Police making significant progress in fight against construction mafia, says DP Mashatile

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has taken significant steps to tackle the construction mafia through a coordinated and multidisciplinary approach to criminal activities.

“Investigative capacity has been created to address extortion and violence on construction sites across the country, with a specific focus on KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and other areas where similar problems have been reported,” said deputy chair Paul Mashatile.

The Vice-President held discussions with members of the National Assembly on matters related to the responsibilities delegated to him.

In March of this year, the Vice-President spoke at the Criminal Justice System Review Conference, which highlighted, among other things, crime in the construction sector.

“When I gave the keynote speech, I said the following: ‘The murderous construction mafia has brought many companies to their knees, and we must fight back to protect this sector’.”

Mashatile believes that a collective effort by all is needed to untangle the complex web of disruptions on construction sites that endanger lives and hamper the government’s goals of transforming the country into a massive construction site that creates jobs and grows the economy.

He told MPs that the police are working with various stakeholders, including state-owned enterprises, government departments, private security companies and civil society, to intensify their efforts in the fight against these criminal networks.

Mashatile reiterated the government’s commitment to address this challenge by introducing policies that will curb and eliminate mafia in the construction sector.

Examples of these are the National Infrastructure Plan, the Critical Infrastructure Programme, the Social Facilitation Programme and the Infrastructure Built Anti-Corruption Forum.

The Infrastructure Built Anti-Corruption Forum (IBACF), the Vice-Chairman said, is another intervention that is yielding positive results in stopping the criminal activities of the so-called “construction mafia”.

He explained that the IBACF was established in 2020 and aims to monitor infrastructure projects and put in place systems to detect and prevent corruption.

The forum consists of representatives from civil society, representatives from the built environment and various government agencies, including the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

In addition, the Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure, through the application of the Social Facilitation Concept approved by the Cabinet in 2021, is carrying out pilot projects such as the Salvokop Precinct Strategic Infrastructure Project (SIP), which serves as a test case for the integration of social facilitation into construction practice.

He explained that the lessons learned will help to further calibrate the framework.

“Given all the interventions I have outlined above, the challenge remains that the true number of crimes committed by these mafias may be underreported as witnesses and victims are often reluctant to come forward.

“It is crucial that communities, organisations and businesses work together with the South African Police Service to bring these criminals to justice.”

Meanwhile, he said the work of top-notch detectives and criminal intelligence agencies must be stepped up to enable watertight prosecutions and ensure these crime bosses are deported, locked up and their criminal proceeds confiscated.

“The impact of this construction mafia on the development of our country cannot be underestimated. The existence and activities of the construction mafia significantly undermine the concept of a developmental state, as envisaged in the National Development Plan 2030.”

The Vice President told MPs that these criminal organisations pose a serious threat to public safety and the integrity of construction projects, which are essential to boosting economic growth and development.

“As government at all levels, we are committed to tackling this problem through independent investigations and partnerships with organisations such as Business Against Crime South Africa, but especially with civil society organisations that live close to and know these criminals.

“Let us join forces to fight these criminal organizations and work toward a safer and more prosperous South Africa for all who live there.” – SAnews.gov.za

SANews.gov.za

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