‘Sparks will fly’: Mchunu on construction mafia, extortion investigations

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has assured Parliament that authorities are intensifying their crackdown on the construction mafia, which has been wreaking havoc across South Africa.

The latest action in this effort led to the arrest of five suspects in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) over the weekend, highlighting the escalating issue of construction mafia-related activities nationwide.

According to the State Investigating Unit (SIU), the construction mafia refers to “extortion groups that typically seek to forcefully extract protection fees from local construction companies and contractors or extort a portion of the cost of an infrastructure project or that specific individuals affiliated with the mafia are recruited to work on the site”.

Construction mafia threat

During a National Assembly plenary session on Tuesday, Mchunu informed Members of Parliament that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is implementing a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to address the criminal activities of the construction mafia in affected areas.

“The provinces where the crime tendencies manifested in this regard, project-driven investigations have been put in place to address the threat that has been prevailing in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng,” he said.

The minister highlighted that specialised investigative units have been established within various police departments to tackle extortion.

 “SAPS also recently significantly escalated mobilisation of resources to the Eastern Cape province, Mthatha and Gqeberha to be particular, in response to the engagements between the [communities] of the OR Tambo [district], Gqeberha [and] ourselves.

ALSO READ: Macpherson: Giving cash to construction mafia won’t make them go away

“This mobilisation included a specialised investigation capacity in addition to specialised visible policing units, which are intended to stabilise the incidents of violent crime that are associated with this threat,” Mchunu told Parliament.

He further revealed that investigations into extortion incidents in Eastern Cape were close to being finalised.

“I must stress that in OR Tambo and Gqeberha, we really are there.

“We will soon be completing the current investigations and sparks will fly, especially with regard to extortion and illegal occupation of public and private buildings, which is rampant and has been there for some time,” the minister concluded.

Watch the plenary session below:

Mashatile promises end to extortion crimes

Earlier, Deputy President Paul Mashatile called on citizens to work with law enforcement agencies to combat crime in communities.

“We are also aware of the persistent issues of high levels of extortion crimes, particularly in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.

“Through the JCPS [Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster], we are bringing together resources to put an end to extortions and ensure that communities may conduct business without fear or intimidation,” Mashatile said during a National Council of Provinces (NCOP) plenary on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Five suspects arrested for alleged construction mafia activities in KZN

Eastern Cape under siege

The Citizen recently reported that the closure of five schools in Mthatha after criminals demanded money from the teachers and other staff members.

The schools affected include Sinolwazi Senior Secondary School, Bambanani Junior Secondary School, Mokolweni Junior Secondary School, and Laphumikhwezi Junior Secondary School.

According to Makhi Feni, chairperson of the NCOP’s select committee on education, teachers at these schools have ceased working due to threats and, in some cases, assaults.

Additionally, the extortion incidents have led to the closure of numerous businesses in the area.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has waged war against the construction mafia.

NOW READ: How extortion syndicates are taking over Cape Town