Some residents of a hijacked building in Johannesburg, South Africa (SA), say staying there is their only choice, as most are destitute and without work.
The situation came to light during a multi-agency operation at the building on Sunday. Mayoral Committee Member for Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, warned that turf wars over hijacked buildings in the Johannesburg CBD are on the rise again. The operation followed the fatal shooting of renowned DJ Warrick Stock, known as “DJ Warras,” last week. Stock was shot multiple times near a building where his private security company had a contract.
During the operation, a man who sells mattresses was reprimanded for keeping his school-going daughter in one of the makeshift shacks inside the hijacked building in Marshalltown. He explained that he had no alternative. “I don’t have anyone that I know. So, it’s a big risk to just give anyone my daughter. She’s close to school and she only came here last week Friday,” he said.
The incident highlights the complex challenges faced by vulnerable residents living in hijacked properties amid growing safety concerns in Johannesburg, SA.
–ChannelAfrica–
