Construction mafia sends surprise bullet to KZN minister

By Celani Sikhakhane

The construction mafia has threatened to kill Martin Meyer, head of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, by placing a bullet casing next to his official vehicle.

This follows after Meyer took tough action against construction mafias in the province last week.

This was announced by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson.

Macpherson said: “KZN is a very dangerous place, and I have had a number of conversations with (…) Meyer. There have been a number of threats made against him.

“He told me he found a shell casing near his car and that this kind of thing shouldn’t happen. We want to get infrastructure projects off the ground and running so we can deliver services to our communities,” Macpherson said.

He told New space Africa it would not be surprising if there was an element of political involvement in the threats, because there were parties that were sponsored by the construction mafia. Macpherson did not name the parties.

Last week, Meyer was rushed to Pietermaritzburg, where members of the construction mafia were feuding and disrupting construction work over a R109 million tender for the construction of offices for the provincial transport department.

He warned them sternly that if they continued doing this, the law would take its course.

Five members of the construction mafia appeared in Camperdown Magistrates Court on Monday charged with making threats and disrupting a bridge under construction in Pietermaritzburg.

The suspects, aged between 28 and 44, were arrested following the MEC’s emergency visit on Thursday to one of eight construction sites where similar disruptions took place.

According to Meyer, law enforcement agencies must work closely with judicial authorities to ensure that evidence is successfully collected.

He said the courts must send a strong message about the serious impact the disruptions are having on communities in desperate need of services.

“This latest arrest is an indication that the tide is beginning to turn in the fight against syndicates that seek to illegally disrupt construction projects that benefit the local community. This not only prevents progress, but also deprives residents of much-needed services and infrastructure,” Meyer said.

Pictured above: Martin Meyer, KZN MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, during his visit last week to a construction site in Pietermaritzburg that was being threatened by the construction mafia.

Source: Steve Bhengu/Public Works and Infrastructure