Communities whose housing and railway projects are being held to ransom by gangsters are the ones who are being disadvantaged.
The City of Cape Town has indicated that there has been an increase in criminal activities targeting housing projects meant for for the development of communities.
Just last week, Matlhodi Maseko, the DA’s spokesperson on human settlements, extended an invitation to the police, the provincial human settlements department, the police oversight and community safety department and the City to address the ongoing pattern of extortion occurring at developments such as housing and construction sites.
They have now opened the conversation after it was revealed that R5 million had been spent on housing projects in the Western Cape in the past five years, but that several had been halted owing to extortion and even land invasions.
In some instances, live ammunition was fired, and in August gangsters allegedly tried to stop work on Prasa’s central-line corridor.
“There has been a pattern of criminality targeting human settlements projects with the specific intent of demanding protection money from project managers.
“The contractor for the Luyolo housing development in Gugulethu recently suspended construction after instances of extortion and intimidation by unidentified individuals.
“During the incident, shots were fired at four security workers at the construction site,” Maseko explained
“I will engage with the police and request that they present to the committee on the trends and incidents that have been reported in housing developments in the province over the past five years.
“We cannot stand by and let criminals prevent housing beneficiaries from timeously gaining access to their long-awaited homes.
“In a recent parliamentary reply, the Department of Human Settlements revealed that R5 billion in housing projects in the Western Cape had been halted within the last five financial years due to land invasions and acts of criminality.
“It is time for the various stakeholders to engage and implement robust measures to put an end to the criminality at public infrastructure sites.
“I also strongly urge communities to come forward and provide the police and other law enforcement agencies with information on extortionist gangs within their communities.”
MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagan Allen said the issue of extortion was increasing, and he had roped in the SAPS’s anti-gang unit to deal with it: “We have been invited to the Western Cape standing committee on human settlements in the Western Cape provincial parliament in January 2023 to provide insight into the department's strategies for dealing with extortion matters from alleged gang groups in the Western Cape.
“Extortions are an important topic as across the board, as they are seemingly increasing. Although extortions in the Western Cape are largely linked with kidnappings, a picture is emerging that it is spreading into various other sectors.
“Besides attending the weekly extortion committee meetings, we have in the past linked complainants with police’s crime intelligence (unit) through the provincial commissioner, so that matters can be handled in a confidential manner, as many complainants fear for their safety.
“We also co-lead the anti-gang priority committee, as organised crime is linked to gang activity as well.
Mayoral committee member for human settlements Malusi Booi said that to win the war against the extortion they needed the public to report incidents to them, and that the developments were in fact for their own benefit.
He indicated that security had been provided at sites for staff: “Over the past few years, the City of Cape Town’s human settlements directorate has experienced many criminal disruptions at key housing projects that aim to benefit some of the most vulnerable residents of the metro.
“There is a worrying increase in the trend.
“The issue of gang violence and alleged extortion experienced at project sites is endemic to contracts in the human settlements sector nationally.
“We are concerned about the increasing trend in these criminal activities, which have stalled or blocked projects that are key to the well-being and development of the communities.
“Our projects are dependent on community support and co-operation.
“We thank the communities for their patience, and for working with the City over the years to ensure that our projects become a reality.
“The City deploys additional security and law enforcement, and has some contingencies in place. However, the lead crime-fighting authority is the SAPS, and this is where action and resolution are required.
“The City can only do what it can, but it is not the lead crime-fighting agency.
Bonteheuwel councillor Angus Mckenzie said that, besides the housing issue, communities had also been robbed of key infrastructure such as railways.
“It is indeed sad that a number of developments and projects that are intended for communities are sometimes stopped or delayed due to extortion,” he added.
He said one had to take into consideration that appointing contractors and putting tenders together took a long time.
“Once this has taken place, there is public participation that takes place.
“When gangsters stop this by causing extortion because of their own selfish and criminal needs, it places those communities in a very different position. They look forward to housing and the upgrading, and they look forward to trains being able to run freely.
“We have taken a strong line in Bonteheuwel against extortion and gangsters and their criminal desires.
“Many of the workers who were part of that project are now unemployed.”