Only two of the country’s nine provinces have not been categorised as “problematic” when it comes to extortion rackets targeting businesses for what is known as a protection fee.
The Eastern Cape is the latest to grapple with extortion, with some businesses and surgeries being forced to close shop over fears of being killed for refusing to pay criminals “protection money.”
A number of construction sites, a petrol station and the only ophthalmology office have closed in Mthatha, while some petrol stations facing demands for more than R300 000 in protection fees are threatening to shut down.
A letter by an anonymous person who identified herself as a businesswoman disclosed that her business had been paying a R100 000 fee for the past six months to extortionists.
The situation had become so severe in the Eastern Cape that blind and deaf residents of the Efata Complex in Mthatha also became a target, with criminals demanding a protection fee or threatening to hurt them and take their homes. Suspects last month made a court appearance in the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court relating to the matter.
Except for Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, all the other seven provinces have been identified as problematic, where these extortionists operate, according to national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe. She said 722 extortionists have been arrested in relation to sporadic incidents of violence and extortion at construction sites and businesses across the country in the last five years.
So far, only 52 of them were found guilty and collectively sentenced to 89 years and seven months’ imprisonment.
A total of 93 cases were still under investigation, where groupings and individuals of interest have been identified, said Mathe.
“The SAPS is making inroads in dealing decisively with gangs demanding extortion fees from businesses, but concedes that more needs to be done.”
Desperate to quell the situation, the Eastern Cape government confirmed having written to the national government requesting the deployment of the army. This comes despite the deployment of three SAPS senior officers, including the head of organised crime, specialised operations and intelligence, to the province, each with dedicated teams under their command to tackle these issues in key areas of the province, including Mthatha and Gqeberha.
Police commissioner Fannie Masemola said the teams were expected to work closely with local law enforcement “to reinforce the province’s capacity to dismantle the criminal networks that have been preying on vulnerable communities”.
On Wednesday, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane welcomed the deployment of additional police capacity to the province.
“The safety of our citizens is paramount, and we will not tolerate any criminal activities that undermine the well-being of our people and the economic stability of our province. This enhanced police presence sends a clear message to those involved in gang violence and extortion; the Eastern Cape will not be a safe haven for their criminal activities. We will fight back with every resource at our disposal.”
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said they were yet to receive a request for deployment. Meanwhile, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Mayco member for safety and security, Stag Mitchell, said they were working on “reactivating CCTV cameras, deploying more gunshot spotters across the metro, and having surveillance vehicles in every area, especially hot spots”.
They would also make available 300 security men and women to join the SAPS operation.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s metro police commissioner, Andrew Moses, said: “The magnitude of what we are faced with demands that we work smarter and closer with our communities.” “Working CCTV cameras, gunshot technology, mobile surveillance vehicles, biometric access and metal detectors in businesses and offices are some of the many plans that we can implement.
“In support of the smart efforts (technology) and the community policing on the ground, we need a well-capacitated Joint Operations Centre as a centre of co-ordination.”
Moses said he was pleased with the close co-operation and teamwork with the SAPS. “The deployments, including specialised units, will definitely make a difference.”
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais said: “I welcome and support the decision by national Police Minister Senzo Mchunu that his department will deploy additional boots on the ground provincially, especially in the Mthatha area, to combat the massive growth of extortion.
“I will be writing to him to highlight the urgent need for additional policing resources to be deployed to the Western Cape, which also faces a rising and lethal extortion scourge. We trust that these decisions are data-driven, and stand ready to provide these to him, so that the deployment can also benefit the people of the Western Cape.”
Cape Times