Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s claim that 80% of people living in hijacked buildings in the city are foreigners is not accurate. This is the view of Kate Wilkinson, a senior researcher at non-profit, fact-checking group Africa Check.

Mashaba previously claimed the city found that 80% of people occupying hijacked buildings were foreign nationals.

He said this as he announced that his mission was to hand over such buildings to developers who would turn them into affordable accommodation.

However, Wilkinson said their research has revealed no evidence to support Mashaba’s claims.

“We looked at inner city as a whole and there is no data that supports the mayor’s claim. If you look at Stats SA, if you look at surveys conducted, there is no data that shows that 80% of inner city residents are foreign nationals,” Wilkinson said on Radio 702 on Tuesday.

But she added that there is a chance the data has not captured all foreign nationals, “but the responsibility lies with the mayor to produce evidence to support his claim”.