Johannesburg's Hijacked Buildings: BBC Africa Eye

#BBCAfricaEye investigates Johannesburg’s hijacked buildings, before the city’s G20 summit.

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In November 2025, Johannesburg will host a G20 summit for the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies. This will be the first time that a G20 meeting will be held on African soil.

The world’s attention will be on Johannesburg, but is the city ready?

Africa Eye reporter Ayanda Charlie investigates the inner city’s abandoned and derelict buildings, where many people live in conditions unfit for human habitation. After decades of decay and neglect, many of these buildings lack electricity, water or basic sanitation with open sewers a common sight.

Worse still, some buildings are hijacked by criminals who take control and collect rent for themselves, turning them into havens for illicit activity,.

The BBC has been able to identify the location of 102 of these abandoned and derelict buildings, but some reports say there are up to 700, in an area of only a few square miles.

South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has spoken of the need to “turn around those abandoned buildings and take Johannesburg back to its glory days” but the scale of the challenge is enormous, leading many people to think his words are nothing more than a hollow appeal.

00:00 The President's Call to Action
03:00 A hijacked building
07:15 How did Johannesburg get so bad?
07:57 The Sheriff
09:45 Temporary accommodation that lasts 17 years
12:06 Meeting an ex-hijacker
16:45 The City Council responds
18:18 Illegal evictions and Operation Dudula
19:09 Meeting anti-eviction lawyers at SERI
20:28 Building at a stalemate
22:37 A legal eviction

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