Tenants from hell are hijacking entire buildings in Johannesburg and landlords are fighting back by hiring squads to drive out the invaders at gunpoint.
Hijacking of buildings has become increasingly common, with criminal gangs usurping landlords, collecting the rentals for themselves and threatening anyone, even public officials, who try to get them evicted.
In one recent incident a Johannesburg property agent managing an empty building that was up for sale arrived one morning to find it full of people.
Sean Borrill says the 'new owners' had packed tenants into a building originally designed as an office block.
Rooms were being rented out for R400 a month, for a space that could take only a mattress and a chair. There were no bathrooms, and dozens of people on each floor had to share toilets.
'It was a warehouse and office space and is not geared for residential living,' says Mr Borrill.