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A block of flats under construction at Proclamation Hill in Tshwane owned by property owner George Asaba are seen in this image.
Tenants at George Asaba’s flats in Pretoria West in Tshwane may soon find themselves without accommodation. The High Court in Pretoria has ruled in favour of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality to demolish an illegally constructed four-storey building in Proclamation Hill, west of the city.
The Nigerian national allegedly buys houses in residential areas before converting them into flats for rental purposes.
The city is accusing Asaba of violating zoning regulations and illegally connecting services.
🚨📣 Non-compliant Nigerian property developer and repeat offender, George Asaba, is interdicted from continuing erecting the unauthorised structure at 47 Arcadia Avenue, Pretoria West, and the premises are to be vacated by everyone residing there at present within 30 days.… pic.twitter.com/WLLAD1b0EQ
— Henriette Frohlich (@henriettefroh) May 25, 2026
However, as the city prepares for possible evictions, tenants fear displacement, homelessness and uncertainty over where they will go next, as one resident explains.
“I have a child and a partner staying with me and when you have a child, the schools are here and we are not working, we are unemployed, trying to survive. So, for us to go and look for a place like in Atteridgeville, it’s gonna cost transport for the child. We will need more money and we can’t change schools for the child right now.”
Another resident, who says he only heard yesterday that they will have to move soon, says he is devastated.
“Accommodation around Pretoria for my family is demanding about an average of about R7000 and here, we have been paying about R3000. So, to find the same amount in short notice like this is going to difficult.”
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality says it is intensifying efforts to demolish buildings that violate municipal bylaws.
The municipality says Asaba has eight more buildings that could also face demolition.
MMC for Shared and Corporate Services, Flora Monama, says, “Asaba just built there. He never got approval for the plan to see where he’s building, whether there’s no servitudes and also the type of building that he’s going to build there. On top of that, he put people in a building that’s incomplete – which is dangerous.”
One of Asaba’s buildings was demolished after the City of Tshwane obtained a court order last year.
The court found the structure was illegally constructed and violated zoning regulations among others.
Attempts to reach Asaba were unsuccessful.
More details in the report below:
-Report by Sphiwe Mkhize
