Mayor helps couple regain hijacked home

A WOMAN who moved into a Johannesburg property and locked out the legal owners has been arrested‚ with the help of mayor Herman Mashaba.

The mayor’s office said the owners of the building‚ a couple from Malvern‚ had tried to evict the woman after she occupied the house‚ alleging that she was the owner.

“She went as far as locking all the gates with chains and locks‚ denying the owner access to the property,” it said.

On Monday‚ the owners of the property were accompanied by law enforcement officials, locks were changed‚ security measures put in place and the property returned to them.

Mashaba said: “It is unacceptable that criminal elements continue to prevail in the city in this way.

“I won’t leave any stone unturned in dealing with criminal activities within its area of jurisdiction.

“I intend to continue intensifying the raids at these hijacked properties with the assistance of the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies.”

He advised people with hijacked properties to seek assistance at the city’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service offices. – TimesLIVE