Serial building ‘hijacker’ arrested

The City of Joburg has intensified its battle with building hijackers by arresting an alleged serial hijacker and two accomplices.

In a statement released at the weekend, Mayor Herman Mashaba said the man was implicated in eight cases. The arrests come a month after two men, Sinethemba Mkhumbuzi and Kenneth Mtila, were handed heavy sentences by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court for hijacking a building in 2007.

In the statement, the City of Joburg alleged the kingpin had approached unsuspecting tenants living in properties around Joburg and introduced himself as an investigator.

“He would then state that the true owners of the properties were hijackers and the tenants should not co-operate with them. He would instruct the tenants not to pay any rent to the owners but to him instead,” the city said.

The same modus operandi was used earlier this year when the kingpin and his co-accused attempted to hijack a building in Jeppestown. The city, through its investigations unit, was alerted to the crime and an investigation with the Hawks ensued.

“The owners had obtained an eviction order and it is alleged the kingpin assisted the evicted illegal occupiers to hijack the property again. A scuffle ensued between security personnel and the illegal occupants, shots were fired and two people were injured. It is also alleged that in the past, the kingpin has utilised the services of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police, in order to be escorted to properties he wanted to hijack, under the pretence that he is working closely with the city in investigating hijacked buildings,” the statement reads.

The city added that it was working with law enforcement agencies, with investigations at an advanced stage for a number of cases in which the kingpin is implicated.

“The kingpin has been convicted of fraud before and was also found guilty of impersonating a police officer; he has a 157-page criminal profile. It is alleged that he has been operating throughout the country and has criminal cases in Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and the Western Cape.”

The three alleged building hijackers arrested over the weekend will appear in court on Thursday.