Inside South Africa’s hijacked-building crisis: Crime, desperation and a state struggling to reclaim its own

Several buildings around the country have been hijacked or declared problems like the Irene Grootboom House in Darling Street.

For years, hijacked and illegally occupied buildings have remained a stark symbol of South Africa’s housing crisis, urban decay, and weak enforcement, a problem stretching across major cities and provinces.

From Cape Town to Johannesburg and to eThekwini, buildings intended for residential or commercial use have been unlawfully occupied, with vulnerable residents sometimes paying rent to individuals who have no legal right to collect it.

But, behind the illegal occupation lies a far deeper crisis. Many residents have nowhere else to go, while overcrowding, illegal electricity connections, poor sanitation, unsafe structures, and neglected infrastructure create serious risks to those living inside and the surrounding communities.

At the same time, authorities warn that some buildings have become vulnerable to drug trafficking, organised crime, exploitation, and other criminal activity.