A report by Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime showed that South Africa\u2019s construction mafia originated in KZN in 2014\/15 when two \u201cbusiness forums\u201d emerged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group would merge and start invading construction sites across the province, ordering a percentage of the contract value and employment for their forum members.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/a>As reported by the SABC<\/a> and Newzroom Afrika<\/a>, newly appointed KZN Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer said the department is working on a plan to stop the construction mafia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meyer said that a task team, including roleplayers from the construction industry, civic society, community policing forums and those on the ground, will be created. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that the department is willing to work with legitimate business forums to ensure that tenders are more widespread and that certain companies do not receive beneficial treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he said that it is illegal for the construction mafia to come to building sites with rifles and threaten people’s lives and will not be tolerated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not going away anytime soon <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite Meyer’s commitment to solving the province’s issues, construction mafias are not likely to disappear soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExtortion in the construction sector has reached worryingly high levels, derailing and delaying projects worth billions of rands\u2026 [but] with no signs of this trend reversing, construction firms should build extortion preparation and best practices into their planning ahead of every project,” said Roelof Viljoen from Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA). <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n With these mafias becoming engrained in South Africa, Viljoen said that construction firms need to plan for the worst. <\/p>\n\n\n\n