17 Bryanston properties under probe for possible hijacking

One of the vehicles that was seized during a City of Joburg-led raid at a Bryanston home believed to have been hijacked

Seventeen houses in Bryanston, north of Johannesburg, are now under investigation for possible hijacking.

City of Johannesburg officials raided a property in the area on Thursday believed to have been hijacked.

The homeowners returned from holiday to find their house illegally occupied and transformed into an informal settlement.

During the operation, two firearms and a couple of vehicles were seized.

Johannesburg City Manager Floyd Brink says: “There are about 17 similar houses that we have started to investigate in ward 102 and 104. We will be implementing a zero tolerance approach across Johannesburg in the coming weeks because for us, this is about financial sustainability and protecting the city’s revenue.”

City of Joburg launches crackdown on hijacked properties:

Arrest made

Meanwhile, a suspect believed to be responsible for hijacking the property was arrested earlier Thursday.

During the operation, the city also managed to disconnect illegal electricity and water connections.

City Power Chief Operating Officer Charles Tlouane says the electricity debt of the hijacked building stands at around R1.2 million.

“We understand that there were services that were disconnected in the past but the people who occupied it bypassed the system illegally so and they started pushing those services, but those are things we’ll deal with internally as real owner comes forward and we see how we resolve those issues.”

Charles Tlouane, Chief Operations Officer at @CityPowerJhb details the illegal power connections found at the hijacked Bryanston home today.#JoburgByLaws #JoburgServices ^NJ pic.twitter.com/vJVOeu4a3N

— City of Joburg (@CityofJoburgZA) January 8, 2026