CAPE TOWN – Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala has issued eviction notices to over 100 illegal occupants who have hijacked state properties, including two sites in Goodwood and Khayelitsha originally allocated to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The eviction notices were served during Operation Bring Back (OBB), a nationwide campaign led by Zikalala to recover stolen, hijacked, and illegally occupied state land and buildings. The operation targets properties left vacant by government departments, which often fall into neglect and illegal occupation.
In Goodwood, a residential property donated by the late Clair Shelly Boulton for SAPS use in combating drug abuse has been hijacked and is reportedly being used as a drug den. The property currently houses 12 illegal occupants, including children, in temporary structures.
Meanwhile, a 946-hectare farm near Khayelitsha, allocated for SAPS mixed use including residential accommodation and policing operations, has been illegally occupied. After SAPS officials were redeployed, several houses were left vacant, and informal settlements have proliferated on the land.
Hijacked properties exploit poor management
Zikalala warned that state properties are being targeted not only by people in need of housing but also by commercial entities, NGOs, and criminal elements posing as owners to collect rent from illegal occupants.
The eviction deadline was on 31 August at 23:59, after which non-compliance will lead to court action and enforced evictions.
“Illegal occupation and hijacking of government properties is extensive and underestimated. Poor management by departments failing to return vacated assets is worsening the problem,” Zikalala said.
The Deputy Minister said OBB will be intensified in the coming months, with a support program that includes property specialists to identify, audit, evict, and recover illegally occupied state buildings. All evictions follow legal procedures outlined in the Prevention of Illegal Eviction (PIE) and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act, 19 of 1998, ensuring fairness while protecting the rights of landowners.
