanston has been identified as one of the areas affected, prompting coordinated law-enforcement operations late last year.
In December 2025, city authorities conducted a raid on a Bryanston property suspected of being unlawfully occupied. During that operation, officials identified individuals believed to be operating an illegal rental scheme, where tenants were charged rent without the consent of the lawful property owner. Follow-up investigations led to today’s operation and arrest.
The alleged mastermind behind the illegal occupation and hijacking of a property in the upmarket Bryanston area has been arrested following a raid by Johannesburg entities, including the JMPD, City Power, Joburg Water, Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) and Social Development.
City of Johannesburg Manager Floyd Brink says the suspect was identified by several tenants as the person responsible for the illegal occupation.
“We took him in specifically on the basis that in December, when the raid happened, he was also here,” Brink said.
“At that point we believed he was an imposter, and today, as the questioning went on, it became clear that he was implicated. We got positive statements from three individuals indicating that he is the one collecting the rent.”
Brink says investigations will now be extended to 17 more properties in the Bryanston area.
“From our side as the City, we will defend this matter and we will be clamping down in this particular area. As we indicated earlier, in Ward 102 and Ward 104 we’ve got 17 properties that we’ve started to investigate,” he said.
Brink adds that about 70 people were found to be living illegally on the property in December.
