Families in danger: Inkabi kills squatter!

BROKEN windows, no water, sewage and holes in the ceiling.

These are some of the problems found in the buildings in the Joburg inner city.

Some of the buildings have been hijacked, while others have turned into havens for criminal activities.

This was revealed during the Usindiso commission of inquiry, which resumed on Wednesday, 16 October.

The inquiry aims to make findings and report on the buildings in Joburg that have been abandoned by legitimate landlords or owners and have since been taken over by criminal syndicates or other groups, leased out and populated with tenants.

The commission reflected on the buildings observed in the month of September.

Among buildings that came into the spotlight was a privately owned building on 37 Garden Street in Turfontein, which was inspected on Thursday, 19 September. According to the commission, the five-unit building, which was abandoned and taken over, houses five families in the five units.

"Occupants approached the official responsible for the housing portfolio in the ward to permit them to occupy the building. They indicated that criminal activities had previously taken place in the building," the report read.

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Furthermore, the report revealed that nine months after occupation, a man came and claimed the building to be his own and wanted to evict the occupants.

"Occupants opposed the eviction. After the application (the man) resorted to threats. Attempt to evict the occupants turned violent, to an extent that one of the occupants was killed at the building by inkabi," the report read.

According to the report, further observations revealed the severe state of the building, including lack of water, and occupants using buckets to get water elsewhere. Another dire situation was the inconsistent electricity supply, as it's disconnected and reconnected, causing damage to appliances.

In addition, there is no fire safety equipment in the building, thus violating emergency-service by-laws.

In the report, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) agreed that the building was not fit for habitation. The building has been added to a long list of others the commission reflected on.

These include a building that had burnt down a few years ago and was taken over. The building on 61 Great Britain in Turfontein is a single storey with 10 units, and with approximately three members per unit. According to the report, occupants don't pay rent, it's dilapidated inside with no bathtubs, and occupants use primer stoves and braziers for cooking.