Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa has thrown his weight behind the full implementation of the controversial Expropriation Act, framing it as a crucial instrument to reclaim hijacked and abandoned buildings in Johannesburg and address the city's escalating urban decay.
The President's call came during a two-day supervisory visit to Gauteng, coinciding with several G20 meetings held in the city. Ramaphosa expressed his deep concern to the provincial executive committee about the deteriorating conditions in Johannesburg, highlighting issues such as hijacked buildings, a worsening water crisis, non-functional streetlights, and failing infrastructure.
“Sometimes it’s good to be direct and say it as it is. I should say that one or two meetings of the G20 that I attended here were not very pleasing. The environment that one observed was not a pleasing environment. I say this so that we can improve immensely,” Ramaphosa stated, underscoring the urgent need for action.
The government's plan revolves around reclaiming and repurposing buildings, with the Expropriation Act taking centre stage. Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala emphasised the Act's importance in fast-tracking urban renewal.
Speaking to City Press, Zikalala said: “The first thing from our side is to accelerate the programme of operation. All government buildings that are not occupied or are illegally occupied must be reclaimed by the state, renovated or even destroyed if they cannot be salvaged.”
According to Zikalala, renovated buildings would be repurposed for social housing, commercial spaces, or student accommodation to revitalise Johannesburg's urban environment.
He added that "the department, through Infrastructure SA, will also provide technical support to the municipalities to fast-track infrastructure projects that are often delayed by prolonged planning and regulatory processes."
The hijacking of buildings in Johannesburg has been directly linked to crime and security concerns. Zikalala asserted that the government would repossess properties used for illegal activities, including drug trafficking and harbouring criminals.
“We believe that we can improve security through ensuring that all the buildings used for criminal activities are repossessed by government, and those individuals removed,” he said.
Zikalala also stressed the importance of identifying legitimate occupants in these buildings, stating that “everyone must occupy a property because he or she owns it”.
He said: "We support the campaign by the department, the province and the municipality of dealing with illegal and unregistered people from other countries. Those who are … not registered must be dealt with. We believe that provision of houses or accommodation to people instead of keeping buildings empty will also help curb crime."
He reiterated that government should not continue leasing private-sector buildings for office space when it had properties that could be utilised.
"We must utilise government precincts or government properties to house departments, even in the municipalities and in provinces. That will bring back vibrancy in our cities. We can't move out of CBDs. That is the programme we are running as department."
“Today, you have several abandoned buildings, buildings that have been hijacked or are not paying rates and taxes. Those buildings can become investment vehicles where we can accommodate our people with dignity. We can turn around those abandoned buildings,” said Ramaphosa.
“Where the owners have run away, they should be subjected to the law that we’ve passed, the Expropriation Act, even without compensation. The buildings should be taken and turned into living accommodation. It falls wonderfully under the interpretation of our Constitution and the law; it would be for the useful purpose of our people.”
Zikalala echoed these sentiments, confirming that Johannesburg would be among the cities where the act would be implemented as a key intervention.
He said: "Government is government and, once there is an act, we have to implement it. We have to ensure that it is implemented. As the department, we will take a lead in implementing this act and we have to ensure that, where applicable and necessary, expropriation is done."
“Even if it is expropriation with no compensation, that will be done because, if it is in the public interest, we must enforce that."
However, the implementation of the Expropriation Act is not without its challenges. Zikalala’s boss, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson, previously strongly opposed the act, exposing deep divisions within the government of national unity.
After it was signed by the president into law in January, Macpherson took to social media to express his disapproval, stating there would be no expropriation of private property without compensation “on my watch”.
While expropriation is set to be a central tool, Zikalala said partnerships with the private sector would also play a role in Johannesburg’s renewal.
“The private sector will come on board because there are buildings owned by the state that we are not utilising. The private sector will be engaged through the asset optimisation strategy, where we offer these buildings on long-term leases for renovation and use,” Zikalala explained. “This approach will allow the private sector to take these buildings, upgrade them and utilise them, while also benefiting the government.”
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero previously told City Press that the metro had secured 12 court orders to reclaim the hijacked buildings. He estimated that there were about 400 hijacked buildings, with 15 owned by the city, while the rest were either private properties or abandoned by owners who had left the country.
Morero explained that, although there was aggressive work in cleaning up the inner city and reclaiming highjacked buildings, the main challenge was finding alternative accommodation for people living in those buildings, which slowed down the process.
He confirmed that the city was working on expropriating abandoned buildings under the new act, which would quicken the action.
With the city facing mounting infrastructure and security challenges, government’s push for expropriation would reshape Johannesburg’s urban landscape.
While critics remained sceptical about the new law's impact on property rights, government officials have argued that it was a necessary tool to reclaim the city and provide housing solutions for many struggling residents. The effectiveness and long-term consequences of this approach remain to be seen.
