--- description: Many migrants from African countries looking for a better life arrive in Johannesburg and take shelter in the city's derelict buildings title: Migrants in Johannesburg: Photos by Jonathan Torgovnik image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta421e544fa37d17b/6988780f0b72e3b30a6e78c4/migrants-johannesburg-torgovnik-0029.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 'Hijacked' Life of Migrants in Johannesburg by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 12, 2016 9:00 AM CUT  An aerial view of one of the derelict buildings which has had several fires, and does not have running water and electricity, Feb. 22, 2015. An aerial view of one of the derelict buildings which has had several fires, and does not have running water and electricity, Feb. 22, 2015.Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 12, 2016 9:00 AM CUT In 2015, more than a million migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa trekked north, in search of better lives on Europe’s shores. But for thousands of African migrants, it’s a completely different journey they’ll undertake for this dream of a better life. Rather than aim for Europe, they’ll head to South Africa, one of the continent’s [largest](http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21600685-nigerias-suddenly-supersized-economy-indeed-wonder-so-are-its-still-huge "undefined") economies. Once they get to South Africa – often entering the country illegally – they are “confronted with the realities of how difficult it is to be an immigrant in a country that is not necessarily [favorable](http://time.com/3830984/south-africa-xenophobic-violence-military-foreigners-killings/ "undefined") to foreigners,” says Jonathan Torgovnik, who has spent the last year photographing African migrants living in some of Johannesburg’s abandoned inner city high-rise buildings. Torgovnik’s photographs highlight the squalid conditions in which these migrants live, with most of the “hijacked” buildings lacking electricity or running water. “I wanted to give the viewers a sense of this claustrophobic feeling of living, in my opinion, in the worst urban poverty I’ve ever seen in all my travels around the world,” he tells TIME. “I wanted to give a sense of that place, the rooms, their surroundings.” The majority of occupants are men from Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, though other nations like Kenya and Nigeria are also represented. All hope to find a job that will allow them to send back funds to their families or bring their relatives into the country. “They come with these hopes and think they can really do something, but many of the people I met in fact did not have any work,” says Torgovnik. “It’s really quite sad to see them leaving their families, leaving everything they had and coming to this. The dream is shattered.” Meanwhile, these migrants also have to face the simmering resentment some South Africans have for foreign migrants. “There’s been a lot of xenophobia and violence in South Africa in recent years,” says Torgovnik. “\[Some South Africans\] feel that these African migrants are coming in and taking jobs away from them.” In April 2015, a [wave](http://time.com/3828398/xenophobia-south-africa/ "undefined") of attacks targeting migrants resulted in seven deaths, with thousands of people fleeing the country. Torgovnik is not under the illusion that his photographs will help to improve the living conditions of these migrants, but, he says, he hopes the people who drive by these buildings will gain insight into what’s happening in their country, just out of sight. “It’s not very rosy,” he says. [**_Jonathan Torgovnik_**](http://www.torgovnik.com/ "undefined") _is a documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Johannesburg. He is represented by Getty Images Reportage._ **_Michelle Molloy,_** _who edited this photo essay, is a senior international photo editor at TIME._ **_Olivier Laurent_** _is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on_ [_Twitter_](http://twitter.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](http://instagram.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _@olivierclaurent_ _Follow_ **_TIME LightBox_** _on_ [_Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/timemagazinephoto "undefined")_,_ [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/timepictures "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](https://instagram.com/timelightbox/ "undefined")_._  The entrance to one of the derelict 'hijacked' buildings that is occupied by African migrants, in Johannesburg's inner city, South Africa, July 19, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  An aerial view of one of the derelict buildings which has had several fires, and does not have running water and electricity, Feb. 22, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  Pumulelo (age 25 ) a migrant from Zimbabwe stands in the piles of rubbish at a derelict building he has made his home, July 19, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  African migrants from Zimbabwe sleep in tight quarters, July 12, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  An African migrant resident walking in the rubbish-filled courtyard between two derelict buildings, July 19, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  A room that houses several African migrants, July 17, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  African migrant residents at one of the derelict buildings, May 22, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  Aerial view of the rubbish-filled courtyard at one of the derelict 'hijacked' buildings, Aug. 2, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  A migrant from Zambia washes himself in a makeshift washroom, July 19, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  A young girl walks in a rubbish-filled courtyard, July 19, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  Adam (25 years) from Zambia in a windowless room he shares with four other migrant workers, May 22, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  A view of one of the damaged stairwells, Aug. 2, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  Residents meet on the 5th floor, Aug. 2, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  African migrant residents gather on the first floor, July 17, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  Edward (20 years), a carpenter from Malawi in his small room he shares with four other migrants, July 12, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  A resident peers through a shattered window, July 17, 2015. Jonathan Torgovnik—Getty Images Reportage  A man looks on to the rubbish filled roof of a derelict building, in the inner city of Johannesburg, Aug. 2, 2015. 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