Cape town: Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala has issued eviction notices to over 100 illegal occupants who have hijacked State properties in Cape Town. Two properties in Goodwood and Khayelitsha, meant for use by the South African Police Service (SAPS), have been hijacked and are illegally occupied. Zikalala issued the eviction notices while leading Operation Bring Back (OBB) in Cape Town on Sunday.
According to South African Government News Agency, Operation Bring Back is a nationwide campaign led by DPWI Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala, with the intended purpose of recovering all stolen State land and property. Some properties, vacated by user departments without being returned to the department, have become vulnerable to illegal occupation. Consequently, some are run down due to overcrowding and lack of management by State institutions that were allocated the buildings.
During the Cape Town leg of the Operation Bring Back campaign, many whistle-blowers came forward, and others physically brought evidence to the Deputy Minister of stolen properties by even commercial entities and NGOs. The Goodwood property Zikalala first visited is a residential property donated to the government’s asset portfolio by the late Clair Shelly Boulton, intended for use by the South African Police Service. Boulton’s will specified that the property be used by SAPS for fighting drug abuse in the community. However, it has been hijacked and is reportedly used as a drug peddling den, contrary to Boulton’s wishes.
Illegal occupants have invaded the property, erecting temporary structures. Currently, there are 12 illegal occupants, including children, with allegations of rampant substance abuse occurring on the premises. The second property visited is a 946.90 Ha area on Stellenbosch Road near Khayelitsha, allocated for mixed use by SAPS. The site includes residential accommodation, public order policing, stock theft, anti-gang facilities, and a shooting range. Many SAPS officials who used to reside there have been redeployed, leaving numerous houses vacant and the land vulnerable to illegal occupation and informal settlements.
Zikalala’s visit highlighted the significant issue of hijacked State properties, not only by the poor and those in need of housing but also by large commercial entities, NGOs, and individuals posing as owners to collect rent from illegal occupiers. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure stated that failure to comply with the eviction notices would result in legal action.
Zikalala commented on the extensive and underestimated problem of illegally occupied, hijacked, and stolen government properties, citing poor management of State assets. He announced plans to intensify Operation Bring Back in the coming months. A support programme, including the appointment of property specialists, has been developed to identify, audit, analyse, evict, and recover illegally occupied and hijacked buildings. The focus is on buildings that should be part of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s immovable asset register.
In executing evictions of land and buildings occupied without authorization, the department adheres to legal processes, including the Prevention of Illegal Eviction (PIE) from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act, 19 of 1998. This act regulates the fair eviction of unlawful occupiers while recognizing the landowners’ right to seek an eviction order from the court in suitable circumstances.