The International Convention Centre in Durban’s underground parking lot was packed with Raptors, Rangers, Rovers, and G-Wagons – muscle cars often associated with tenderpreneurs.
They attended today’s inaugural national summit for crime-free construction sites which drew a capacity crowd.
There, the government vowed unmatched resolve to fight the construction mafia scourge in South Africa.
Sitting side by side, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson promised the “Durban Declaration” fashioned at the meeting would “draw a line in the sand” against extortionists.
Journalists questioned the ministers about who had been invited to the meeting, saying social media users speculated that the mafiosos were present.
But, while big men in black suits and dark glasses were dotted around the International Convention Centre, officials said they were government protectors.
Macpherson was adamant no business forums nor “anyone with AK-47s” were allowed in, making for a “frank” discussion about extortion.
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Macpherson described the event as historic, saying the diverse stakeholders were making a public commitment to work together to restore the rule of law in the construction industry.
Delegates heard that 200 construction-related extortion arrests had been made this year alone, most of them in the Eastern Cape.
Construction mafia embedded ‘in our department’
Discussions underscored the “difficult” acknowledgement, Macpherson said, “that the mafia exists in our department as well, and we will have to root out those people who collude with thugs to skew state tenders to favoured companies. It is a difficult journey that we must and will win.”
He praised police resolve to act against mafias since Mchunu’s appointment, saying the state’s response had markedly improved.
Mchunu said mafia threats and violent intimidation, all driven by greed, presented a critical choice for South Africa between legality or chaos and lawlessness.
He said mafia activity extended beyond construction to sophisticated organised criminal networks subjugating state supply chains.
Construction mafia crimes included intimidation, targeted murder and, in some cases, “State Capture” collusion between officials and criminal gangs.
Mchunu and Macpherson were pressed about publicly available data on extortion arrests to help map mafia activity and identify mafia dons.
Mchunu said there were “interesting amounts” of information on organised crime webs. “I want the names of the kingpins. Nobody will remain untouchable in South Africa.”
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Macpherson recently attended the bail hearing of extortion suspects in Durban who were released on bail and could intimidate witnesses.
He said criminal syndicates presented themselves as legitimate business forums, but the government should never negotiate with them.
Criminal syndicates had used a 30% procurement rule in state contracts introduced during former Jacob Zuma’s presidency as a basis for extortion.
Violence
Macpherson said these weren’t victimless crimes.
They had names and faces, and one such name was Matthew Horwill, shot in June while driving into his company’s office in Durban.
Horwill is the MD of Stefanutti Stocks Coastal and was invited onstage in what delegates described as a brave step and a catalyst to show the industry would not be silenced.
KZN premier Thami Ntuli said economic development was impossible in an environment of lawlessness and systemic levels of extortion, akin to the mafia in Italy.
The mafia had evolved from representing genuine, desperate communities to armed groups, including taxi hitmen and “suspicious characters” enriching themselves.
Mchunu described organised crime as “the real enemy of South Africa”.
The animosity between the Government of National Unity partners paled into comparison against “this mafia poison”.
“They are organised. We are getting organised,” Mchunu said
While this is the umpteenth government gathering to deal with extortions, politicians and officials have dubbed it “the” summit to develop a comprehensive response to extortion mafia construction site stoppages that have cost the economy billions.
Sam Ngcongo, from the Master Builders Association, representing more than 4,000 construction companies, described the summit as “groundbreaking”.
“We are all speaking with one voice to say it stops… this is very encouraging.”
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A senior construction industry delegate told Daily Maverick: “This is the first time that I have seen a united front from the ministries of finance, police and public works. They are crucial ministries … we cannot solve this in a day, but we will have this summit every year. We will have to see what we achieve.”
Macpherson said the Durban Declaration was a collective commitment to eradicate violence and included pledges on policy reform, enhanced security measures, community engagement and developing the emerging construction sector.
It also envisaged improved data and reporting systems – rapid responses to extortion would lead to more arrests and prosecutions. DM