A multidisciplinary sting operation targeted a hijacked building in Johannesburg's CBD over the weekend, revealing desperate living conditions for occupants. The raid comes amid an escalating turf war over such properties, following the killing of DJ Warrick Stock, known as DJ Warras. Many residents, destitute and jobless, say they have nowhere else to go.
In Johannesburg's bustling central business district, a hijacked building in Marshalltown became the focus of a weekend sting operation led by city authorities. The action highlighted the plight of its occupants, most of whom are destitute and without jobs, who insist that staying in the makeshift shacks is their only viable option.
Mayoral Committee Member for Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, described the operation as a response to a resurgent turf war among syndicates vying for control of hijacked properties. These groups have seized more than 500 buildings across the CBD, leading to heightened violence and threats. The property owner had sought assistance from the city after receiving multiple assassination threats.
The raid was prompted by the recent murder of renowned DJ Warrick Stock, better known as DJ Warras, who was shot several times earlier this month outside a building secured by his private company. Tshwaku noted the broader context of bloodshed, stating, “Into the death of DJ Warras. We thought, ‘Let us elevate it even more.’ Because this is a turf war of hijacked buildings to operate in these buildings. Many people were actually killed. Three groups have been killed, and now the fourth group is the one that’s been.”
During the operation, a mattress seller was reprimanded for housing his school-going daughter in one of the shacks. He explained his dilemma: “I don’t have anyone that I know. So, it’s a big risk to just give anyone my daughter. It’s a big risk. She’s closed school. And she only came here last week Friday.”
Tshwaku emphasized that the turf war endangers lives and that the city is intensifying efforts to reclaim hijacked structures and curb the syndicates' influence.