The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government’s audit of hijacked state-owned residences in Ulundi has been abruptly suspended after officials faced violent resistance from armed occupants.
The operation, intended to verify and reclaim illegally occupied state properties, turned dangerous when government staff were confronted by residents brandishing automatic rifles.
Public Works MEC Martin Meyer confirmed that the audit had to be called off for the safety of government personnel.
“Sadly, when our officials went to verify who was living there, in quite a few houses, they were threatened and chased away with automatic rifles. Quite a dangerous thing ensued,” Meyer told Sunday World.
“We had to call off the audit because we did not want to put our officials in harm’s way.”
Meyer revealed that he has reached out to KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi for assistance in securing the process and restoring law and order in the area.
He emphasised that the presence of firearms among occupants highlights a long-standing security concern rooted in the province’s violent history.
“The weapons are the reason why we have approached the SAPS,” Meyer said. “KZN has a long and sad history. There are weapons that have not been recovered since the 1980s. Ulundi suffered after the capital was moved, and we want to make sure that from outside we can do what we can for Ulundi to rise from the ashes again.”
The hijacked properties, according to the MEC, have become hotspots for criminal activity, posing a safety risk not only to the surrounding community but also to the royal residence of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, located nearby.
“It is also a security concern, as His Majesty the King stays there,” Meyer added. “We are meeting with the King on Monday, together with Minister of Public Works Dean Macpherson, to brief him.”
Of the approximately 10 000 properties owned by the KwaZulu-Natal government, at least 300 have been hijacked, with a disproportionately high number located in Ulundi.
Many of these buildings were inherited from the former Zululand government and include residential houses and apartment blocks that once accommodated senior government officials.
Despite losing control over these properties, the provincial government continues to pay municipal rates on them, placing a significant financial burden on the state. “We are paying rates but not getting any income from this. We do not know who is living in these buildings, and the department has lost control of them,” Meyer lamented.
The MEC explained that many of the occupants are not destitute or homeless individuals but rather employed community members, including former government employees and their families.
“What we have found, for instance, in eThekwini, are people who were government officials. They are retired now, and they should not be living there. Some families will say they live there because their dad worked for the government. That
becomes a difficult situation because they are living there illegally,” he said.
Meyer acknowledged the humanitarian challenge the government faces in resolving these cases.
“We don’t want to be cruel and evict people who have lived in a house for 30 years,” he said.
To address this, the department is exploring a rent-to-buy scheme, like one implemented in Gauteng. This would allow long-term occupants to legally acquire the properties over time.
“What we are looking to do, what Gauteng is doing, is to offer them a rent-to-buy scheme. We will then hand over the house after some period,” Meyer explained.
However, he warned that for those who choose not to participate in the scheme or who refuse to cooperate, the government will have no choice but to initiate legal action to reclaim the properties.
