{"id":848963,"date":"2026-01-27T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=848963"},"modified":"2026-01-27T17:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:49:57","slug":"new-mafia-taking-hold-in-south-africa-targeting-rich-suburbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/848963\/new-mafia-taking-hold-in-south-africa-targeting-rich-suburbs\/","title":{"rendered":"New mafia taking hold in South Africa targeting rich suburbs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Property hijacking has been on the rise over the past decade in South Africa, and these mafia-style syndicates are now targeting homes in some of the country\u2019s top suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reported cases show that the criminals are moving from industrial CBDs to residential areas, with syndicates targeting mansions to maximise profit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

City of Johannesburg (CoJ) officials have noted that these mafia-style groups are increasingly targeting high-value properties in wealthy suburbs, exploiting weak oversight, slow legal processes and housing desperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, city officials conducted several high-profile raids in Bryanston and Ferndale, two upmarket suburbs north of Johannesburg where homes can sell for well over R5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one operation<\/a> led by Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink, councillors raided a property on Grosvenor Road in Bryanston for the third time since late last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The R5.1 million home had been illegally occupied, with Wendy houses erected across the property to accommodate more than 70 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials estimated that the individual running the operation was collecting more than R140,000 a month in rent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ferndale, law enforcement agencies, including the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), City Power, Johannesburg Water and urban planning officials raided two residential properties being operated as brothels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One property in Vine Avenue reportedly<\/a> had an online booking system. Police found young women and their clients at both sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property records show the Vine Avenue home, measuring over 2,500 square metres, was bought in 2019 and is valued at about R2.6 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, city officials added that the property carried outstanding municipal debt of R22 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to ward councillor Emi Koekemoer, there are at least 25 hijacked properties in Ferndale alone. In Bryanston, 17 homes are now under investigation for possible hijacking in wards 102 and 104.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one case, homeowners returned from holiday to find their Bryanston house illegally occupied and effectively converted into an informal settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the raid on the property, officials seized two firearms and several vehicles, and a suspect believed to be behind the hijacking was arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns emerged in 2024<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Illegal electricity and water connections were also disconnected. City Power chief operating officer Charles Tlouane said the electricity debt at the property stood at around R1.2 million, adding that services previously disconnected had been illegally bypassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residential property hijacking typically involves well-organised criminal groups who unlawfully take over homes and rent them out to unsuspecting tenants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As early as 2024, Grandi Theunissen, the Tshwane MMC for community safety, said<\/a> that these syndicates forge title deeds and other ownership documents, making it extremely difficult and costly for legitimate owners to regain control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that properties most at risk include those left vacant while owners live abroad or in other provinces, as well as homes tied up in deceased estates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-value homes generate significant rental income, while the desperation for accommodation allows syndicates to fill properties quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, municipal debt accumulates as utilities are illegally connected, undermining the city\u2019s financial sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brink has warned that the city will roll out a \u201czero-tolerance\u201d approach to property hijacking and utility theft in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is about protecting the city\u2019s revenue and restoring the integrity of our neighbourhoods,\u201d he said. He urged residents to report suspicious occupations promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hijacked mansion in Bryanston <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Mafia-style syndicates are now targeting homes in some of the country\u2019s top suburbs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":787356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[21605,24616,24617,853,24618],"class_list":["post-848963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-bryanston","tag-city-of-johannesburg-coj","tag-ferndale","tag-south-africa","tag-the-johannesburg-metropolitan-police-department-jmpd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848963"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":849020,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848963\/revisions\/849020"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}