Deputy Director: Property Hijackings Investigations at City of Johannesburg

Minimum Requirements: 

• Matric / Grade 12 plus a 3-year relevant tertiary qualification in either Forensic Investigations/Property/Estate Law/Finance/Policing/Criminal Justice, or a related equivalent qualification in property. 
• A degree in Law will be an added advantage. 
• 8 years or more experience within Property/Estate investigations environment or within the Criminal Justice System, which includes 2 years or more experience, should be at a supervisory level within public services or private sector, covering all aspects of corporate forensic investigations in Property/Estate. 
• Experience in local government matters will be an added advantage. 
• Understanding of relevant laws and regulations to combat allegations of illegal occupation of buildings. 
• Understanding the impact of late estate on hijacked properties and/or properties that are non-compliant with relevant laws and regulations. 
• Understanding of corporate governance, compliance and risk management processes. 
• Knowledge and understanding of local government legislation/property management environment. 
• Quality assurance, presentation and reporting effectively. 
• Human resource procedures and regulations. 

Primary Function: 

• The Deputy Director: Property Hijackings Investigations reports to the Director: Property Hijackings Investigations and is responsible for the implementation and monitoring strategies, policies, procedures and response plans regarding the investigations of property Hijackings, non-compliance with applicable legislation, including facilitation of taking legal action against the perpetrators for successful prosecution in order to curb the challenges related to hijacked properties.  

Key Performance Areas: 

• Direct and manage the investigations of property hijacking cases/matters to ensure that all reported cases/matters are tracked up to finalisation and file closing
• Direct, manage and review systems and processes for understanding investigations on Problem and hijacked properties to ensure that quality investigations are performed in line with the approved standards 
• Manage the execution of the work programmes with the multi-disciplinary teams to ensure that the forensic investigative objectives of tackling the challenges created by problem and hijacked properties are met, to ensure that the execution of different forensic investigation projects is comprehensive, and that objectives are met 
• Develop robust and responsive strategies to address problem properties and hijacked buildings, addressing the underlying socio-economic factors that contribute to property hijacking 
• Recommend possible legal action to be taken against the perpetrators for successful prosecution in order to curb the challenges related to hijacked properties in the City. 
• Participate in the Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS) fraud prevention campaigns to educate, inform and collaborate with various stakeholders to fight syndicate led hijacked properties and non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and to always be ahead of the criminal syndicate’s modus operandi 
• Provide input for the Departmental Strategic planning processes to support the City’s strategic agenda in accordance with the approved planning and reporting standards 
• Implement sound governance practices, effective risk management systems, and better compliance with laws and regulations. 
• Effective Human Resource Management 
• Strengthen working relations with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Promote a high-performance culture within the unit to ensure team compliance with performance management policy and relevant prescripts 
• Financial Management to participate in the budgeting process and its deployment 

CLOSING DATE: MONDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2026