WATCH | Joburg too broke to rehouse hijacked buildings’ residents

Sowetan · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Jun 01, 2026 · 813 words · By Koena Mashale

Municipal Governance and Failure Criminal Syndicates Urban Decay and Crime

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What to know about Municipal Governance and Failure

Story audio is generated using AI So broke is the City of Johannesburg that despite reclaiming 59 hijacked buildings, it does not have land nor money to relocate the squatters.

Claims checked 19

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Story audio is generated using AI So broke is the City of Johannesburg that despite reclaiming 59 hijacked buildings, it does not have land nor money to relocate the squatters.

Why it matters

The city has been on a clean-up campaign to take control of hijacked buildings and demolish illegal structures, and still faces the mammoth task of reclaiming a further nearly 500 hijacked and illegally occupied buildings.

Common ground

The city revealed that it reclaimed and restored at least 59 buildings since 2016 during the tenure of former mayor Herman Mashaba.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Municipal Governance and Failure story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Wimbledon, Vannin Court, Jean Law, Ibidi Properties and the Florence Building, remain illegally occupied?
How does this story connect Municipal Governance and Failure with Criminal Syndicates over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-06-01-joburg-too-broke-to-rehouse-hijacked-b…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “Wimbledon, Vannin Court, Jean Law, Ibidi Properties and the Florence Building, remain illegally occupied”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Among the buildings already evacuated and secured by the city are the MOTH Building and the Delvers Building”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Recent operations in late 2025 and early 2026 have led to scores of arrests for building hijacking, drug possession, and immigration violations”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “disconnection of utilities over a R14m municipal debt”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 5: “119 properties have been referred to external attorneys for further legal action”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that 119 properties were referred to external attorneys is mentioned in the TimesLIVE report but not corroborated by other independent sources in the evidence provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments i…
https://joburg.org.za/

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web search NEUTRAL — “City Power and City of Johannesburg have not paid and are not going to pay.At the start of the financial year, the City of Johannesburg approved a reduced sewerage tariff of R314.60 per unit for mult…
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/821603/south-afri…

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web search NEUTRAL — Image: City of Johannesburg. "A capable state must start where people live and work," exclaimed President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February this year. A lot of …
https://thestar.co.za/opinion/2025-03-30-city-of-johannesbur…

info

Claim 6: “broader audits suggest the number of derelict or partially hijacked properties could be between 300 and 500”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source mentions that police data and academic research suggest the broader number of derelict/hijacked properties may be between 200 and 300, which is close but not identical to the 300-500 range claimed. No other source confirms the 300-500 range.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries, South Africa h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Deloitte is a British multinational professional services network based in London, England. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deloitte

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nationwide Airlines was an airline based in Lanseria, South Africa. It operated scheduled domestic and international services. Its main base was OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. On 29 Apr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationwide_Airlines_(South_Afr…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “the Johannesburg high court last week ordered the owners of Marble Towers in the Joburg CBD to immediately remove all structures built on municipal property, pavements and road reserves”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The claim is directly confirmed by a cross-reference from the Sowetan, stating the court ordered the owners of Marble Towers to remove structures from municipal property.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — the court ordered the owners of Marble Towers in the Joburg CBD to immediately remove all structures built on municipal property, pavements and road reserves, while also forcing them to submit buildin…
https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-05-28-remove-illegal-str…

verified

Claim 8: “about 200 hijacked buildings have been officially identified in the Johannesburg CBD”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the evidence discusses hijacked buildings in the CBD, none of the provided search results explicitly state that 'about 200' have been 'officially identified'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a leading multi-campus public research university situated in the economic hub of Johannesburg, Sout…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Witwatersran…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Johannesburg ( joh-HAN-iss-burg, US also -⁠HAHN-, Afrikaans: [jʊəˈɦanəsbœrχ] ; Xhosa: eGoli [ɛˈɡɔːli]; Zulu: iGoli [îˈɡóːli]), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg or "the City of Gold", is the most po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pennyville is an infill development, located very close to the N1 Western Bypass, near Roodepoort. A vacant and narrow strip of land was used to create a medium-density housing, which included multi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennyville,_Johannesburg

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The Highpoint building in Hillbrow, which owes the city R23m for services, was recently hit with level 2 disconnections”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “The city revealed that it reclaimed and restored at least 59 buildings since 2016 during the tenure of former mayor Herman Mashaba.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the city reclaimed and restored at least 59 buildings since 2016 during Herman Mashaba's tenure.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality council consists of 270 city councilors elected by mixed-member proportional representation. The councillors are divided into two kinds: (a) 135 Ward…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Johannesburg_elections

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 11: “It has just over 10 eviction orders”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific detail about having 'just over 10 eviction orders' appears in the TimesLIVE report but is not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — City Power Johannesburg (or Joburg City Power) is a state owned power utility, wholly owned by the City of Johannesburg. Its responsibilities include buying electricity from power producers and supply…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Power

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Johannesburg_Metropoli…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 12: “another 15 were restored between 2025 and 2026”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found for the claim that 15 buildings were restored between 2025 and 2026.

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Claim 13: “Remington Court... has been redeveloped into student accommodation through a partnership between the city and a private owner”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “A single raid in June 2024 resulted in 113 arrests from eight buildings”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “At least 188 audited hijacked buildings still remain under unlawful occupation”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (TimesLIVE and other news reports) explicitly state that at least 188 audited hijacked buildings remain under unlawful occupation.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At least 188 audited hijacked buildings still remain under unlawful occupation, while 119 properties have been referred to external attorneys for further legal action. “The issue of hijacked buildings…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-06-02-job…

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web search NEUTRAL — City audits have identified at least 188 hijacked buildings, although police data and academic research suggest the broader number of derelict and partially hijacked properties may be between 200 and …
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/17232/organised-criminal-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 20, 2026 ... Joburg still has at least 188 hijacked buildings in the inner city, according to its own audits — a figure supported by police data and ...
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-20-joburgs-1…

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Claim 16: “the City of Johannesburg... reclaiming 59 hijacked buildings”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results, including TimesLIVE, confirm that the City of Johannesburg reclaimed 59 hijacked buildings.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 17: “The city has secured over 10 declaratory court orders to condemn dilapidated buildings”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 18: “the city had managed to reclaim 44 buildings between 2016 and 2019 under Mashaba’s administration”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source mentions reclaiming 'more than 50 buildings', but the specific figure of 44 buildings between 2016 and 2019 is not independently corroborated in the provided text.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — City of Johannesburg reclaims more than 50 buildings from hijackers: More than 50 buildings, some of which had become hubs for slumlords, criminal activity ...
https://www.facebook.com/Action4SA/posts/hijacked-buildings-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The total number of water pipe bursts has decreased from a high 45177 in 2016/17 to 42977 during 2018/2019, while up to 95.57% of sewer blockages were cleared ...
https://www.iwa-network.org/page/city-of-johannesburg-south-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Urban transformation has long been a priority for South African cities seeking to overcome the legacy of spatial and social segregation.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026427512…

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Claim 19: “forcing the owners to submit building plans within 20 days”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.