Garankuwa residents blame construction mafia for stalled shopping mall project

Residents of Garankuwa, north of Pretoria, say the construction and renovation of a multi-million rand shopping centre in the township is far from complete.

The project was initiated in 2019 by the Public Investment Corporation on behalf of the Government Pension Fund.

According to residents, the project is at a standstill due to problems with the previous contractor and the construction mafia, which is demanding a share of the project.

According to research, about 183 infrastructure and construction projects with a total value of over R60 billion have been affected by the construction mafia in the country.

Residents have called on the government to intervene.

“I think the government should make an effort and be on the ground. For example, by setting up a crime intelligence team to deal with these kinds of situations that we as South Africans are facing. Because most constructions even take more than five years. For example, you will find that the project is supposed to take two years, but with shady deals it takes longer than the period of the contractual details.”

Meanwhile, the Durban-based business forum Amadela NGO-Kubona has accused politicians of being behind the construction mafia.

The group has been linked to disruptions and attacks on workers at major construction sites. But it denies any involvement with gangs that use mafia-style tactics to extract contracts from construction companies in KwaZulu-Natal.