The City of Johannesburg has shut down several businesses operating from Johannesburg Social Housing Company buildings during a sweeping compliance operation led by the city’s Human Settlements Mayoral Committee Member. The crackdown targets businesses that have failed to honor lease agreements and payment arrangements, as the municipality seeks to improve revenue collection, enforce compliance, and ensure the proper management of its properties.
Following the operation, storefronts were left with shattered doors, pulled-down security gates, and silent interiors as officials sealed operations found to be illegal or in breach of lease agreements. According to the city, one store alone owes more than R500,000 in unpaid rent and arrears. The Human Settlements Mayoral Committee Member noted that the debt at this specific location had accumulated from half a million to over R600,000 despite previous payment arrangements, indicating an unwillingness to pay while continuing to trade in municipal spaces. In total, the municipality states it is owed more than R3 million in unpaid rent by businesses operating in these buildings.
Addressing the broader issue, the city’s Human Settlements portfolio head emphasized that the municipality cannot compel South Africans to pay their rent while allowing foreign nationals to trade in city spaces without settling their dues.
To address longstanding gaps in oversight and governance, the city has introduced a new policy to regulate the allocation and management of commercial spaces. Previously, there was no policy guiding how shops were allocated or determining who was permitted to trade in these commercial spaces. The new regulations aim to enforce adherence to proper management standards.
During the same compliance sweep, officials uncovered severe overcrowding in a building in Hillbrow, where approximately 80 people were found living in a property designed to accommodate only 40. The Kasamea building was part of a pilot project involving three structures aimed at relocating residents from dilapidated buildings. While 40 people were initially evacuated to this site, officials subsequently placed additional occupants inside, resulting in the building being over capacity. Additionally, the city is addressing maintenance challenges at its properties following tenant complaints regarding deteriorating facilities.
In a separate incident, police have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of a massacre that left 12 people dead and nine others injured in the Cleveland informal settlement, located east of Ekurhuleni.
According to residents, at least 10 heavily armed suspects were dropped off near a local petrol station in a white Toyota Quantum vehicle shortly before midnight. The gang reportedly moved through the area, opening fire at multiple locations before fleeing in the same vehicle.
In response, police have deployed provincial and district detectives, alongside crime intelligence and forensic teams, to investigate the killings.