City of Johannesburg owned land includes sections immediately adjacent to the stream and the property containing the old Randburg Landfill site (Houtkoppen 193-IQ ptn.

[7] In the May 2008 xenophobic riots in South Africa, violence against foreign nationals was reported in Kya Sands,[8] with police deployed to the area to try to curb attacks.

[9] As homes in the settlement are so close together, built from reused materials such as wood and plastic, and that most heating, lighting and cooking is done using open flames, fire poses a significant threat to the residents of Kya Sands.

[6][7] Local authorities, in the form of the Gauteng Provincial Government and the City of Johannesburg, have proposed a number of plans for long- and short-term intervention in Kya Sands, since 2007.

[7] In response to safety concerns, residents of Kya Sands had regularly called for a bridge to be built across the river.