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| Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has launched a new city-wide anti-extortion campaign. (Photo: Velani Ludidi) |
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has launched an anti-extortion campaign as part of a new plan to tackle crimes related to construction projects in the city. Arrests are expected soon, and the campaign's slogan is: "Enough is Enough! Genoeg is Genoeg! Kwanele!" The campaign was launched on Thursday in Khayelitsha at a MyCiti depot construction site affected by extortion. The municipality has set up a 24-hour hotline and rewards system to encourage residents to help authorities tackle extortion. Reporting to the hotline – 0800 00 6992 – can be done anonymously. Billboards are also set to be rolled out along major routes explaining how to report crimes relating to extortion.
Cape Town is spending tens of millions on additional security this year, with R55 million allocated to protect housing construction sites from gangsters. A guide has been given to local councillors that explained how conversations that could escalate to extortion began. Amendments have been made to contracts for every contractor, stating that construction delays cannot be claimed unless they have reported the matter (extortion) to the police and can provide a case number.
Cape Town has seen a spike in extortion-related crimes at construction sites, some resulting in violent deaths. Extortion in the city extends to other sectors, with workers along railway tracks and even in refuse collection trucks being targeted. The town has an R11-billion infrastructure budget for 2023/2024, 73% of which will directly benefit lower-income households. The 'Enough' campaign aims to increase public reporting of extortion activity, with specialised city investigators feeding this information into the South African Police Service’s anti-extortion unit.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith said construction mafia-related arrests were imminent but was cautious not to give too much insight into the state of the investigations. Both Smith and Hill-Lewis complained about the lack of enthusiasm from the country’s Crime Intelligence division to assist in tackling extortionists.
The city has faced other problems in the human settlements arena, with alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield's name cropping up in an investigation relating to city councillor Malusi Booi, who was fired as Mayco member for human settlements after his office was raided during an investigation into fraud and corruption. Stanfield and Johnson were arrested in their home in the upmarket Cape Town suburb of Constantia on 29 September and face various charges.
Companies under heavier scrutiny are under more severe scrutiny, with Hill-Lewis stating that police had not provided him with an update on the investigation into Booi. The municipality will, in future, be more cautious in doing due diligence concerning company directors and officials suspected to be on the wrong side of the law.
This article is republished from the Daily Maverick. Click here to read the original article.
