Mchunu on construction mafia, extortion investigations

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has assured parliament that authorities will step up their crackdown on the construction mafia that is causing chaos across South Africa.

The latest action in this regard led to the arrest of five suspects in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) last weekend, underscoring the growing scale of mafia activities in the construction sector across the country.

According to the State Investigation Unit (SIU), construction mafia refers to “extortion groups that typically attempt to forcibly collect protection fees from local construction companies and contractors or extort a share of the costs of an infrastructure project, or recruit specific individuals linked to the mafia to work on the construction site.”

Threat of the construction mafia

During a plenary session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Mchunu informed MPs that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is implementing a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to tackle the criminal activities of the construction mafia in the affected areas.

“In the provinces where crime trends in this area have manifested themselves, project-driven studies have been conducted to address the menace prevalent in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng,” he said.

The minister stressed that specialized investigation units have been set up within various police departments to tackle extortion.

“SAPS has also recently significantly increased its resource mobilisation for the Eastern Cape Province, particularly Mthatha and Gqeberha, in response to the engagement of the (communities) of OR Tambo (district), Gqeberha (and) ourselves.

READ ALSO: Macpherson: Giving money to the construction mafia won’t make them disappear

“This mobilisation included a specialised investigative capacity alongside specialised visible police units, which are intended to stabilise the incidents of violent crime associated with this threat,” Mchunu told parliament.

He further revealed that investigations into extortion incidents in the Eastern Cape are nearing completion.

“I must emphasize that we are really present in OR Tambo and Gqeberha.

“We will soon conclude the ongoing investigations and then the spark will fly, especially regarding the extortion and illegal occupation of public and private buildings, which is widespread and has been going on for quite some time,” the minister concluded.

Watch the plenary session below:

Mashatile vows end to extortion crimes

Earlier, Vice President Paul Mashatile called on citizens to work together with law enforcement agencies to combat crime in communities.

“We are also aware of the ongoing problems with high levels of extortion crime, particularly in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.

“Through the JCPS (Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster), we are pooling resources to end extortion and ensure that communities can do business without fear or intimidation,” Mashatile said at a plenary meeting of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Five suspects arrested for alleged mafia activities in KZN construction sector

Eastern Cape under siege

The citizen It was recently reported that five schools in Mthatha were closed after criminals demanded money from teachers and other staff.

The affected schools include Sinolwazi Senior Secondary School, Bambanani Junior Secondary School, Mokolweni Junior Secondary School and Laphumikhwezi Junior Secondary School.

According to Makhi Feni, chairman of the NCOP education committee, teachers at these schools have stopped working due to threats and in some cases attacks.

In addition, the extortion incidents have led to the closure of numerous businesses in the region.

Minister of Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson is waging war on the construction mafia.

READ NOW: How extortion syndicates are taking over Cape Town