Joburg to lay criminal charges against alleged landlords at illegal Paulshof settlement

The City of Johannesburg's human settlements department has said it will lay criminal charges against individuals who have confessed to being landlords at an illegally occupied informal settlement in Paulshof, north of the city.

Human settlements MMC Mlungisi Mabaso said Johannesburg is clamping down on illegal occupations by targeting those profiting from them.

Following Sunday's oversight visit to the Ginger park informal settlement, between Witkoppen and main road, Mabaso informed residents they would soon be relocated.

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The Ginger Park informal settlement is located on land owned by both the province and a private owner, with the properties situated adjacent to each other.

The Johannesburg high court has ordered that the illegal occupants be removed and relocated to alternative accommodation provided by the city.

Mabaso said the land is uninhabitable and should not be occupied, describing it as a dumping site infested with rats.

During a confrontation with an individual who initially confessed to being a landlord but later retracted the claim Mabaso warned that hijacking property is a criminal offence.

"People are staying there, they are paying to them, they are consuming services of government for free, but yet they are charging rent to certain occupiers," said Mabaso.

Mabaso added that the oversight visit to Ginger park forms part of the city's broader effort to create a cleaner and safer Johannesburg.