Acting Johannesburg mayor Kenny Kunene is spending his days focusing on hijacked buildings in the city. 

Kunene, who is Johannesburg's transport MM,  is acting mayor while Kabelo Gwamanda is away. 

On Sunday Kunene joined the MMCs of public safety and human settlements when they visited the reportedly hijacked Casa Mia building in Berea. 

Kunene was seen speaking to residents. He told them paying rent to anyone other than the Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) was illegal. 

He urged community members not to protect the hijackers. 

“I want to finish this thing of syndicates who are collecting rentals. You don't want to tell us who you pay your rent [to]. No one owns a room here. These belong to Joshco but these satans take money from you and you don't tell us who they are so we can arrest them,” Kunene said. 

He said authorities were left with no choice but to act.

"[On Monday] at 2pm, we will return with the health and social development department. The unemployed and those with children will be given temporary shelter,” Kunene said.

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Monday morning, Kunene indicated his focus would be on hijacked buildings. 

He expressed his concern at the state of hijacked buildings in the city, saying some even had dump sites inside them. 

He said they were uninhabitable and many had been declared unsafe by emergency workers. Others, he said, were crime hotspots as residents in neighbouring buildings claimed they were victims of robberies and their attackers fled into the buildings. 

“We have to act and make sure the safety of the people comes first. The city also suffers a loss of revenue because of hijacked buildings,” said Kunene. 

TimesLIVE