{"id":810155,"date":"2025-02-05T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=810155"},"modified":"2025-02-04T15:41:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T13:41:50","slug":"mafia-siege-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/810155\/mafia-siege-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Mafia siege in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Africa is grappling with a siege of mafia-style extortion syndicates that have infiltrated nearly every sector of the economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This growing crisis, highlighted in a preliminary report presented to Parliament’s police portfolio committee, paints a grim picture of organised crime\u2019s tightening grip on the nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police portfolio committee chairman Ian Cameron underscored the severity of the issue, stating that extortion has seeped into all levels of economic activity, from small spaza shops to billion-rand construction projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking with eNCA, He argued that this infiltration would be nearly impossible without the collusion of senior justice officials, exposing corruption as a key enabler of these criminal networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The construction sector is among the hardest hit, with the notorious \u201cconstruction mafia\u201d\u2014particularly in Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal\u2014invading sites and demanding protection fees or a stake in projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These criminal groups have evolved from loosely organised gangs to sophisticated syndicates, often masquerading as legitimate business forums. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their operations stall critical infrastructure developments, driving up project costs and creating an environment of fear and intimidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses in Cape Town are also under attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city has seen an alarming rise in protection rackets, where extortion networks target cafes, restaurants, and luxury apartments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nightlife establishments are also under constant threat, with owners forced to pay for \u201cprotection\u201d or face violent repercussions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This problem has spread beyond nightlife spots to small businesses and construction companies, making it harder for businesses to grow and succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organised crime has also infiltrated essential services. The so-called \u201ctanker mafia\u201d has exploited the country\u2019s water supply issues, controlling access to water delivery in vulnerable communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This form of extortion not only threatens public health but also exacerbates social inequalities, as those who cannot afford to pay are left without basic necessities.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Police portfolio committee chairman Ian Cameron<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Global Organised Crime Index corroborates these findings, noting the prevalence of extortion and protection racketeering across South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal practices now impact a wide range of sectors, including informal businesses, mining companies, and the transport industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report noted that some syndicates in Gauteng have rebranded themselves as legal security companies, maintaining their operations through violence and intimidation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kidnapping for ransom has also become an entrenched, lucrative criminal enterprise, adding another layer of fear and insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, crime intelligence sources revealed that some officers, from constables to brigadiers, actively collaborate with extortion gangs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Eastern Cape, an officer assigned to investigate syndicates was later identified as a key figure within these networks and arrested at the Mall of Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further investigations led to the arrest of four officers from Ngcobo and East London linked to these criminal activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya acknowledged these arrests but withheld specific figures, reflecting a broader issue of accountability within law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cameron pointed out that people don\u2019t see extortion as serious as crimes like robbery or hijacking, which makes the problem worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the punishment isn\u2019t as harsh, criminals aren\u2019t scared to commit these crimes. Since 2019, there have been over 6,000 reports of extortion, but only 178 led to convictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many cases are dropped because victims are too scared to testify, afraid the gangs will come after them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to this escalating crisis, the government has initiated measures to combat organised crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, speaking at the National Construction Summit on Crime-Free Construction, declared an end to negotiations with criminals disrupting construction projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will no longer be negotiating with criminals just to be able to build the essential roads, dams, schools, and hospitals that our people need,\u201d Macpherson asserted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The summit produced a series of pledges aimed at strengthening legislation governing the construction industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These reforms seek to enhance collaboration among stakeholders, improve crime response strategies, and create robust reporting mechanisms to facilitate more arrests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must urgently review and refine policies to ensure that their original intent is upheld, empowering the rights of people and promoting genuine growth in local economies,\u201d Macpherson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa is facing a wave of extortion syndicates that have infiltrated nearly every sector of its economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":803152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[19175,19085,1916,3888,853],"class_list":["post-810155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-construction-mafia","tag-department-of-public-works-and-infrastructure","tag-parliament","tag-saps","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=810155"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":810231,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810155\/revisions\/810231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/803152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=810155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=810155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=810155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}