The old Yeoville police station in Joburg has been taken over by desperate families who occupy the 23 rooms that were once offices.
The building on Kenmere Road was invaded in 2016, soon after a new police station was constructed nearby in 2014. The 23 families who have hijacked it don’t pay for water and electricity.
According to a report by the Khampepe commission of inquiry, which investigated the Usindiso fire that claimed 76 lives in August 2023, some community members use the building as an ablution point and fetch water from it with buckets.
The building was one of 110 that the commission inspected between June and September 2024.
When a Sowetan team visited the building, a man who lived next to the former police station confirmed they used the facility because they do not have toilets or water.
“It has been more than 10 years now, so we either go to the old police station or other public facilities,” he said.
Others in the area said those who stayed at the former police station did not allow them to use the facility.
“The residents there always say they are living nicely because they don’t have to pay for electricity and water, and this has been the case for years,” said a resident who lives nearby.
The residents there always say they are living nicely because they don’t have to pay for electricity and water, and this has been the case for years,
— Resident
A resident who has been staying in the building since 2017 told Sowetan: “We get free water and electricity, and we don’t pay rent.
Yeoville councillor David Modupi said people had moved into the old police station before he became a councillor, but that he had encouraged them to take up the space because they were homeless.
Department of public works spokesperson Lennox Mabasa said the building was owned by the city.
“Our information is that it was handed to the municipality.”
Asked whether the water and electricity bill for the property had increased in recent years, City of Johannesburg communications director Kgamanyane Maphologela said the municipal account was being serviced monthly.
“In addition, water consumption at the property has shown a notable decline over the past three months,” he said.
“Consumption decreased from 103 kilolitres in May 2025 to substantially lower levels of 34 kilolitres recorded in August 2025.”
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