SAPS ups the ante against criminal mafias in South Africa
The South African Police Service (SAPS) says it is intensifying its efforts against extortion-related crimes plaguing the country, with operations yielding results—and some criminals meeting violent ends.
In a media briefing on police operations on Thursday (12 September 2024), National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, said ongoing operations “are yielding the desired results.”
“We are continuously implementing an all hands on deck approach… a joint effort working closely with other law enforcement agencies, other government departments, the business sector, our community police forum structures and private security,” said Masemola.
Speaking specifically about the rise of extortion-related cases plaguing the country, the police commissioner said that it remains a significant issue, however SAPS is reporting progress through its Extortion Action Plan.
However, he said that cooperation of communities to report the crime and name and shame the perpetrators is desperately needed.
“We are following up on tip-offs and information shared through our hotlines and crime stop numbers. We are fetching each of these extortionists, one by one,” said Masemola.
From 01 April 2023 to 31 August 2024, 319 extortion cases have been reported to the police.
Western Cape registered the most number of cases with 119, followed by Eastern Cape with 82 and Kwazulu-Natal with 63 and Gauteng with 31 cases.
The number of arrests linked to these cases is 151, with 69 in the Western Cape, 24 in the Eastern Cape, 23 in Gauteng, and 20 in KwaZulu-Natal.
“With Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape having been identified as provinces that have the most reported cases, we are adding capacity and pumping resources to the Economic Infrastructure Task Teams to prevent, combat and investigate incidents of extortion and other crimes,” said Masemola.
Recently, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that due to the violent and threatening nature of these extortionists, having victims report crimes is an upward battle, and thus identifying them is difficult.
“There are more extortions going on in communities than what meets the eye. This requires more intelligent operations from our side [and] we know that we have to improve and strengthen intelligence on our side,” said the minister.
While extortion at some large construction projects and businesses often grabs the headlines, Mchunu said that SAPS is increasingly seeing “shocking incidents of the lowest levels of morality.”
This includes reports of church services, funerals, family-related events, pensioners, those receiving money from the Road Accident Fund and grants, healthcare facilities, and schools, among others, that are targeted by violent extortionists.
“Extortion is a rapidly escalating threat that affects every single layer of society in South Africa. It is deeply rooted and an issue that is jeopardising our economic stability and tears at the social fabric of every part of our country,” said the Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron.
However, he believes that the launch of initiatives such as toll-free hotlines to report such cases will turn this around.
Looking at the past two weeks, Masemola said that 14 extortionists were shot and killed during confrontations with police in various provinces.
Notable developments include:
- Eastern Cape: Three extortionists who tailed police were killed in Mthatha;
- Kwazulu-Natal: Six extortionists were shot in confrontations with authorities;
- Gauteng: An Emfuleni municipality worker and a party leader were arrested for extorting a contractor; three others were arrested in Johannesburg for halting construction;
- Cape Town: An extortionist was arrested for killing a 4-year-old girl during an extortion attempt.
Masemola said that criminal groupings involved in some of these cases have been identified, and intelligence and detectives are “piecing together information to ensure perpetrators are brought to book.”
He added that the crime of extortion requires a specialised investigative capacity, and that is why they have deployed specialist teams led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, crime intelligence and organised crime units to lead these investigations.
The police commissioner added that worryingly, seven police officers and a civilian in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, were arrested by the DPCI for extortion.
They allegedly demanded R100,000 from a business owner after confiscating cigarettes and face charges of extortion, corruption, and obstructing justice.
“This indeed provides the organisation with the opportunity to continuously rid itself of criminal elements,” said Masemola.
In the last five years, 2,118 police officers have been dismissed, “which demonstrates our commitment to deal with rotten elements and will therefore continue to act decisively against our own members who do not honour their oath of office,” he added.
Other updates
Over the past four weeks, 85,000 more suspects have been arrested for various crimes ranging from murder to rape, kidnapping and extortion.
This brings the total number of suspects arrested since the launch of Operation Shanela to 850,375 (eight hundred and fifty thousand three hundred and seventy-five).
During this four-week period, 824 illegal and unlicensed firearms with more than 17,282 rounds of ammunition were seized.
“We do believe that we are registering progress in destabilizing the work of organised crime syndicates as well as ruthless criminals in all forms and shapes,” said Masemola.
Read: ‘All hands on deck’ to take out criminal mafias in South Africa
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