End of the road for extortionists and tenderpreneurs in KZN, vows new MEC

Martin Meyer, the new KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)

8 Sep 2024

New KZN MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, said his department had declared war on extortionists and was trying to find lasting solutions — including in-sourcing and re-looking at the awarding of contracts — that will make it less conducive for the so-called construction mafia to operate.

In an interview, Public Works and Infrastructure Martin Meyer pointed to the arrests and court appearance last week of five men who are accused of disrupting construction work on a bridge in Pietermaritzburg and intimidating workers, making demands.

See Interview with Meyer in Daily Maverick: New MEC Martin Meyer has taken the gloves off and declared war on crime

“The latest arrests show that we are making progress in the fight against those who seek to illegally disrupt construction projects meant to benefit local communities. Such actions prevent progress and deprive residents of essential services and infrastructure,” said Meyer, adding that he had visited more than eight sites where work had stopped after they’d been invaded.

Mzeni High School in uMlazi, Durban. (Photo: Facebook)

These include the R40-million Menzi High School (in uMlazi) upgrade project that is long way behind schedule because of construction mafia disruptions.

“Last week, together with the premier, I met and addressed a summit that included all legitimate business formations to tell them about how our department works and how we can all help to end the scourge of the construction mafia. Some of these formations told us about their concerns, about how government contracts are given to selected individuals at the expense of others.

Malusi Zondi, the Black Business Federation president. (Photo: BBF)

“We have resolved to get involved with the project from the beginning instead of awarding contracts and relying on the contractor to engage with communities. This is when the construction mafias get an opportunity to invade. Now we want to be engaged throughout the process, in-sourcing local contractors for the 30% of the contracts, and if there are no plumbers or builders we will assist in training them,” said Meyer.

Relating to the latest arrest and court appearance of the five men, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Kara said they were taking these cases very seriously.

“The case was adjourned to 9 September 2024 for a bail application,” said Kara.

Recently, the police said they had arrested 722 construction mafia suspects, but so far there had been only 52 convictions.

Ambushed

In May 2024, the eThekwini (Durban) Metro Police arrested eight suspects who had allegedly ambushed an independent contractor repairing water infrastructure in Inanda. Metro Police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said at the time: “We were informed that 10 suspects ambushed site workers, demanding to speak to the foreman and the community liaison officer. The men, who were armed and aggressive, demanded that the site be closed, and work stopped immediately.”

Black Business Federation (BBF) president Malusi Zondi, who was part of the delegation that met the premier and Meyer, later told journalists that his federation was not a construction mafia, and was just as concerned about how government contracts were awarded.

“We are not a construction mafia and our members want to conduct business in a fair and transparent manner. The construction mafia issue must not stop us from talking about how to transform this economy,” he said, adding that the fight against the mafias should go hand in hand with advancing Broad-Based Black Economic Empwerment goals.

Delangokubona Business Forum is one of the organisations that was initially accused of being at the forefront of armed site invasions, particularly around eThekwini Municipality. Lately there have been several other splinter groups, but the modus operandi remains the same.

One of Delangokubona senior office bearers, who asked not to be named fearing prosecution, said the organisation had become what it was because of corrupt politicians who awarded all contracts to their friends and family members.

https://youtu.be/3uYfkU7wCZ4

“I cannot guarantee that people will not invade sites. This thing could have been avoided from the beginning if these tenders were awarded fairly. Now we are in this situation,” he said.

Early this year, the Durban Chamber of Commerce, whose members are the primary victims of the construction mafia, slammed the construction mafia, saying that its activities were creating unstable conditions resulting in the flight of investments and skilled workers. Later, the chamber tried to engage and negotiate with them, but it seems that initiative has not borne fruit.

Yolan Nagoor, the chamber’s spokesperson, told Daily Maverick that these engagements were at a sensitive stage.

“We will not be commenting due to the matter being sensitive and we needed more information. This was an internal (chamber) decision,” Nagoor said.

The scourge of construction mafias who send or go to both public and private construction sites under the guise of being local business forums to demand protection fees or a slice of the contract has now become entrenched in South Africa.

Martin Meyer, KZN MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, the new KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)

Once they are awarded financial incentives, members of the group leave, but sometimes a new group emerges to make their own sets of demands.

The phenomenon is now so widespread that it has spun smaller extortion mafias that are terrorising poor, defenceless communities, townships, informal settlements, peri-urban and rural areas across South Africa.

The government’s urgent response to extortion rackets was addressed in Parliament by police minister Senzo Mchuno on Wednesday.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Police Minister Senzo Mchunu declares war against ‘armies of murderous parasites’

Regarding construction site armed invasions, Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal are the most affected provinces, but the other six provinces are quickly catching up.

According to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 2022, at least 183 infrastructure and construction projects worth more than R63-billion had been affected by the construction mafia in 2019 alone. “Since then, invasions have continued at construction sites across South Africa,” read the introduction.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Police and business turn screws on extortion mafia terrorising all corners of SA

Daily Maverick reported last month that 91 cases of mainly construction-related extortion were under investigation across South Africa. The real number of such crimes is probably much higher, but people are reluctant to open cases and witnesses not wanting to testify.

“It is easy to understand the reason: this sphere of crime is marked by violence and assassinations,” reported Daily Maverick. DM

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